Jewish Studies Pedagogy in the New Media Classroom

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

Emergent digital technologies are leading to significant changes in the theory and practice of teaching in higher education in general, and Jewish studies, in particular. As integration of new media and digital technology become an increasingly important part of higher education, Jewish studies has the opportunity to take a lead in developing innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Over the last two years, a group of faculty members from programs around the country have launched new media courses with the support of a New Media and Jewish Studies Collaborative. This roundtable will share some findings regarding the creation and implementation of several new courses that showcase possibilities of integrating techniques of digital storytelling, new media, and digital humanities into the Jewish studies classroom.
The roundtable will address several key questions that have emerged:
• What do the terms "new media," “digital storytelling” and "digital humanities" mean in the context of teaching and learning Jewish Studies in the university classroom?
• How can these tools improve learning outcomes and student engagement?
• How can faculty with different degrees of familiarity with new media most easily and effectively use technology to teach?
• What impact does digital technology have upon the potential for collaborative teaching across disciplines, and across institutions?
• How does Jewish Studies’ relationship to communities both within and outside the university campus present faculty with opportunities and challenges that differ from considerations of faculty in other humanities fields?
• What are the best ways for faculty to leverage extant grant and in kind resources, within their own institutions and outside of academia?

Sub Unit

• Pedagogy

Moderator

• Jeremy Asher Dauber, Columbia University

Discussants

• Laurence Roth, Susquehanna University

• Deborah Dash Moore, University of Michigan

• Noam F. Pianko, University of Washington

• Samuel Ball, Citizen Film