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Major Track II

Home > Majors & Minor : Major Track II

The Diversity of Jewish Civilization: Religion, History, and Culture

Required Preparatory Coursework

(13 cr. or equivalent)

• Two semesters of either biblical or modern Hebrew (10 cr.)
• One of the following as a gateway course:
  • JwSt 1034/3034 Introduction to Judaism (3 cr.)
  • JwSt 1201/3201 The Bible: Context and Interpretation (3 cr.)

Major Coursework

(3xxx-5xxx level courses; 30-33 cr.)

A. Religious Foundations

(minimum 2 courses/6 cr.)

The primary focus of these courses is on biblical and other classical Jewish religious texts, so that students become familiar with the idea of scripture, of authoritative texts and traditions, and of ritual practice. Students may study the religious experience of ancient Israel in its Near Eastern context, the variety of early Judaisms, the emergence of rabbinic Judaism in the context of the Greco-Roman and Christian world, the methodology of comparative religion, or Judaism’s engagement with other religious traditions. Appropriate courses include Bible, Rabbinics, religious thought and philosophy, ritual studies, history of interpretation, comparative religion, and religion and law.

B. Historical, Material, and Social Perspectives

(minimum 2 courses; 6 cr.)

The primary focus of these courses is on the collective experiences of Jewish civilization in various times, places and cultures. Courses include the history of ancient Israel and the ancient Near East, the role of material culture and archaeology in providing a lens on society and history, the perspectives provided by anthropology and social science, historical surveys and period studies, and the interplay between Jewish civilization and other cultures in the context of Diaspora life. Courses may use a range of methodologies to investigate the social construction of Jewish identity in relation to broader categories of gender, ethnicity, race, class, politics, community boundaries, and society.

C. Jewish Creativity and Cultural Production: Commenting on the World

(min. 2 courses; 6 cr)

These courses take as their point of departure the productions of Jewish artists and thinkers commenting on the world in various genres: literature, theater, music, film, performance art, the material arts, the media, philosophy, social analysis and commentary, and scientific discovery. Topics may include: Jewish adaptation of forms and idioms from surrounding cultures; ritual and liturgical expressions of personal and communal religious experience; the image of the Jew in literature, music, or popular culture (whether written by Jews or not); and the development of a distinctive Diaspora poetics in Jewish culture. This category need not be restricted either to modernity or to conventional notions of creativity. It may include the literature of antiquity (either in the original or in translation), cantorial and religious music, and the full range of popular culture in any medium (ancient or modern, including television, novels, musicals, klezmer music, etc.). Where appropriate, advanced text courses in an original language may be included.

D. Language

(8 cr. or equivalent)

HEBR 3011 and 3012 Intermediate Modern Hebrew or HEBR 3101 and 3102 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew (or equivalent). Students demonstrating intermediate proficiency (or higher) in modern or biblical Hebrew without formal Hebrew language credits will be asked to complete 8 additional elective credits in lieu of these courses, chosen in consultation with the center director. Upon petition, with support from a student’s faculty advisor, another language appropriate for research on Jewish civilization in a particular area or period may be substituted by permission of the center director.

E. Upper-Division Elective

(minimum 1 course; 3 cr)

One additional course chosen from groups A, B, C, or advanced text courses in Hebrew or, by permission of the center director, other appropriate languages.

F. Major Project

(1-4 cr.)

Either JwSt 4000W (4 cr.) or JwSt 4001W (1 cr.). See information on expectations.

• Students may prepare their final project in any related field of interest.
• The primary intellectual relationship is that between the student and the faculty advisor. The role of the center director is to clarify for all parties the expectations of the final project.

G. Final Clearance

Final clearance from the center director is required prior to graduation.

Declare a Jewish Studies Major or Minor

Contact Director of Undergraduate Studies Renana Schneller at schne068@umn.edu to get the process started!