Program: Minor in Jewish Studies
Program Description
The minor in Jewish Studies offers courses in the culture and history of the Jewish people. The approach is interdisciplinary and examines Jewish literature, art, religious thought, history, and social attitudes and behavior. Many courses in the program satisfy General Education requirements or may be used as electives in several majors.
Program Requirements
1. Required Courses (12 units)
Judaism (3 units)
JS 100 Jewish Religion and Culture (3)
Ancient and Medieval Era (3 units)
Select one course from the following:
HIST 406 Jews in the Ancient World (3)
JS 300 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Arts and Literature (3)
RS 320 Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) (3)
RS 375 Classical Judaic Texts (3)
Modern Era (3 units)
Select one course from the following:
HIST 409/JS 409 History of the Jews in the Modern Era (3)
HIST 427/JS 427 Israel’s History and Peoples (3)
RS 476 Modern Jewish Thought (3)
American Jewish Life (3 units)
Select one course from the following:
ENGL 371 Issues in Jewish-American Writing (3)
HIST/JS 486J History of the Jews in the United States (3)
JS 335/SOC 335 Jewish Identity in the U.S. (3)
RS 378 American Jewish Experience (3)
2. Electives (6-7 units)
Select 6-7 units with no more than 4 units of 100-200 level courses:
HEBR 102 Elementary Hebrew II (4)
HIST 210/JS 210 History of the Jewish People (3)
HIST 356 Anti-Semitism in Europe (3)
JS 151 Natural Environment in Judaism (1)
and RTM 151F Survival (2)
JS 306/SOC 306 Sociology of Jewish Families and Communities (3)
JS 318 Applied Jewish Ethics (3)
JS 330 Women in the Jewish Experience (3)
JS 390CS Nonprofit Internship in the Jewish Community (3)
RS 377 The Holocaust: Religious Responses (3)
RS 379 Zionism: Religious and Secular (3)
Total Units in the Minor: 18-19
Contact
Jewish Studies Program
Director: Jennifer Thompson
Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
Sierra Tower (ST) 807
(818) 677-6762
Student Learning Outcomes
Students minoring in Jewish Studies will be able to identify major themes, characters, literary works and events of Jewish life in different international settings and in different historical periods. A Jewish Studies minor will be able to articulate the significant interactions between Jewish culture and the surrounding cultures over time, as well as the changes within the Jewish community, and describe Jewish cultural developments as a function of a dynamic created by political, economic and cultural forces.