Program Overview

Jewish Studies Program Overview

The Jewish Studies program at the University of Kansas is an interdisciplinary program that offers a Bachelor of Arts degree. The program aims to educate students in interdisciplinary scholarship related to Jewish studies, including Jewish languages, Jewish religion, history and culture of the Jewish people, and Israel studies.

Program Details

• The program requires ten courses: one Gateway Course to Jewish Studies, seven Jewish Studies Core Courses, and two Capstone Research Coursework.
• The coursework includes a range of topics, such as elementary and intermediate modern Hebrew, topics in Jewish studies, Jewish history, culture, and religion.
• The program also offers a minor in Jewish Studies.

Courses

Hebrew Courses

• HEBR 110: Elementary Modern Hebrew I
• HEBR 120: Elementary Modern Hebrew II
• HEBR 210: Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
• HEBR 220: Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
• HEBR 300: Topics in Hebrew
• HEBR 340: Advanced Modern Hebrew I
• HEBR 350: Advanced Modern Hebrew II
• HEBR 490: Independent Study

Jewish Studies Courses

• JWSH 107: Jews, Christians, Muslims
• JWSH 120: Exploring the Jewish Experience
• JWSH 124: Understanding the Bible
• JWSH 125: Understanding the Bible, Honors
• JWSH 176: First Year Seminar
• JWSH 177: First Year Seminar
• JWSH 300: Topics in History and Culture of the Jewish People
• JWSH 301: Topics in Jewish Religion
• JWSH 314: Anthropology and the Jews
• JWSH 315: The Spanish Inquisition
• JWSH 320: The Bible Then and Now
• JWSH 323: The Jewish World of Jesus
• JWSH 325: Introduction to Judaism
• JWSH 326: The Talmud: Its Origins, Nature, and Evolution
• JWSH 327: Jewish Secular Culture
• JWSH 329: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: An Introduction
• JWSH 330: Mystical Tradition in Judaism
• JWSH 333: Jewish Women and Leadership
• JWSH 334: Jewish Women and Leadership, Honors
• JWSH 335: History of Jewish Women
• JWSH 336: Jewish American Literature and Culture
• JWSH 337: Religious Zionisms
• JWSH 338: Languages of the Jews
• JWSH 339: Languages of the Jews, Honors
• JWSH 341: Hitler and Nazi Germany
• JWSH 343: The Holocaust in History
• JWSH 344: Modern Jewish History
• JWSH 345: Theatre and Genocide
• JWSH 346: The Jewish Experience in America
• JWSH 347: Jewish Ethics
• JWSH 348: Graphic Novels as Memory
• JWSH 349: Antisemitism: A Long History
• JWSH 361: Jewish Film
• JWSH 379: Prophets and Profits
• JWSH 380: Ethics and the Holocaust: Perpetrators, Collaborators, and Bystanders
• JWSH 395: Study Abroad Topics in Jewish Studies
• JWSH 396: Hitler and Nazi Germany, Honors
• JWSH 400: Foundations of Jewish Studies
• JWSH 410: Israel: From Idea to State
• JWSH 412: Mandatory Palestine
• JWSH 414: Israel/Palestine: The War of 1948
• JWSH 416: Israel in the First Decade
• JWSH 420: Politics and Government in Israel
• JWSH 422: Topics in Israeli Society
• JWSH 426: Polls and Public Opinion in Israel
• JWSH 434: Arab-Palestinian Society, Culture and Politics
• JWSH 440: International Relations of the Middle-East
• JWSH 445: Local Self-Governments in Israel
• JWSH 490: Directed Study in Jewish Studies
• JWSH 491: Directed Study in Jewish Studies, Honors
• JWSH 562: Judaism and Political Theology
• JWSH 590: Research Methods
• JWSH 601: Senior Seminar in Jewish Studies
• JWSH 645: Theatre and Genocide
• JWSH 650: Service Learning in Jewish Studies
• JWSH 681: Regimes in the Middle-East and North Africa
• JWSH 695: Study Abroad Advanced Topics
• JWSH 700: Topics in Jewish Studies
• JWSH 729: Research in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Yiddish Courses

• YDSH 300: Studies in Yiddish
• YDSH 490: Independent Study

Program Requirements

The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework, including the Gateway Course, seven Jewish Studies Core Courses, and two Capstone Research Coursework.

Career Opportunities

The Jewish Studies program prepares students for a variety of careers, including:

• Jewish service and community centers
• Social work
• Academia
• K-12 education
• Public policy
• Law

Research Areas

The program offers research opportunities in a range of areas, including:

• Jewish languages and literature
• Jewish history and culture
• Jewish religion and theology
• Israel studies
• Middle Eastern studies

Faculty and Staff

The program is directed by Renee Perelmutter, and the faculty includes experts in Jewish studies, Hebrew, and Yiddish.