Jerusalem: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Jerusalem is considered a holy city to three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In this course, students will learn the history of Jerusalem from its founding in pre-biblical times until the present. Over the course of the semester, we will ask: What makes space sacred and how does a city become holy? What has been at stake--religiously, theologically, politically, nationally--in the many battles over Jerusalem? What is the relationship between Jerusalem as it was and Jerusalem as it was and is imagined?