Judaic Studies
[ undergraduate program | courses | faculty ]
The PhD in Ancient History
The Department of History offers a PhD program in ancient history. Relevant major fields are the history of Israel in the biblical period and the history of the Jewish people in antiquity. One of the two minor fields may be outside the history department. Students must acquire competence in the relevant ancient and modern languages. Note: Due to staffing shortages, the Judaic Studies Program is not currently accepting graduate students in ancient history.
The PhD in Anthropology (Archaeology)
The Department of Anthropology offers graduate training in social, cultural, and psychological anthropology, as well as in anthropological archaeology and biological anthropology. In conjunction with the Judaic Studies Program, students may concentrate in Near Eastern archaeology with a focus on Israel and Jordan. Students pursuing anthropological archaeology are expected to take required courses in anthropology and engage in field research.
Archaeology
Since 1993 the Judaic Studies Program has sponsored major archaeological excavations in Israel’s northern Negev desert. Shortly after the peace treaty was formalized between Israel and Jordan, the program began a long-term archaeological field program in the Jabal Hamrat Fidan Region (JHF) of southern Jordan. The project aims at studying the influence of early ore procurement and metallurgy on social change from the Neolithic period through the Iron Age. UC San Diego graduate students play an active role in the fieldwork and laboratory studies of material from these excavations. Qualified students are encouraged to use these data as part of their doctoral studies. The UC San Diego Judaic Studies Program joins in several excavations along the Wadi al-Guwayb and Wadi al-Jariyeh in southern Jordan. This is part of the UC San Diego Fall Session Middle East Field School.
The Judaic Studies Program supports a state-of-the art archaeological laboratory in the Social Sciences Building. A wide range of digital-based technologies is used for archaeological data and image processing that are linked through the Internet. Labs for processing pottery, stone tools, and other materials are available for student use.
The MA in Judaic Studies
The MA in Judaic studies, offered under the auspices of the Department of History, is an interdisciplinary program permitting the student to select courses primarily in history and literature, but also in anthropology, political science, sociology, and philosophy.
Fellowships
Four fellowships are available for PhD students. These include
The Dita and Erwin Gumpel Judaic Studies Endowed Fellowship
The University Fellowship
The Wexler Family Judaic Studies Fellowship Fund in honor of David Noel Freedman
Judaic Studies Fellowships
Teaching assistantships are available in the Revelle College Humanities/Writing Program and in other writing programs and departments. Dissertation fellowships may be awarded to doctoral students at the dissertation stage of their studies. Funds are also available for support of travel to archaeological excavations. Students are also eligible for research-travel funds to other campus libraries of the University of California, as well as for grants that permit research in archives and libraries elsewhere. Students who deliver papers at scholarly conferences may also receive financial support for their participation.
Publications
The series Approaches to Anthropological Archaeology is edited by Thomas E. Levy for Equinox Publishing Ltd. (London) at UC San Diego.
Lectures and Conferences
The program regularly hosts international conferences and an annual series of lectures and seminars by distinguished scholars in Hebrew Bible, Archaeology, and Judaica. “The Yigal Shiloh Memorial Lecture in Archaeology” is given by an archaeologist each year in memory of Professor Yigal Shiloh.
Application Procedures
The deadline for applications is January 6. For further information contact
University of California, San Diego
GRADUATE PROGRAM, JUDAIC STUDIES 0104
9500 Gilman Dr. # 0104
La Jolla, CA 92093-0104
E-mail: judaicstudies@ucsd.edu