Interdisciplinary Minor
The Jewish Studies minor emphasizes Jewish history, religion, thought, texts, literature, the arts, traditions, and the ways that they have formed in the context of various civilizations from antiquity to the present.
Judaism and Jewish civilization developed - and continue to do so - as a result of interaction with other religions and cultures. The minor, therefore, is trans-regional/national and thereby links disparate fields of study that are usually examined separately. Jews and Judaism are studied within the broader context of world civilizations and the spectrum of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In this regard, the minor complements already existing areas of interest in a number of majors and disciplines, (such as American Ethnic Studies, History, International Studies, Medieval Studies, Politics and International Affairs, and Religious Studies).
The interdisciplinary approach of the minor exposes students to a wide range of disciplines and, like other established interdisciplinary minors, gives students the opportunity for synthesizing and critically reflecting on their course of study. The Jewish Studies minor provides interested students a grounding for graduate study in the humanities, religion, and social sciences.
Additional elective courses may have been approved since publication of this bulletin. The program director maintains a complete list of all approved elective courses. For course descriptions, see the relevant department’s listing in this bulletin.