Program: Minor in Jewish Studies
Overview
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
Judaism (3 units)
JS 200 Introduction to Judaism (3)
Ancient and Medieval Era (3 units)
Select one course from the following:
HIST 406 Jews in the Ancient World (3)
JS 300 Humanities in Jewish Society: Ancient and Medieval (3)
RS 320 The 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 World (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 486J/JS 486J History of the Jews in the United States (3)
RS 378 American Jewish Experience (3)
SOC 335 Jewish Identity in the U.S. (3)
2. Lower Division Elective (3 units)
Select one course from the following:
HEBR 102 Elementary Hebrew II and Lab (4)
HIST 210/JS 210 History of the Jewish People (3)
JS 151 Natural Environment in Judaism (1) and RTM 151F Survival (2)
RS 101 The Bible (3)
3. Upper Division Electives (6 units)
Select two courses from the following:
HIST 356 Anti-Semitism in Europe (3)
JS 318 Jewish Ethics and Society (3)
JS/GWS 330 Women in the Jewish Experience (3)
JS 390CS Service Learning in the Jewish Community (3)
JS 499C Independent Study (3)
RS 310 Religion and Literature (3) (Jewish Studies section)
RS 377 The Holocaust: Religious Responses (3)
RS 379 Zionism: Religious and Secular (3)
SOC 306 Jewish Communal and Family Structure (3)
Total Units in the Minor: 21-22
Contact
Program Director: Jody Myers
Office of Interdisciplinary Studies
Sierra Tower 807
(818) 677-6762
www.csun.edu/humanities/jewish-studies
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.