Christopher Tuckwood Jewish Studies Minor

Hobbies

I don't have a lot of free time, but when I'm not working on academic things, I pass my time with more reading and writing. I also enjoy movies, cooking, spending time with friends, spending time outdoors and generally trying new things. I'm also pretty involved on campus with a couple of clubs, particularly the Genocide Action Group, which I head, where I do genocide education and prevention advocacy. I also volunteer for campus events when I can and have been an orientation leader as well as helping out with campus days and open houses.

Sports:

I like to watch watch rugby. As far as participating in sports goes, I am an avid runner and also enjoy archery. I've tried a lot of different things at various times, such as fencing and kendo.

• Honours Medieval Studies.

Why did you decide to do a minor in JS?

I have several related reasons for this:

• I have always had an interest in Judaism and Jewish history and culture, though I am, to be honest, not sure exactly why. Partly this is because it is one of the Western religions which has had a huge impact on society in our part of the world, especially as a sort of "parent" faith to Christianity and Islam.
  
• Connected to my above answer, I feel that, as a Christian, learning in-depth about the religion which my own tradition grew out of will lead to a better understanding of it. I strongly believe in the interconnectedness and common goals of all religions and fell that valuable lessons can be taken from all traditions. There are, for instance, ideas in Judaism which I find to be more appealing than corresponding ideas in my own religion.
  
• I also have professional reason for choosing this minor, related to Jewish history in Europe as well as studies in genocide.

What is your personal religious background (optional)?

• Christian (Lutheran)
  

How do you see what you learned in JS fitting into your professional life? Your personal goals?

In two ways:

• First, as a medievalist, I have come to take an interest in the influence and experience of Jews in medieval Europe in relation to the larger society. This is a topic which is sometimes mentioned in passing but not really studied in detail in other courses I have taken.
  
• Second, I spend a lot of my non-academic time doing genocide awareness education and advocacy. My studies of the Holocaust have been a big influence in my life and work for this reason, and have an obvious connection to Judaism and studies thereof. I hope to go on to do graduate work in the field of Genocide and/or Holocaust Studies and feel that the greater understanding of Judaism and the Jewish people which I am gaining from this program will help me to understand their experience in this area.

What has your experience with JS courses been like?

• So far I've been quite pleased. I find that all the courses fit together quite well and support each other by covering different, but related, topics. This has really helped me to begin to gain an overall understanding of Judaism.

Do you have any suggestions for further courses of study covering subjects that are not currently offered?

• Not right now, but I'll pass on any suggestions I come up with.

Did the courses you took challenge and/or correct previous held conceptions of Judaism?

• Not really. Although I have learned a lot that I didn't know before, I wouldn't say that any of the ideas or conceptions I did have have been corrected.

How did your studies in JS fit in or intersect with your other academic interests?

• They tie into my studies of medieval history and society, in which Jews played an interesting and influential, though often ignored, role.
  
• They tie into my other studies of religion, particularly Christianity, in that the two religions are related, the one having grown out of the other, and share some common concepts.
  
• They tie into my studies of genocide, as the Holocaust figures prominently in the history of genocide and is frequently invoked in literature on the topic.