Jewish Studies and Religion, BA

The combined major in Jewish studies and religion offers students an integrated program of study of two naturally complementary fields. Study of Judaism as a religion is enhanced by broad familiarity with the world’s religious traditions; conversely, in-depth knowledge of Jewish history, identity, and cultures provides students of religion with valuable insight into the ways in which religion interacts with a wide variety of forces to shape the experiences of the adherents of a particular faith. The combined major is designed to enable students to understand the history, cultures, and religion of the Jewish people; analyze and apply theoretical understanding to the interaction between religious, social, and historical factors that have shaped the experiences of the Jewish people; and demonstrate fluency in understanding the major religious traditions of the world. The combined major in Jewish studies and religion is designed to prepare students for graduate work in Jewish studies, religion, or many of the other disciplines that make up Jewish studies or for work within the Jewish community or in communal organizations associated with other religions.

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• Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality. 
• Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality. 

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Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

Universitywide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.

BA Language Requirements

All BA students are required to complete the BA degree language requirements, for a total of 12 semester hours of language study or demonstrated equivalent proficiency, as described in Additional Requirements for BA students. Successful demonstration of proficiency does not reduce total minimum semester hours of study required to earn the BA degree.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Jewish Studies Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
JWSS 1285	Jewish Religion and Culture	4
or PHIL 1285	Jewish Religion and Culture
JWSS 4660	Jewish Studies Module	1
Jewish Religion and Thought
Complete one of the following:		4
JWSS 2259	Sex, Gender, and Judaism
or WMNS 2259	Sex, Gender, and Judaism
HIST 1100	Law and History
Israel Studies
Complete one of the following:		4
ENGL 2610	Contemporary Literature and Art in Israel
INTL 2100	Modern Israel
Jewish History
Complete one of the following:		4
HIST 2280	Hitler, Germany, and the Holocaust
HIST 2282	The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
HIST 2285	America and the Holocaust
or JWSS 2285	America and the Holocaust
Jewish Art and Culture
Complete one of the following:		4
ENGL 2610	Contemporary Literature and Art in Israel
ENGL 3678	Bedrooms and Battlefields: Hebrew Bible and the Origins of Sex, Gender, and Ethnicity
or JWSS 3678	Bedrooms and Battlefields: Hebrew Bible and the Origins of Sex, Gender, and Ethnicity
ENGL 3685	Modern and Contemporary Jewish Literature
or JWSS 3685	Modern and Contemporary Jewish Literature
Jewish Studies Electives
Complete three of the following:		12
ENGL 2610	Contemporary Literature and Art in Israel
ENGL 3678	Bedrooms and Battlefields: Hebrew Bible and the Origins of Sex, Gender, and Ethnicity
or JWSS 3678	Bedrooms and Battlefields: Hebrew Bible and the Origins of Sex, Gender, and Ethnicity
ENGL 3685	Modern and Contemporary Jewish Literature
or JWSS 3685	Modern and Contemporary Jewish Literature
HIST 2280	Hitler, Germany, and the Holocaust
HIST 2282	The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
or JWSS 2282	The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
HIST 2285	America and the Holocaust
or JWSS 2285	America and the Holocaust
INTL 2100	Modern Israel
JWSS 4992	Directed Study
PHIL 1120	Understanding the Bible
PHIL 1271	Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
POLS 2370	Religion and Politics
POLS 3465	Government and Politics in the Middle East
SOCL 3270	Race, Ethnicity, and Inequality

Religion Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Foundational Course
PHIL 1110	Introduction to Religious Studies	4
Lived Religion Elective
Complete one of the following courses that has not been used to satisfy another requirement:		4
PHIL 1133	Selling Spirituality
PHIL 1220	The Meaning of Death
PHIL 1260	Apocalypticism in Film
PHIL 1271	Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
PHIL 1280	Islam: Rituals, Traditions, and Debates
PHIL 1667	Science Fiction and Film: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Analysis
PHIL 2230	Music and Religion
PHIL 2390	Cults and Sects
PHIL 2410	Possession, Sacrifice, and Divination in African Diasporic Religions
PHIL 2619	Race and Religion in Film
PHIL 3100	The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life
Comparative Religion Elective
Complete one of the following courses that has not been used to satisfy another requirement:		4
PHIL 1111	Introduction to World Religions
PHIL 1130	Comparative Ethics
PHIL 1220	The Meaning of Death
PHIL 1271	Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
PHIL 1275	Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond
PHIL 1290	Chinese Philosophy and Religion
PHIL 1667	Science Fiction and Film: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Analysis
PHIL 2395	Japanese Buddhism
PHIL 3100	The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life
Electives
Complete five of the following courses, one of which must be at the 2000 level or above and another one of which must be at the 3000 level or above, that have not been used to satisfy another requirement:		20
PHIL 1104	Goddesses, Witches, Saints, and Sinners: Women and Religion
PHIL 1111	Introduction to World Religions
PHIL 1120	Understanding the Bible
PHIL 1130	Comparative Ethics
PHIL 1133	Selling Spirituality
PHIL 1220	The Meaning of Death
PHIL 1260	Apocalypticism in Film
PHIL 1271	Sex in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
PHIL 1275	Hinduism, Buddhism, and Beyond
PHIL 1280	Islam: Rituals, Traditions, and Debates
PHIL 1285	Jewish Religion and Culture
PHIL 1290	Chinese Philosophy and Religion
PHIL 1666	The Problem of Evil in Film
PHIL 1667	Science Fiction and Film: Moral Dilemmas and Ethical Analysis
PHIL 2230	Music and Religion
PHIL 2390	Cults and Sects
PHIL 2395	Japanese Buddhism
PHIL 2410	Possession, Sacrifice, and Divination in African Diasporic Religions
PHIL 2619	Race and Religion in Film
PHIL 3100	The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life
PHIL 4903	Seminar in Religion
Capstone
PHIL 4903	Seminar in Religion	4

Integrative Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
HIST 1294	History of the Jews in the Modern World	4
or JWSS 1294	History of the Jews in the Modern World
Hebrew Language Introduction
Complete two courses in Hebrew. These courses also count toward the BA language requirement.		8

Jewish Studies and Religion Major Credit Requirement

80 major semester hours required

Experiential Liberal Arts

All students in this College of Social Sciences and Humanities program are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.

Program Requirement

128 total semester hours required

Four Years, Two Co-ops in Spring/Summer 1

Year 1
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer 1	Hours	Summer 2	Hours
ENGW 1111	4	Lived religion elective	4	Vacation		Elective	4
PHIL 1110	4	Israel studies	4			Elective	4
PHIL 1285 or JWSS 1285	4	HBRW 1101	4
Elective	4	HIST 1100	4
	16		16		0		8
Year 2
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer 1	Hours	Summer 2	Hours
Elective	4	Co-op	0	Co-op	0	Elective	4
Jewish history course	4					JS elective	4
Comparative religion elective	4
HBRW 1102	4
	16		0		0		8
Year 3
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer 1	Hours	Summer 2	Hours
PHIL 2000-level elective	4	Elective	4	Elective	4	Elective	4
Jewish art and culture course	4	JWSS 4660	1	Elective	4	Elective	4
Elective	4	Elective
JS elective	4	JS elective	4
	16		9		8		8
Year 4
Fall	Hours	Spring	Hours	Summer 1	Hours	Summer 2	Hours
PHIL 3000-level elective	4	Co-op	0	Co-op	0	Elective	4
Elective	4					Elective	4
Intergrative requirement course	4
PHIL capstone	4
	16		0		0		8
Total Hours: 129