| Course Title: Against Productivity: Sabbath as Countercultural Practice |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: The practice of a weekly day of rest dates back millennia. Today, the Sabbath beckons as an antidote to the relentless demand to be productive. This seminar explores the ideas, actions, and communal dimensions of the sacred day that anchors the seven-day calendar, focusing on Jewish texts and practices. Key themes include sacred time, cultural identity, and the transformation of religious life over time. Students explore the development of the Sabbath using narrative, folk, and legal primary sources and in experiential learning. Students will pursue an extended research project. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities , MP - Multicultural Perspectives |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Mara Benjamin | benjamin@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Monday | 01:30PM - 04:20PM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| PRI0001 | Used to identify primary sides of crosslisted courses for Workday conversion |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| JWST-343-01 Against Productv.:The Sabbath |
| RELIG-343-01 Against Productv.:The Sabbath |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 10 | Available: 8 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |