This course will examine works by the most thought-provoking American Jewish writers. Units of study include American Views of European Roots, The Immigrant Experience, The War Years, and Post-War America. Required reading includes novels and short stories by Nobel Prize authors Isaac Siger, Bernard Malamud, Elie Wiesel, and Saul Bellow plus National Book Award winner Philip Roth, O. Henry prizewinner Woody Allen, and Tony Award comedy playwright Neil Simon. Whenever possible we will see film adaptations of these works. Class discussion will focus on the varying worldviews of this diverse group of Jewish authors who are vastly different yet whose common heritage is undeniable. As we explore their individuality and struggles with their culture and religion, we will also determine the universality of their sentiments. Mid-term, final, oral report, one eight-page paper.