Judaic Studies, B.A.

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:
   • Ancient period: JUST 3012 3014, 3015, 3021, 3022, 3023, 3065, 4024, or 4027. HEBR 4027, 4030, 4041, 4451. JUST 3012 recommended as an introductory survey.
   • Medieval/Early Modern period: JUST 3013, 3033, 3035, 3036, or 4034. HEBR 4051. JUST 3013 or 3035 are recommended as introductory surveys.
   • Modern period: JUST 2047, 2085, 3011, 3013, 3016, 3031, 3037, 3048, 3050, 3115, 3124, 3405, 3465, 3489, 4020, 4054, or 4195. HEBR 2041, 4021, 4025, 4047, 4048, 4049, 4052. JUST 2047 and 3031 are recommended as introductory surveys.
3. Majors must take at least one course in each of the following categories (six credits):
   • Thematic courses: JUST 2017, 3017, 3020, 3038, 3041, 3042, 3046, 3206, 3535, 3631, 4018, or 4435.
   • Senior thesis, JUST 5531W or 5532W (or JUST 5581 or 5582 with permission of the chair), should be taken as an upper junior or lower senior.
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