Judaic Studies

3032 Frieze Building
763-9047

Professor Zvi Gitelman, Director

May be elected as an interdepartmental concentration program

• Professors Coffin (Near Eastern Studies), Endelman (History), Gitelman (Political Science), Krahmalkov (Near Eastern Studies), Lauffer, (Social Work), and Schramm (Near Eastern Studies)
• Associate Professors Ginsburg (Near Eastern Studies) and Norich (English Language and Literature)
• Assistant Professors Bernstein (Near Eastern Studies), Bodian (History), Schmidt (Near Eastern Studies) and Spector (Germanic Languages and Literatures and History)
• Lecturer Schoem (Sociology)
  
  
  
• The Jean and Samuel Frankel Center for Judaic Studies offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Jewish civilization and thought. Courses for the concentration are drawn from a number of departments within the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts: Near Eastern Studies, History, Political Science, English Language and Literature, and Sociology.
  
  
• Prerequisites to Concentration. Fourth-term proficiency in modern Hebrew (HJCS 202) or Yiddish (Judaic Studies 202).
  
  
• Concentration Program. Students are required to complete at least 27 credits of work in approved courses, exclusive of the above language requirement. Fourteen of the 27 credits must be elected in residence unless special permission is given by the concentration advisor. All concentrators are required to take, as part of the 27 hours of coursework, three terms of Jewish history survey courses (selected from ACABS 321-322/History 306-307, History 381-382, and History 383-384). Courses approved for the concentration in Judaic Studies are:
  • English Language and Literature: appropriate sections of English 317, 318, and 417.
  • History: 282, 306, 307, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 435, and appropriate sections of History 396 and 397.
  • Judaic Studies (Yiddish): 333, 401.
  • Judaic Studies (General): 296, 373, 451, 467, 468, 470, 478, 495, 496, 497, 498.
  • Near Eastern (Ancient Civilizations and Biblical) Studies: 101, 102, 201, 202, 321, 322, 483, 484, 581, 582.
  • Near Eastern (Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Islamic) Studies: 486
  • Near Eastern (Hebrew and Jewish Cultural) Studies: 296, 301, 302, 373, 401, 402, 471, 472, 542, 543, 544, 545, 571, 572.
  • Political Science: 353, 452.
  • Studies in Religion: 201, 360, 361, 362.

Other courses may be approved by the concentration advisor.

Students may include elementary and intermediate Hebrew or Yiddish courses in a concentration plan if they use the other language as a prerequisite.

• Honors Concentration. The Center offers an Honors concentration to qualified Judaic Studies students. Applications for an Honors concentration is usually made at the beginning of the third year. Participation requires a 3.5 grade point average. Graduation with Honors is recommended for students who complete all College and Judaic Studies graduation requirements, maintain a 3.5 GPA and write a substantial Honors thesis which is judged worthy of Honors designation by the thesis advisor and at least one other faculty reader. An Honors concentration is not limited to students who have been in the College Honors Program in the first and second years. The name, phone number, and office hours of the Honors concentration advisor are available in the Honors Office, 1228 Angell Hall, or in the Center for Judaic Studies, 3032 Frieze Building.
  
  
• Advising. Prospective concentrators should consult the concentration advisor. Normally, a concentration plan should reflect the multidisciplinary nature of the program and the themes that a student wishes to develop.

Courses in Judaic Studies (Division 407)

101. Elementary Yiddish. (3). (LR).

102. Elementary Yiddish. Yiddish 101 or permission of instructor. (3). (LR).

201. Intermediate Yiddish. Yiddish 102 or permission of instructor. (3). (LR).

202. Intermediate Yiddish. Yiddish 201 or permission of instructor. (3). (LR).

296/HJCS 296/Rel. 296. Perspectives on the Holocaust. (4; 3 in the half-term). (HU).

333. Yiddish Literature in Translation. (3). (Excl).

373/HJCS 373. Israeli Culture and Society. (3). (Excl).

379(GNE 469)/HJCS 379 Jewish Civilization. (4; 3 in the half-term). (SS).

381/HJCS 381. Hebrew Literature in Translation. (3). (HU).

451/Poli. Sci. 451. The Politics and Culture of Modern East European Jewry. A course in East European and/or Jewish history, and Comparative Politics is recommended. (3). (Excl).

467/HJCS 577. Seminar: Topics in the Study of Judaism. (3). (Excl). May be repeated for a total of nine credits.

468/HJCS 478/Rel. 469. Jewish Mysticism. (3). (Excl).

478/HJCS 477/Rel. 478. Modern Jewish Thought. (3). (Excl).

495. Independent Studies. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).

496. Independent Studies. (1-3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).

497. Senior Thesis. (3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).

498. Senior Thesis. (3). (Excl). (INDEPENDENT).