Track I: The Bible and the Foundations of Ancient Judaism
1. Required Preparatory Coursework (13 credits or equivalent)
Two semesters of Biblical Hebrew (10 credits)
One of the following gateway courses:
- JwSt 1034/3034 - Introduction to Judaism (3 cr.)
- JwSt 1201/3201 - The Bible: Context and Interpretation (3 cr.)
2. Major Coursework (3xxx-5xxx level courses; 30-33 credits)
A. Biblical Texts and Religious Perspectives (minimum 3 courses/9 credits)
The primary focus of these courses is on biblical and religious texts, the religious experience, theology, the role of Judaism in the development of religious thought, comparative religion, and Judaism’s engagement and experience with other religious traditions. Courses in the Bible, Rabbinics, religious thought and philosophy; comparative religions, and religious history.
Breadth requirement. At least one course in each of:
- Hebrew Bible/Ancient Israel
- Classical/post-biblical Judaism
B. History and Material Culture (minimum 2 courses/6 credits)
The primary focus of these courses is on the use of history, archaeology, and material culture as ways of contextualizing, challenging, and supplementing the textual record. Appropriate courses to include courses in the history and archaeology of the ancient Near East, Israel, Syro-Palestine.
C. Comparative Perspectives (minimum 2 courses/6 credits)
Studies of other cultures and civilizations chronologically or geographically contiguous with Israelite/Jewish society through the Rabbinic period.
D. Language (8 credits or equivalent)
HEBR 3101 and 3102 Intermediate Biblical Hebrew (or equivalent). Students demonstrating intermediate proficiency (or higher) in Biblical Hebrew without formal Hebrew language credits will be asked to complete 8 additional elective credits in lieu of these courses, chosen in consultation with the DUS.
- Advanced text courses in the relevant source language, such as Hebr 3200/5200, may be counted toward category A; or toward C if in a comparative language.
E. Final Project (1-4 credits)
JwSt 4000W (4 cr.) or JwSt 4001W (1 cr.). See Expectations below.
- Students in Track I of the Major shall prepare their Final Project in an appropriate field of interest. Possibilities include ancient Israelite literature or religion; the relation between Israelite and cuneiform literature; ancient Judaism; Second Temple literature (including sectarian movements; Hellenistic Judaism; the relationship between Church and Syngagogue; Dead Sea Scrolls, etc.); material culture and its role in the reconstruction of Jewish social and religious history; Judaism and rabbinic literature in the Graeco-Roman world; issues of linguistic and social history, etc.
- The primary intellectual relationship is that between the student and the faculty advisor. The role of the DUS is to clarify for all parties the expectations of the Final Project.
F. Final Clearance
Final clearance from the Director of Undergraduate Studies is required prior to graduation.
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Expectations for Final Project, Writing Intensive
Prereq: JwSt major and permission of DUS.
Grading policy: A-F only
As the intellectual capstone of their degree, students majoring in Jewish Studies must complete a Final Project in their final year of study. The Final Project provides the student with the opportunity to conduct independent research and writing, under the supervision of a Faculty Sponsor. This requirement may be satisfied in either of the two following ways, and must be planned with the DUS one semester in advance:
- Option A: JwSt 4000 W (4 credits). A student may approach any JwSt faculty member to develop a program of independent research and writing, in an area of the student’s choosing, and arrange. Normally in such cases, the student will previously have taken at least one upper division course (3xxx or 4xxx) with the faculty member who is to direct this project.
- Option B: JwSt 4001 W (1 credit). A student enrolls in any 5xxx JwSt course (or 3xxx with approval of the major adviser) (normally 3 cr.), and makes a contract with the course instructor to write an in-depth research paper or comparable project to be completed in conjunction with that course.
Under either option, the following expectations apply:
- Plans for the Final Project should be made one semester in advance. In the semester before the project begins, the student should seek a faculty member’s agreement to supervise the course. To do so, the student will prepare a research proposal and negotiate a contract outlining mutual expectations, timetable for completion, and the requirements to fulfill the contract.
- All contracts must be filed with the DUS;
- All contracts must provide an intellectual rationale for the particular research topic; a preliminary bibliography; and a schedule for completion;
- Students should make use of original sources, languages, archives, or field research in preparing the project;
- The final result will normally be a substantial research paper of approximately twenty pages that makes an independent contribution to scholarship. It should demonstrate mastery of the conventions of academic writing that are relevant to the topic (normally including bibliography and footnotes or endnotes).
- Alternative ways of satisfying the requirements for substantial work, mastery of technical conventions, independent research, and original contribution may be considered upon petition to the DUS. Such petitions should specify how the given alternative project will fulfill each of these requirements. For example, students may prepare a translation of a work of ancient or modern literature, with critical introduction and commentary; or research and stage an Israeli or Yiddish play, accompanied by program notes that outline the play’s literary sources, historical context, and use of language and cultural context; or undertake a significant piece of creative writing or a musical composition, to be accompanied by an introduction and commentary that places the work in its cultural context and analyzes how its aesthetics connect the work to the history of Jewish art and thought.
- Students must meet regularly with the Faculty Sponsor for the course and submit first drafts of each key section for comment and revision.
- Consistent with the requirements for WI certification, the project must go through at least one major revision and possibly several. The Faculty Sponsor should provide feedback on both content and writing during this process.