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Updated 3/16/20, 2pm: Please note that all in-person sessions for this series for the Spring 2020 semester have been suspended.
Open to all students as an elective and to the general public, "Issues and Ideas in Jewish Studies: Shalom Shanghai" is a new course offered in Spring 2020 integrating musical theatre and Jewish-Chinese history. The course is focused on the remarkable history of the WWII Jewish ghetto of Shanghai which inspired the creation of the new UD musical Shanghai Sonatas. Throughout this course, students will learn the inspiring stories of the Jewish refugees and Chinese musicians in WWII Shanghai in addition to the techniques needed to create and produce a successful new musical.
The course, cross-listed in Jewish Studies and Music, contributes one credit toward Jewish Studies minors' 12-credit JWST course requirement and fulfills one music elective credit for music degrees that require them. This semester's course is supported by a grant from the UD Interdisciplinary Humanities Research Center.
Taking place Wednesdays from 12:20-1:10 throughout the Spring 2020 semester in room 207 at the Amy E. duPont Music Building, some highlighted discussions are listed below:
- February 19 - Joyce Hill Stoner - "My experience writing lyrics for a new musical after the Shanghai Jewish refugee research"
- February 26 - Alan Goodson - "Creating Shanghai Sonatas after my research"
- March 11 - Jane Klinger - National Holocaust Museum Director
- April 8 - Polly Zavadivker - "Pre-Shanghai Jewish period"
- April 15 - David Winkler - "What life was like for Italian Jews in the same period"
- April 29 - Xiang Gao - "Preserving the musical memory of the Shanghai Jews in the musical theater project"
- May 6 - Polly Zavadivker - "Wrap up on Pre-Shanghai Jewish period"
