Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies
The Program in Jewish Studies offers an undergraduate major (B.A. in Jewish Studies) and minor, Departmental Honors (both by research paper and by service learning), and courses in Jewish Studies, Hebrew, and Yiddish; we also co-sponsor courses in many other units, especially Religious Studies and History, Global and International Studies, and Political Science. Among our several focus areas are Jewish history and culture, Judaism, Holocaust studies, Israel Studies, Jewish languages and narratives, and applied service in Jewish organizations.
Students who choose to complete the B.A. in Jewish Studies often find employment working in Jewish education, non-profit organizations, outreach, and other areas where knowledge of Jewish languages, history, and culture is an asset. The Jewish Studies B.A. is easy to combine with other majors and/or minors within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Jewish culture and religion have flourished in a rich variety of forms and in remarkably disparate places on the globe for thousands of years. Jewish contributions have deeply affected the art, languages and literature, law, philosophy, and political thought, and the sciences of all nations. The global impact of Jewish culture thus warrants its study as an important component of the liberal arts curriculum at KU. The Jewish Studies Program at KU is the only such program in the state of Kansas. Its mission, therefore, is to celebrate the Jewish experience and promote the understanding of its cultural importance with courses and academic programs that focus on the history, diversity, culture, languages, thought, and practices of the Jewish people and their religion.
Undergraduate Admission
Admission to KU
All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.
Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.
Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of the University Registrar website.
Requirements for the B.A. Major
Students take 30 credit hours structured according to the following plan:
1 Gateway course to Jewish Studies;
7 Jewish Studies core courses;
2 Capstone Research Coursework
Code | Title | Hours |
---|---|---|
Core Courses | ||
Gateway course to Jewish Studies | 3 | |
Students must take one of these courses: | ||
First Year Seminar: _____ | ||
First Year Seminar: _____ | ||
Foundations of Jewish Studies | ||
Jewish Studies Core Courses | 21 | |
Choose 7 courses (21 credit hours) from the following lists. Up to 5 courses can be taken from the same list. | ||
List 1: Jewish Languages | ||
Other relevant languages not taught at KU could also be considered for credit transfer. | ||
Intermediate Modern Hebrew I | ||
Intermediate Modern Hebrew II | ||
Advanced Modern Hebrew I | ||
Advanced Modern Hebrew II | ||
Topics in Hebrew: _____ | ||
Independent Study | ||
Intermediate Arabic I | ||
Intermediate Arabic II | ||
Advanced Arabic I | ||
Advanced Arabic II | ||
Intermediate Russian I | ||
Intermediate Russian II | ||
Advanced Russian I | ||
Advanced Russian II | ||
Studies in Yiddish: ______ | ||
List 2: Jewish Religion | ||
Jews, Christians, Muslims | ||
Understanding the Bible | ||
Understanding the Bible, Honors | ||
Topics in Jewish Religion: _____ | ||
The Bible Then and Now | ||
The Jewish World of Jesus | ||
Introduction to Judaism | ||
The Talmud: Its Origins, Nature, and Evolution | ||
Mystical Tradition in Judaism | ||
Religious Zionisms | ||
Jewish Ethics | ||
Prophets and Profits | ||
Judaism and Political Theology | ||
List 3: History and Culture of the Jewish People | ||
Topics in History and Culture of the Jewish People: _____ | ||
Anthropology and the Jews | ||
The Spanish Inquisition | ||
Jewish Secular Culture | ||
Jewish Women and Leadership | ||
Jewish Women and Leadership, Honors | ||
History of Jewish Women | ||
Jewish American Literature and Culture | ||
Languages of the Jews | ||
Languages of the Jews, Honors | ||
The History of the Second World War | ||
Hitler and Nazi Germany | ||
The Holocaust in History | ||
JWSH 344 | ||
Theatre and Genocide | ||
Graphic Novels as Memory | ||
Antisemitism: A Long History | ||
Jewish Film | ||
Ethics and the Holocaust: Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Bystanders | ||
Hitler and Nazi Germany, Honors | ||
Theatre and Genocide | ||
List 4: Israel Studies | ||
The Modern Middle East | ||
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction | ||
Israel: From Idea to State | ||
Mandatory Palestine: 1920-1948 | ||
Israel/Palestine: The War of 1948 | ||
Israel in the First Decade | ||
Politics and Government in Israel | ||
Topics in Israeli Society: _____ | ||
Polls and Public Opinion in Israel | ||
Arab-Palestinian Society, Culture and Politics | ||
International Relations of the Middle-East | ||
Local Self-Governments in Israel | ||
Regimes in the Middle-East and North Africa | ||
Capstone Research Coursework | 6 | |
Students must take two courses from the following list, one at the 400 level and one at the 600 level. | ||
Independent Study | ||
Directed Study in Jewish Studies | ||
Independent Study | ||
Directed Study in Jewish Studies, Honors | ||
Senior Seminar in Jewish Studies | ||
Service Learning in Jewish Studies | ||
Total Hours | 30 |
Major Hours & Major GPA
While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Major Hours
Satisfied by 30 hours of major courses.
Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.
Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.
Below is a sample 4-year plan for students pursuing the BA in Jewish Studies. To view the list of courses approved to fulfill Core 34, please visit the KU Core 34 page.
