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The concentration requires a B.A. paper and twelve courses distributed
according to the following guidelines:
Language. Normally a student is expected to take three courses of Hebrew
beyond the Common Core language requirement. If the student's research project
requires knowledge of a language other than Hebrew, the student may petition
the committee to substitute that language for Hebrew, but not for the Common
Core language requirement.
Judaic Civilization. The concentration requires three courses in the Judaic
Civilization sequence (students are expected to meet the Common Core
civilizational studies requirement with another civilization sequence). This
program includes ancient, medieval, and modern components. The temporal limits
of these "periods" are determined by the faculty assuming responsibility for
the sequence. The first step of the sequence, covering the history of ancient
Israel to the destruction of the Second Jewish Commonwealth, could be replaced
by a one-quarter introduction to the Hebrew Bible.
Other Requirements. Five courses in the humanities and/or social sciences
relevant to Jewish Studies are required. These courses would, in part,
constitute the specific area of concentration for each student. The specific
nature of these courses is decided upon by the student in consultation with the
concentration adviser. A balance between content and method is the goal.
Students are encouraged to take at least one method or theory course in the
College in the area pertaining to their area of special interest. Thus, a
student focusing on history would be urged to study historiography or
historiographical method, and so on.
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B.A. Paper. Students meet with their adviser by May 15 of their third year
to determine the focus of the research project and are expected to begin
reading and research for the B.A. paper during the summer before their senior
year. After further consultation, the student does guided readings and
participates in a (formal or informal) tutorial during the autumn quarter of
the senior year. Concentration credit is received only for the winter quarter
tutorial, during which the B.A. paper is finally written and revised. The B.A.
paper must be received by the primary reader by the end of the fifth week of
the spring quarter.
It is expected that the Common Core requirements in the humanities or social
sciences are completed before a student enters the program. This normally
occurs at the end of the second year. A student who has not completed Common
Core requirements prior to admission to the program should do so during the
first year of the program.
Each student in the program has an adviser who is a member of the program
faculty, listed below. A concentration worksheet is distributed to guide
students in organizing their programs.
Honors. Honors will be awarded to students who show excellence in their
course work as well as on the B.A. paper. To receive general honors in Jewish
Studies the student must have a grade point average of at least 3.25 in the
concentration. High honors will be awarded to students who earn a grade point
average of 3.5 or better in the concentration. An oral defense of the B.A.
paper must also be given to three members of the Jewish Studies faculty.
Summary of Requirements
Concentration 3 courses in Hebrew (or other approved language)
3 courses in the Jewish civilization sequence
5 relevant courses in the humanities and/or social sciences
1 senior tutorial (B.A. paper)
12 (total)
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RALPH A. AUSTEN, Professor, Department of History and the College
PHILIP V. BOHLMAN, Assistant Professor, Department of Music and the College
ADELA YARBRO COLLINS, Professor, the Divinity School
JOHN COLLINS, Professor, the Divinity School
MILTON EHRE, Professor, Department of Slavic Languages & Literatures and
the College
DANIEL R. FISCHEL, Lee and Brena Freeman Professor, the Law School
MICHAEL FISHBANE, Nathan Cummings Professor, the Divinity School and the
College
TIKVA FRYMER-KENSKY, Professor, the Divinity School
SANDER L. GILMAN, Henry R. Luce Professor of the Liberal Arts in Human Biology;
Professor, Departments of Germanic Studies and Psychiatry and the College
NORMAN GOLB, Ludwig Rosenberger Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages
& Civilizations, Oriental Institute, and the College
SAMUEL P. JAFFE, Professor, Departments of Germanic Studies and the College
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LEON KASS, Addie Clark Harding Professor in the College and the Committee on
Social Thought
JOEL KRAEMER, Professor, the Divinity School
MARK KRUPNICK, Professor, the Divinity School
RALPH LERNER, Professor, Committee on Social Thought and the College;
Cochairman, Committee on Social Thought
GEOFFREY P. MILLER, Kirkland and Ellis Professor, the Law School
HOWARD MOLTZ, Professor, Department of Psychology and the College
PETER NOVICK, Professor, Department of History and the College
DENNIS G. PARDEE, Professor, Department of Near Eastern Languages &
Civilizations, Oriental Institute, and the College
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Go to: Summary of Requirements
Go to: Faculty
Jewish Studies
Program Chairman: Michael Fishbane, S 205, 702-8234
Program of Study
The Bachelor of Arts concentration in Jewish Studies provides a context in
which College students may examine the texts, cultures, languages, and
histories of Jews and Judaism over three millennia. The perspective is
analytic, comparative, and interdisciplinary. The multimillennial,
multicultural, and multicontinental history of Jews and Judaism affords unique
opportunities to study modes of continuity and change, interpretation and
innovation, and isolation and integration of a world historical civilization.
Students are encouraged to develop appropriate skills (in texts, languages,
history, and culture) for independent work.
Program Requirements
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Faculty
HOWARD I. ARONSON, Professor, Departments of Slavic Languages & Literatures
and Linguistics
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