Minor
The Jewish Studies Program examines the multiple dimensions and complexities of Jewish civilization throughout its broad chronological and geographical range. In so doing, the program contributes to Boston College's efforts to internationalize and enrich its curriculum by creating a space for reflection on an ethnically and religiously diverse campus. Jewish Studies as an academic discipline draws upon almost every area in the humanities and social sciences in order to understand the myriad expressions of Jewish civilization over thousands of years.
The Minor in Jewish Studies consists of a total of six three-credit courses, including one foundation course “Introduction to Jewish Culture and Civilization” and five electives. Students are encouraged to fulfill Core classes that can also be used for the minor (Theology, Cultural Diversity, Literature, History, and Arts Cores). All Hebrew classes used for the MCAS language requirement can be applied to the minor. As an interdisciplinary minor, students will end up with coursework in at least three Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences departments. Only one course of the six can be used to fulfill requirements in another major or minor.
| Course Number | Course Name |
|---|---|
| BSLW3000 | Studying an Innovative Economy: Israel and the Start-Up Ecosystem |
| COMM2254 | Introduction to Jewish Culture and Civilization |
| COMM2284 | Jewish Media, Arts, and Culture |
| COMM4469 | Communicating the Jewish Experience |
| FILM2220 | Holocaust and the Arts |
| FILM2253 / GERM2203 | Representing the Holocaust (Arts Core) |
| HIST1728 / UNAS1721 | Holocaust History, Representation & Memory (Enduring Questions: History & Arts Core) |
| HIST4133 | Mid-East Nationalisms Compared: Arab-Turkish-Jewish |
| HIST4135 | History and Historiography of the Arab-Israeli Conflict (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| HIST4293 | Hitler, Churches, and the Holocaust |
| LAWS4465 | Introduction to Jewish Law |
| LING3359 | The Structure of Biblical Hebrew |
| MUSA1400 | Music in the Holocaust and the Third Reich |
| NELC1203 | Hebrew Language Workshop |
| NELC1211 / THEO1037 | Introduction to Modern Hebrew I |
| NELC1212 / THEO1038 | Introduction to Modern Hebrew II |
| NELC2066 | Edifying Books on the Arab-Israeli Conflict |
| NELC2211 | Continuing Modern Hebrew I |
| NELC2212 | Continuing Modern Hebrew II |
| NELC4291 | Advanced Tutorial: Jewish Studies |
| PHIL2263 / THEO2260 / GERM2160 | Modern Jewish Thought (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| PHIL4420 | Paranoid Causality: on Anti-Judaism and Anti-Jesuitism |
| PHIL4456 | The Holocaust: A Moral History |
| POLI2636 | Medieval Jewish and Christian Political Philosophy |
| POLI3570 | The Arab-Israeli Conflict |
| SLAV2060 | Israeli Literature: History, Memory, Identity (Literature Core, Cultural Diversity Core) |
| SLAV2063 | Jewish Literature in Twentieth-Century North America (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| SLAV2064 / SLAV5161 | Jewish Writers in Russia and America (in translation) (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| SLAV3061 / THEO5371 | Turning Points in Jewish History (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| SOCY3367 | Social Justice in Israel/Palestine (Cultural Diversity Core) |
| THEO1420 | The Everlasting Covenant: The Hebrew Bible (Theology Core) |
| THEO1434 | Judaism and Christianity in Dialogue (Theology Core, Cultural Diversity Core) |
| THEO2313 | Myth and Religion in Ancient Israel and the Near East |
| THEO3003 | Israel in Jewish Theology |
| THEO3006 | The Same God? Jews and Christian Debates |
| THEO4446 | David: The Hebrew Bible and History |
| THEO4465 | God and Morality: The Ethical Legacy of the Hebrew Bible |
| THEO5582 | Introduction to Biblical Hebrew I |
| THEO5583 | Introduction to Biblical Hebrew II |
| THEO5572 | Intermediate Biblical Hebrew I |
| THEO5573 | Intermediate Biblical Hebrew II |
Although the minor in Jewish studies has no specific language requirements, students are encouraged to take Biblical and/or Modern Hebrew. All Hebrew classes for the MCAS language requirement can be applied to the minor, for example. Students may participate in Boston College's semester study-abroad program at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. They may also avail themselves of summer programs in Yiddish or Ladino.