Freshman | |||
---|---|---|---|
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
HEBR 110 (BA Second Langauge, Pre-requisite for those taking HEBR)1 | 5 | HEBR 120 (BA Second Language, Pre-requisite for those taking HEBR)1 | 5 |
JWSH 177 or 176 (First Year Sminar in Jewish Studies)2 | 3 | Second Area of Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 | Core 34: English (SGE)010 | 3 |
Core 34: Math and Statistics (SGE)030 | 3 | Core 34: Communications (SGE)020 | 3 |
Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 | ||
14 | 17 | ||
Sophomore | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
HEBR 210 (BA Second Language, list 1, course 1 out of 7)1 | 3 | HEBR 220 (BA Second Language, list 1, course 3 out of 7)1 | 3 |
Jewish Studies, Religion Course (list 2, course 2 out of 7)2 | 3 | Jewish Studies, History or Culture Course (list 3, course 4 out of 7)2 | 3 |
Core 34: Natural and Physical Sciences (SGE)040 | 4-5 | Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 |
Core 34: Social and Behavior Science (SGE)050 | 3 | Core 34: Arts and Humanities (SGE)060 | 3 |
Core 34: Global Culture (SGE)070 | 3 | Core 34: US Culture (SGE)070 | 3 |
16-17 | 15 | ||
Junior | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
Jewish Studies, Israel Studies Course (list 4, course 5 out of 7)2 | 3 | Jewish Studies Course (any list, course 7 out of 7)2 | 3 |
Jewish Studies Course (any list, course 6 out of 7)2 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
15 | 15 | ||
Senior | |||
Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
Capstone Research Coursework (JWSH 490, JWSH 491, HEBR 490, or YDSH 490)2 | 3 | JWSH 601 (Capstone Requirement)2 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 1 | Second Area of Study/Elective/Degree/Junior-Senior Hours3 | 3 |
13 | 15 | ||
Total Hours 120-121 |
- 1
Please note: the HEBR and YDSH Intermediate I and II courses listed on this four-year plan are not required for the BA in Jewish Studies. However, they can count for students wishing to learn Hebrew. They also will fulfill both the BA Second Language requirement and the Language requirement in major. A complete list of courses that can count toward the Language requirement for the major is listed on the Degree Requirements tab. Not all the courses listed will fulfill the BA Second Language requirement. Students who use courses from the course list to fulfill the major Language requirement that do not also fulfill the BA Second Language requirement need to be sure that they either complete coursework or obtain a letter of proficiency to satisfy the BA Second Language requirement.
- 2
See the Degree Requirements tab for a list of courses that fulfill this major requirement.
- 3
Hour requirements (incl. 45 jr/sr hrs) are typically met through Core 34, degree, major, second area of study and/or elective hours. Students completing the BGS with a major must choose a secondary area of study. Individual degree mapping is done in partnership with your advisor.
Please note:
All students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are required to complete 120 total hours of which 45 hours must be at the Jr/Sr (300+) level.
Notes:
* - This course is a Required major course and is also part of Core 34: Systemwide General Education. If this course is not taken to fulfill the Core 34:SGE requirement, it must be taken in place of elective hours.
** - This course is a Recommended Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This specific course is not required but is recommended by the program’s faculty.
*** - This course is a Required Core 34: Systemwide General Education course. This program is approved by the Kansas Board of Regents to require this specific Core 34:Systemwide General Education course. If a student did not take this course it must be taken in addition to other degree requirements.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Identify and interpret major events, figures, and topics in Jewish history and culture and situate them within the larger context of Jewish history and culture.
- Develop a critical awareness of the complexity of Jewish societies and cultures over the ages and geographic spaces, including in the US and modern Israel.
- Identify and interpret major components of Jewish religious thought such as philosophies, religious practices, mysticisms, and ethics.
- Develop critical awareness and appreciation of Jewish religious expression in interaction with other worldviews religions and values, including in the US and modern Israel.
- Able to read, write, understand, and converse in modern Hebrew or another approved Jewish language.
- Be able to identify and analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources in Jewish Studies, and develop effective research and/or leadership skills by integrating Jewish scholarship, classical texts, and best practices, including through service-learning, internship opportunities, and discipline-specific research projects in Jewish Studies.
Departmental Honors
For departmental honors in Jewish Studies, students must meet the following criteria:
1. Candidates will have a grade-point average in Jewish Studies of 3.5 both at the time of declaring their intention to seek honors and by graduation.
2. In consultation with the JS honors coordinator and with approval from a supervising professor, candidates will declare their intention to seek honors no later than the time of enrollment for the final undergraduate semester.
3. Candidates will fill out a Departmental Honors Intent form and submit a copy of that form to College Undergraduate Academic Services (109 Strong Hall).
4. Candidates intending to conduct research and write a substantial, original research paper (honors essay) will enroll in JWSH 490 Directed Study in Jewish Studies or in JWSH 491 Directed Study in Jewish Studies, Honors (if they are in the University Honors Program) for one or two semesters. Candidates intending to engage in service learning at a community organization will enroll in JWSH 650 and, at the end of service, will submit an essay that describes the service and reflects on the student's experience. A grade of B or higher must be earned in this/these courses.
5. A committee of three members of the University faculty (the supervising professor and two others, one of whom must be a member of the Jewish Studies faculty) will approve the honors essay or service learning project and will certify to the JS honors coordinator that the candidate has successfully completed the requirements to earn honors. The JS honors coordinator will write to notify College Undergraduate Academic Services that the JS Honors Program has been successfully completed.
6. If the candidate is earning a double major and is attempting to earn departmental honors in two different departments, one research project may be used to satisfy the requirements of both departments if the candidate obtains approval from both. Both departments must be represented on the student’s committee.