Jewish Studies

[major/minor | graduate program | courses | faculty ]

5067 Humanities and Social Sciences Building
Muir College
(858) 534-4551
Fax: (858) 534-7283
http://judaicstudies.ucsd.edu/

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Updates may be found on the Academic Senate website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/catalog-copy/approved-updates/.

Jewish studies is an interdisciplinary program offering courses, a major, and two minors. (Information about related graduate programs and doctoral programs in history, literature, and anthropology can be found under the graduate program listing in the catalog.) Courses are offered in the Departments of Anthropology, Communication, History, Literature, Music, Political Science, Philosophy, and Sociology. Additionally, the Department of Literature offers students within the Literatures of the World major an opportunity to concentrate on Jewish literature.

In addition, Revelle and Muir Colleges have noncontiguous minors in Jewish studies and in Hebrew language and literature and Warren College has Jewish studies and Hebrew literature concentrations. Furthermore, some courses in Jewish studies meet general-education requirements in the colleges. For details, students should inquire at their college’s academic advising office or at the Jewish Studies Program office.

The Jewish Studies Program offers scholarships and fellowships for study abroad. Students are encouraged to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) at various Israeli universities, and to investigate other options through the Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP). By petition, credits earned through EAP or OAP can fulfill UC San Diego degree, major, and minor requirements. Interested students should contact the Programs Abroad Office in the International Center for more information. Please visit the website at http://pao.ucsd.edu.

Since 1993 the Jewish Studies Program has sponsored major archaeological excavations in Israel’s Negev desert and in southern Jordan. The Jewish Studies Program and Department of Anthropology offer credit and hands-on experience in Near Eastern archaeology at their Archaeological Field School in Israel or Jordan. For more information call the UC San Diego Summer Session Office, or visit the website at http://anthro.ucsd.edu/~tlevy.

Major

Jewish Studies Major Requirements (JU25)—Twelve courses plus language proficiency

Jewish studies majors study Jewish history, languages, and culture in detail, from their biblical roots through the modern era. With their emphasis on critical analysis and writing, Jewish studies courses prepare students for careers in teaching, law, public policy, or any other field that values clear thought and expression. The major requires twelve upper-division courses, comprised of three survey courses and nine elective courses, and proficiency in modern and Biblical Hebrew. Students may test out of all or some the Hebrew language series courses; those who need to take upper-division Hebrew to meet the language proficiency requirement may use the upper-division Hebrew courses to fulfill three of the nine elective courses required for the major.

Survey Courses

  1. One of the following: either
    JUDA 130.  Introduction to the Old Testament: The Historical Books (4); or
    JUDA 131.  Introduction to the Old Testament: The Poetic and Prophetic Books (4)
  2. HITO 104.  The Jews and Judaism in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds (4)
  3. HITO 105.  Jewish Modernity 1648–1948 (4)

Electives Courses

Nine upper-division courses to be selected in consultation with a faculty adviser. JUDA 101, 102, and 103 are acceptable here.

Language Proficiency

Students with prior knowledge of Hebrew may test out of some or all of these courses. Otherwise, proficiency in Hebrew from a variety of periods may be fulfilled by completion of the Hebrew language six-course series: 

Lower Division

  1. JUDA 1. Beginning Hebrew
  2. JUDA 2. Intermediate Hebrew
  3. JUDA 3. Intermediate Hebrew, Continued

Upper Division (may be applied toward the elective course requirement):

  1. JUDA 101. Introduction to Hebrew Texts
  2. JUDA 102. Intermediate Hebrew Texts
  3. JUDA 103. Advanced Hebrew Texts

Minors

Jewish Studies Minor (JS25):

Seven upper-division courses, or five upper-division courses and two lower-division courses in Jewish Studies, to be selected in consultation with a faculty adviser.

Hebrew Language and Literature Minor (M052):

Seven courses in Hebrew language and literature, usually fulfilled by Jewish Studies 1, 2, 3, 101, 102, and 103, plus one elective course.

Substitutions to the above major and minor courses must be approved by the student’s faculty adviser.

A majority of the courses for the major or minor must be taken at UC San Diego.

No more than two courses may be taken P/NP, for the major or either minor.

Courses

Following are course offerings in this area. For descriptions of the courses listed below, refer to the appropriate department’s section of the catalog.

ANAR 103. Archaeology of the Holy Land (4)

ANAR 125. Weapons and Warfare in the Ancient Near East (4)

ANAR 141. Prehistory of the Holy Land (4)

ANAR 142. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Israel (4)

ANAR 143. Archaeology, Anthropology, and the Bible (4)

ANAR 190. Middle East Archaeological Field Study (4)

ANAR 191. Advanced Cyber-Archaeology Field School (4)

HIEU 145. The Holocaust as Public History (4)

HIEU 158. Why Hitler? How Auschwitz? (4)

HIEU 159. Three Centuries of Zionism (4)

HIEU 174. The Holocaust: A Psychological Approach

HIEU 176. Politics in the Jewish Past (4)

HINE 100. The Hebrew Bible and History (4)

HINE 101. The Religion of Ancient Israel (4)

HINE 102. The Jews in Their Homeland in Antiquity (4)

HINE 103. The Jewish Diaspora in Antiquity (4)

HINE 104. Sex in the Bible (4)

HINE 108. The Middle East before Islam (4)

HINE 112 A/AL. Great Stories from the Hebrew Bible (4)

HINE 112 B/BL. Great Poems from the Hebrew Bible (4)

HINE 161/261. Seminar in the Hebrew Bible (4)

HINE 162. Anthropology and the Bible (4)

HINE 166/266. Nationalism in the Middle East (4)

HINE 170/270. Special Topics in Jewish History (4)

HINE 199. Independent Study in Near Eastern History (4)

HITO 104. The Jews and Judaism in the Ancient and Medieval Worlds (4)

HITO 105. Jewish Modernity from 1648–1948 (4)

HITO 106. Love and Family in the Jewish Past (4)

HITO 107. Holocaust Video Production (4)

HIUS 118. How Jews Became American (4)

HUM 1. The Foundations of Western Civilization: Israel and Greece (6)  

LTWL 134. A Cultural History of American Jewry (4)

LTWL 138. Critical Religion Studies (Ancient Israel) (4)

LTWL 148. Yiddish Literature in Translation (4)

LTWL 198. Directed Group Study (4)

LTWL 199. Special Studies (4)

MUS 18/ETHN 4. Klezmer Music (4)

POLI 121. Government and Politics of the Middle East (4)

POLI 121B. Politics in Israel (4)

SOCI 106M. Holocaust Diaries (4)

SOCI 188I. The Israel Palestinian Conflict (4)