Judaic Studies, B.A.

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

Program Overview

As a Judaic studies student, you’ll get to explore the tremendous scope and diversity of the Jewish experience. You’ll study Jewish civilization from its ancient Middle East roots to the many places in which it flourishes today. As the only Judaic studies department within the CUNY system, we offer a unique opportunity for students of all religious backgrounds to explore Jewish heritage in a historical light. Courses in Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as in translation, promote access to a wide spectrum of Jewish literature. We also offer courses that will advance your understanding of the vast and complex Jewish communities and diasporas residing in Brooklyn.

Judaic Studies, B.A.

Where You'll Go

The skills honed through this rigorous course of study—including critical reading and research methods, the ability to produce well-crafted papers, and development of the art of oral argumentation—are essential in all fields and jobs our graduates will enter. Exposure to different cultures, religions, and perspectives will also give you the necessary background to work in an increasingly globalized world. Our students have gone on to successful careers in law, education (from early education to the university), medicine, social work, finance, media, library science, and museum work, among other fields. Students can also major in education with a concentration in Judaic studies, preparing them for a career in Jewish day schools.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2024–25 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.

Major Requirements (27 Credits)

Option 1: Judaic Studies

Majors must take six credits in each of the three chronological periods, recommended in sequential order: (1) Ancient; (2) Medieval/Early Modern; and (3) Modern. They must also take one upper-level thematic course and the Senior Thesis.

  1. Majors and minors must take the introductory course JUST 1145 in their first semester unless they test out. Students who test out of JUST 1145 must complete an additional JUST elective. JUST 1025 is an optional gateway course which can count toward the minor or major but does not fulfill the distributional requirements listed below (in 2 and 3).
  2. Majors take six credits in each of the following three chronological periods:
  3. Majors must take at least one course in each of the following categories (six credits):
  4. U.S. yeshiva transfer credits will not count toward the major. Students who receive the full 27 Israel yeshiva transfer credits upon completion of the capstone course would have a head start toward the major/minor since three of the Yeshiva transfer credits would count toward the 12-credit JUST minor, and nine transfer credits would count toward the 27-credit major. The rest of the transfer credits will be awarded as electives that do not count toward the major or minor. The capstone course will count toward the major. To serve as a capstone course, the course must be a 3000-, 4000-, or 5000-level Judaic Studies (JUST) or Hebrew (HEBR) course (or relevant advanced RELG course substituted by the chair); it must be at least three credits; and students must receive at least a B in the capstone course to receive Yeshiva transfer credits. Cross-listed courses taught by faculty outside the department do not count as a capstone. Pathways courses count toward the major/minor but not as a capstone course.

With permission of the chair of the Department of Judaic Studies, the student may substitute up to three relevant courses as needed to replace any of the above courses.

Option 2: Law and Judaic Studies

Recommended for students planning a career in law, public affairs, planning and management, religion, bioethics, communal advocacy, work in government, political advocacy, and rabbinic law.

Students who choose this option must consult with the chairperson to customize their program. The requirements are the same as in option 1 but the student must take at least nine credits from the following courses as they fulfill their requirements in option 1 (No more than three Yeshiva transfer credits can be applied to these nine credits of the Law requirement). For students who attended Jewish Day Schools and yeshivas, JUST 1145, 2510, and 3014 do not count toward this option. All law and Judaic studies majors taking the courses in the list below for this option must consult with their professors and tailor their assignments for those classes to be on legal topics.

JUST 1145 Classical Jewish Texts

JUST 2017 Jewish Approaches to Ethical Issues

JUST 2510 Introduction to the Hebrew Bible

JUST 3011 Land and Cultures of Israel

JUST 3012 Jewish Religion and Tradition

JUST 3014 Introduction to the Talmud

JUST 3015 Midrash

JUST 3017 The Jewish Woman

JUST 3020 Sex and Gender in Judaism

JUST 3031 Individual Vs Community (Modern Jewish Thought)

JUST 3033 Maimonides

JUST 3036 Mystics, Pietists and Heretics: Topics in Early Modern Jewish History

JUST 3065 Readings in Talmud

JUST 3124 Black Jewish Activism

JUST 3205 Business Practices and the Jewish Tradition

JUST 3206 Making a Living: Jews, Business, and Professions from Antiquity up to the Modern World

JUST 4018 Studies in Jewish Customs

JUST 4020 Contemporary Issues in Halakhah

JUST 4024 The Dead Sea Scrolls

JUST 4027 Mishnah

JUST 4030 Intermediate Talmud

JUST 4054 Religion and the Holocaust: During and After

Student Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Situate and analyze primary and secondary sources relating to Jewish history within their historical, political, and religious cross-cultural contexts.
  • Identify key periods, terms, and geographic areas central to Jewish history and culture.
  • Analyze the interrelationship between written and oral teachings (whether legal, mystical, literary, or personal testimonies) at different stages of Jewish history and how these affected Jewish religious and cultural development.
  • Recognize the limitations of what we can actually “know” about Jewish history given the expected loss of material over time, the prominence of orality in Jewish culture, and the particularly tumultuous history of this often persecuted and exiled minority.
  • Identify and use a variety of scholarly approaches within Judaic studies, such as social history, literary theory, economics, archaeology, biblical criticism, philology, and gender theory with facility in accessing libraries and archives, both physical and digital, with emphasis on Judaic studies and relevant contextual studies.
  • Read and analyze primary materials in language(s) relevant to their field of study (e.g., Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, Ladino, Arabic, etc.).

Degree Maps

View all past degree maps.

Contact

Allan Amanik

3111 James Hall
E: aamanik@brooklyn.cuny.edu
E: judaicstudies@brooklyn.cuny.edu
P: 718.951.5229

Or contact:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center
2900 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11210
E: adminqry@brooklyn.cuny.edu

To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:

Virtual Admissions Counselor Appointments

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the Judaic studies B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

  • Anti-Defamation League
  • Hillel International
  • inTulsa
  • Jewish Family and Children’s Services
  • Jewish HomeLife
  • Jewish Kids Group
  • Korn Ferry
  • Yeshiva University

Learn More

Student Resources

Academic calendar
Advising
Magner Career Center
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