Program Overview

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Jewish Studies - Bachelor of Arts (BA)

The Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies is designed to help students develop the professional skills they need to become engaged global citizens, preparing them to obtain a job after graduation, pursue graduate studies, and engage in dialogues about social justice around the world. By studying the world through the lens of Jewish culture, history, literature, society, and thought from a broad, interdisciplinary perspective, our students gain fundamental critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Requirements

General Requirements

In addition to the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences, students must complete 36 credit hours of Jewish studies requirements, of which 18 credit hours must be in upper-division (3000- or 4000-level) courses. Of the 18 upper-division credit hours, 12 must be completed on the CU Boulder campus.

A grade of C or better must be received in all courses used to satisfy the major requirements, with an overall average of 2.00 in the major.

No more than 6 credit hours may be taken in independent study. No pass/fail graded courses may satisfy the 36-credit-hour minimum requirement. No more than 45 credits in JWST may be applied to overall graduation requirements.

Graduating in Four Years

Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information on eligibility. The concept of "adequate progress" as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major.

Concentration Areas

Students pursuing a BA in Jewish studies may choose one of the following two concentrations: culture intensive or foreign language intensive.

Culture Intensive Concentration

• Required Courses:
  • JWST/GSLL 2350: Introduction to Jewish Culture
  • JWST 4000: Capstone in Jewish Studies (Senior Capstone)
• Fundamental Jewish Studies Requirements:
  • Select at least two of the following courses:
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1818: Jewish History to 1492
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1828: Jewish History Since 1492
    • JWST/GSLL 2551: Modern Jewish Literature
    • JWST/RLST 3100: Judaism
    • JWST/IAFS/GSLL 3600: Contemporary Jewish Societies
• Literature, Culture, and the Arts:
  • Select at least two of the following courses:
    • JWST/GSLL 2551: Modern Jewish Literature
    • JWST/RLST 3110: Of Jewish Legends, Folktales and the Supernatural
    • JWST 3120: Radical Jews
    • JWST/ENGL 3310: The Bible as Literature
    • JWST/GSLL 3401: The Heart of Europe: Filmmakers and Writers in 20th Century Central Europe
    • JWST/GRMN 3501: The German-Jewish Experience: From the Enlightenment to the Present
• History, Politics, and Religion:
  • Select at least two of the following courses:
    • FYSM 1000: First Year Seminar (God)
    • JWST 1234/ENGL 1340: Mysticism and the Jewish American Literary Tradition
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1818: Jewish History to 1492
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1828: Jewish History Since 1492
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1830: Global History of Holocaust and Genocide
• Electives:
  • 12 credit hours from the courses listed above not used to fulfill a requirement listed above
• Auxiliary Courses:
  • Maximum of 6 credit hours
  • Courses from outside the Program in Jewish Studies which may count toward a Jewish Studies major

Foreign Language Intensive Concentration

• Required Courses:
  • JWST/GSLL 2350: Introduction to Jewish Culture
  • JWST 4000: Capstone in Jewish Studies (Senior Capstone)
• Language Requirement:
  • Three years of university-level language training or demonstrated equivalent proficiency in Hebrew (modern or Biblical) or another language that is to be used in the Jewish Studies capstone project (JWST 4000)
• Fundamental Jewish Studies Requirements:
  • Select at least two of the following courses:
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1818: Jewish History to 1492
    • JWST/HIST/RLST 1828: Jewish History Since 1492
    • JWST/GSLL 2551: Modern Jewish Literature
    • JWST/RLST 3100: Judaism
    • JWST/IAFS/GSLL 3600: Contemporary Jewish Societies
• Additional Requirements:
  • 12-24 remaining credit hours, of which at least eight must be upper-division level
  • Taken from among the following list or other courses by approval of major advisor

Recommended Four-Year Plan of Study

Culture Intensive Concentration

• Year One:
  • Fall Semester: JWST Fundamental Jewish Studies course, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course, Elective or MAPS
  • Spring Semester: JWST 2350, JWST Fundamental Jewish Studies course, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course
• Year Two:
  • Fall Semester: JWST History, Politics, and Religion course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Free Elective
  • Spring Semester: JWST Literature, Culture, and the Arts course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Free Elective
• Year Three:
  • Fall Semester: JWST Upper-division Elective, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Upper-Division Elective
  • Spring Semester: JWST 3930, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Upper-Division Elective, Free Elective
• Year Four:
  • Fall Semester: JWST Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Elective
  • Spring Semester: JWST 4000, JWST Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Elective

Foreign Language Intensive Concentration

• Year One:
  • Fall Semester: Fundamental Jewish Studies course, Beginning Foreign Language 1, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course
  • Spring Semester: JWST 2350, Beginning Foreign Language 2, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course
• Year Two:
  • Fall Semester: Fundamental Jewish Studies course, Intermediate Foreign Language 1, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Gen. Ed. Distribution/Diversity course
  • Spring Semester: JWST Literature, Culture, and the Arts course, Intermediate Foreign Language 2, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Free Elective
• Year Three:
  • Fall Semester: JWST Elective Upper Division, Advanced Foreign Language 1, Gen. Ed. Skills course, Gen. Ed. Distribution course
  • Spring Semester: JWST 3930, Advanced Foreign Language 2, Gen. Ed. Distribution course, Elective or Upper-division Elective
• Year Four:
  • Fall Semester: JWST Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Elective
  • Spring Semester: JWST 4000, JWST Upper-Division Elective, Upper-Division Elective, Elective

Learning Outcomes

An undergraduate degree in Jewish Studies emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:

• The history of global Jewish communities over time
• Dimensions of Jewish culture across variant Jewish communities
• Jewish literature from the biblical period to the present
• Global languages of the Jewish people

In addition, it is expected that through a degree in Jewish Studies:

• History Diversity: Demonstrate the ability to think critically about the historical and global diversity of Jewish cultures, religion, practice, and thought
• Interdisciplinary Perspectives: Demonstrate the ability to analyze a wide range of contemporary and historical events, structures, and movements using perspectives drawn from fields including history, women and gender studies, religious studies, literary studies, and the arts
• Critical Analysis: Demonstrate the ability to analyze how power and privilege function in Jewish history, cultures, religion, practice, language, music, and thought, exploring the intersection of gender, sexuality, race, class, ability, nationality, and colonialism
• Synthesis Presentation Skills: Communicate, both orally and in written assignments, complex ideas from the field of Jewish Studies to academic and general audiences through capstone projects, research opportunities, archives, and an internship
• Colloquium Scholarly Discourse: Work collaboratively to implement, and organize around, a range of theoretical and methodological perspectives used in Jewish studies.