Jewish Studies Undergraduate Programs

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Jewish Studies Undergraduate Programs

Jewish Studies offers the following programs:

Jewish Studies BA
Jewish Studies Minor
Israel Studies Minor
Special Opportunities

In additions, we offer a wide spectrum of Internships at prominent DC institutions.

BA in Jewish Studies

The major consists of 39 semester hours (18 of which must be at the 300 level or above), including courses in the Hebrew language, Jewish civilization, contemporary Judaism, and Jewish literature and thought. Students may use internship credits and independent study toward the major. Requirements for the Jewish Studies major include the following:

Formal Admission to the major requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and the approval of the director of the program.

Major Requirements: The BA requires a minimum of 39 credit hours in Jewish Studies, including a senior thesis.

Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization

Modern Jewish Civilization

Intermediate Modern Hebrew I and II

Senior Thesis in Jewish Studies I and II

Students in the University Honors Program have the opportunity to graduate with University Honors in the major. See the section on the University Honors Program in the American University catalog for further details.

Course Requirements

JWST-205 Ancient and Medieval Civilizations/S 2.2 (3)
HIST-245 Modern Jewish Civilization/S (3)
JWST-481 Senior Thesis in Jewish Studies I (3)
JWST-482 Senior Thesis in Jewish Studies II (3)
HEBR-216 Hebrew, Intermediate Modern I/A (3)
HEBR-217 Hebrew, Intermediate Modern II/A (3) or
equivalent proficiency in Hebrew as approved by the Jewish Studies faculty

Note that LFS-116 Hebrew, Elementary Modern I (3) and LFS-117 Hebrew, Elementary Modern II (3) (or equivalent) are prerequisites for the language requirement but do not count toward the major.

In addition to the courses above, students must take

One course in Jewish literature
One course in Jewish thought
One course in contemporary Jewish life
12 additional credit hours in Jewish Studies Program courses, chosen from:

ANTH-337 Anthropology of Genocide
HIST-318 Nazi Germany
HIST-319 Holocaust
HIST 343: History of Israel
HIST-344 Topics in Jewish History
HIST-373 American Jewish History
SIS-336 Berlin, the Holocaust, and the Nazi Legacy (AU Abroad Berlin)
SIS-365 Arab-Israeli Relations
SIS-400 Israeli Identity
JWST-210 Voices of Modern Jewish Literature
JWST-320 Topics in Jewish Culture
JWST-390 Independent Reading
JWST-396 Selected Topics: Non-recurring
JWST-490 Independent Study
JWST-491 Internship
LIT-381 Interdisciplinary Approaches to Modern Jewish Literature
PHIL-315 Topics in Jewish Philosophy
REL-371 Topics in Jewish Religion
Israel at the Hebrew University (AU Abroad Jerusalem)

Additional courses may be offered.

Minor in Jewish Studies

The minor consists of 18 semester hours, 9 of which must be at the 300 level or above. The minor provides broad exposure to Jewish civilization, literature, and thought. Unlike most departments, the Jewish Studies Program assists students pursuing the minor in finding internships and permits the use of internship credits and independent study credits toward fulfilling the requirements of the minor. Please see Israel Studies Minor (pdf) for a complete description, including study abroad information.

Course Requirements

JWST-205 Ancient and Medieval Jewish Civilization/S (3)
HIST-245 Modern Jewish Civilization/S (3)

In addition to these courses, students must take

One course in Jewish literature
One course in Jewish thought
One course in contemporary Jewish life
To make a minimum of 18 credit hours in Jewish Studies, at least one additional Jewish Studies Program course, chosen from:

Minor in Israel Studies

The minor in Israel Studies is an interdisciplinary program that draws on faculty and courses related to Israel. Students take 3 core courses focusing on the history and civilization of Israel and the relationships between Israel and the Arab world. Students are then required to take 9 additional credits the Elective Courses listed below. Students in this minor are encouraged to study abroad in Israel and to take Hebrew language courses. Requirements for the Israel Studies Minor include:

Formal admission to the minor requires a grade point average of 2.00 (on a 4.00 scale) and approval of the Director of the program.
Course requirements: 18 credits hours with grades of C or higher.

Course Requirements

HIST 343: History of Israel (3)
HIST 245: Modern Jewish Civilization (3)
SIS 365: Arab-Israeli Relations (3)

Course Requirements

Students must take three courses from the following list. Where noted, the courses must be approved by the director of the program.

JWST 320: Topics in Jewish Culture (3) {with approval of topic by program director}
HIST 344: Topics in Jewish History (3) {with approval of topic by program director}
SIS 400: Senior Seminar in International Relations: Israeli Identity (3)
JWST 390: Independent Reading (1-6)
JWST 490: Independent Reading (1-6)
JWST 491: Internship (1-6)

Study abroad in Israel is highly recommended and courses taken abroad can fulfill some of the requirements of the minor.

Special Opportunities

Center For Israeli Studies integrates the prominence of American University faculty who have long-standing reputations in Israel with the university's expertise in the design of experiential and global education.

A Jewish Studies minor combined with a major in the School of Education leads to a certificate for teaching in Jewish schools.

Study Abroad in Israel.

Go to the Jewish Studies Program home page.

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BA in Jewish Studies

Course Requirements

Minor in Jewish Studies

Course Requirements

Minor in Israel Studies

Course Requirements

Course Requirements

Special Opportunities

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