Program Overview

Introduction to the Jewish Studies Graduate Cluster

The Jewish Studies Graduate Cluster provides students with rigorous training in Jewish history, culture, and thought. It is comprised of faculty and students from across the humanities and social sciences, and provides opportunities for inter-disciplinary engagement, collaboration, and community building.

Program Description

Courses taught under the rubric of the Jewish Studies Graduate Cluster aim to deepen students’ textual, linguistic, and analytical skills, while also forging connections with broader questions and issues beyond the strict boundaries of “Jewish Studies.” The Cluster equips students with the skills necessary to teach courses in a range of sub-fields in Jewish Studies, including:

• Hebrew Bible
• Rabbinics
• Medieval, Early Modern, and Modern Jewish History
• Hebrew and Yiddish Literature
• Jewish Philosophy

Faculty and Research Areas

The cluster faculty includes, but is not limited to:

• Peter Fenves and Anna Parkinson (German)
• Sarah Cushman, Benjamin Frommer, Yohanan Petrovsky-Shtern, David Shyovitz, and İpek K. Yosmaoğlu (History)
• Kenneth Seeskin, Emeritus (Philosophy)
• Barry Wimpfheimer and Shira Schwartz (Religious Studies)
• Lucille Kerr (Spanish and Portuguese)

Programs and Events

Cluster fellows participate in the Jewish Studies Graduate Colloquium, which brings together faculty and graduate students to share work and listen to invited talks in Jewish Studies. The Colloquium facilitates a vivid exchange of ideas and critical reflections between the group members and visitors, and provides an opportunity for networking and community building within and beyond the field of Jewish Studies.

Eligibility and Application

Doctoral candidates from any field are eligible to apply to join this intellectual “home” outside their department. Past participants have come from the following programs:

• Anthropology
• German
• History
• Music
• Political Science
• Religious Studies
• Slavic Languages and Literatures
• Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama

Program Requirements

See Jewish Studies Cluster Requirements for specific courses and procedures needed to complete this program.