Undergraduate Concentration Requirements
The concentration in Judaic Studies allows students to learn how several academic disciplines deal with a single subject, the study of Jews and Judaism. The principal disciplines represented in the Program are History, Language (Hebrew, Aramaic), Literature, Religious Studies, and Anthropology. The Program thus joins humanistic and social scientific approaches to learning. The educational goal of the concentration is to show how different scholarly disciplines approach the study of Jews and Judaism in different chronological settings ranging from biblical times to the present. This interdisciplinary approach aspires to two goals: first, it aims to instill in students some substantive understanding of the historical, religious, literary, philosophical, sociological and political experiences of the Jews; second, it demonstrates how scholars of diverse academic disciplines frame questions and answer them, thus providing the student with some understanding of what it means to approach the same subject with different perspectives and methodologies. The concentration requires a year of course work in Hebrew, for the Hebrew language is one of the strands that unifies the history of Judaism from ancient to modern times, and a knowledge of Hebrew is indispensable for any serious study of Judaism.
Required Coursework
- Six topical courses in Judaic Studies
- JUDSS 0110 and JUDS 0120: Elementary Hebrew
- Two additional JS courses either topical or language
Topical Courses (non language courses)
Upon declaring a concentration in Judaic studies, students must define the area of study that will be the primary focus of their program. The field may be defined as an historical period (ancient/modern), as a discipline (humanities/social science), or as a topic (religion, culture, history, language/literature, etc.). Students are expected to complete a minimum of four courses in their area of focus, but the final number will be finalized in discussion with the concentration advisor.
Of the six required topical courses, four must be taken in the Judaic Studies Program at Brown.
Of the six required topical courses, at least one should focus on the ancient period and one should focus on the modern period.
Of the six required topical courses, at least one should be an 1000-level seminar or another advanced course (including independent study) approved by the concentration advisor in the student’s area of focus.
All students are required to designate an advanced departmental course as the capstone for his or her concentration. Within the frame of this capstone course, the concentrator will write a final course paper, which displays the student’s concentration focus, addressing in an appropriate way the theoretical and interpretive issues of the concentration focus. Students are encouraged to fulfill this requirement in the comparative Judaic Studies seminar.
In consultation with the concentration advisor, students may petition for the right to apply up to two courses taken in other departments/programs at Brown to the ten required for the Judaic Studies concentration. These courses must relate directly to the student’s focus and provide a comparison of a Judaic topic with some other relevant topic.
Students, who study at other institutions, either in the United States or abroad, may apply a maximum of two topical courses to their concentration in Judaic Studies. Hebrew language courses may also be transferred.
In consultation with the concentration advisor, students may apply up to two advanced language courses (JUDS 0150 or 0300) to the six required topical courses for the concentration.
Language Courses
One full year of Elementary Hebrew. Generally, this requirement will consist of two courses in Modern Hebrew (JUDS 0110 and JUDS 0120) or the equivalent as determined by a proficiency examination. Students who pass the proficiency exam are encouraged, but are not required, to continue the study of Hebrew (for example, Intermediate Hebrew, JUDS 0130 and JUDS 0140; Writing and Speaking Hebrew, JUDS 0150). Fulfillment of the Hebrew requirement through examination does not reduce the requirement to take ten courses for the concentration.
Honors Thesis
A candidate for honors in Judaic Studies will write a thesis in the senior year. In order to be considered a candidate for honors, students will be expected to maintain an outstanding record (at least A-) in Judaic Studies courses. The honors thesis, which fulfills the capstone requirement, will normally be written as a two-semester individual study project (JUDS 1970). At the end of the senior year, the thesis advisor (a faculty member of the Judaic Studies Program), and a second reader, chosen by the thesis advisor in consultation with the student, will evaluate the thesis, and the Judaic Studies faculty will determine if it is worthy of honors in Judaic Studies. Students interested in honors should approach a potential adviser by the spring registration period of their junior year. When taken as preparation of the honors thesis, JUDS 1970 count towards the ten required courses in the concentration.
Judaic Studies Faculty
Ruth Adler Ben Yehuda, Senior Lecturer in Judaic Studies
Marcy Brink-Danan, Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies and Anthropology
Katharina Galor, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Judaic Studies
David C. Jacobson, Professor of Judaic Studies, Director of the Program in Judaic Studies
Maud Kozodoy, Post-Doctoral Fellow in Judaic Studies
Ross Kraemer, Professor, Religious Studies and Judaic Studies
Maud Mandel, Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History
Saul M. Olyan, Professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies
Rachel Rojanski, Adjunct Associate Professor of Judaic Studies
Michael Satlow, Professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies
Adam Teller, Associate Professor of Judaic Studies and History
Nelson H. Vieira, University Professor and Professor of Portuguese & Brazilian Studies and Judaic Studies
Further Information
Students who are interested in further information about the concentration should contact the Judaic Studies Office at 163 George Street to make an appointment with the undergraduate concentration advisor. [Tel: 401-863-3912 or Judaic@brown.edu]