Program Overview

The Judaic studies program offers students an interdisciplinary perspective on three millennia of Jewish culture: Jewish social, religious and political history; Jewish literature — biblical, modern and postmodern; Jewish thought; and modern Israel. The curriculum draws from both the humanities and the social sciences, and covers a wide array of topics including Modern Hebrew and Yiddish. Judaic studies majors can construct their own areas of specialization within the major.

Area specializations include but are not limited to: Jewish communal service, Jewish history, Jewish thought, Holocaust studies, literature and culture, and those that are individually designed. Judaic studies also offer minors in Judaic studies, Israel studies and Hebrew, and a minor in religious studies.

After You Graduate

Judaic studies majors acquire a wide range of skills that are easily transferable to the real world, including an ability to adapt in cross-cultural settings, analyze and relate to unfamiliar settings, communicate logically, make critical observations, and mediate conflicts and disputes in basic values, etc. Majors graduate with a liberal arts degree that prepares them for both graduate studies and for professional studies such as law, business or public administration, as well as careers in Jewish communal organizations.

The listing below offers examples of potential career paths, some of which may require further study or training:

Academic advisor

Community activist

Cultural center coordinator

Foreign Service officer

Fundraiser

Historic site interpreter

International student advisor

Lawyer

Multicultural consultant

Policy analyst

Professor

Research assistant

Teacher

Translator