This seminar explores the history of the Jews in Spain between the 5th and 15th centuries. For more than a thousand years before their expulsion from Spain in 1492, Jews lived on the Iberian Peninsula as a protected minority under Muslim and Christian rule. At times, the Jewish communities in Iberia prospered and flourished and were renowned throughout Europe and the Mediterranean region for their cultural achievements. On other occasions, they suffered devastating attacks and persecution. What were the social and cultural characteristics of the Jewish minority in Spain? How did Jewish men and women negotiate their place and identities in relation to society at large and within their own communities? What factors influenced Muslim and Christian attitudes toward the Jews living in their midst, and how did such attitudes change over time? Drawing on a series of historical records and case studies, the seminar will discuss these and other similar questions from a critical perspective. We will learn about rabbis, courtiers, and poets, but we will also examine the lives and experiences of ordinary Jewish women and men. The course will cover topics such as family life, tensions within Jewish communities, cultural and scientific production, inter-faith debates, the problem of conversion, and the role of violence in shaping relations among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. This course may be particularly appealing to students interested in Jewish history, medieval history, Spanish history, and the history of minorities and interreligious conflict. No prior knowledge is necessary.