Program Overview

Jewish Studies Program

The Jewish Studies program offers a comprehensive curriculum that explores the history, culture, and languages of the Jewish people. The program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of Jewish civilization and its contributions to the world.

Major Requirements

To major in Jewish Studies, students must complete the following requirements:

• Preparation for the Major (Required):
  • Jewish Studies M10 (Social, Cultural, and Religious Institutions of Judaism)
  • One course selected from:
    • Middle Eastern Studies M50A (First Civilizations)
    • Middle Eastern Studies M50B (Origins of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam)
    • Middle Eastern Studies 50C (Making and Studying Modern Middle East)
    • Ancient Near East 10W (Jerusalem: Holy City)
    • Ancient Near East 12W (Jerusalem: Holy City)
    • Jewish Studies M67 (Popular Jewish and Israeli Music)
    • Jewish Studies M80 (Jewish American Experience through Music)
    • Jewish Studies M82 (Music and Holocaust: Individual Experience)
• Demonstrate proficiency equivalent to level 3 at UCLA in one foreign language (Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew) in consultation with the department.

Major Requirements (11 Courses)

• Hebrew Core (3 courses)
  • Select three of the following:
    • Hebrew 102A/B/C (Intermediate Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 103A/B/C (Advanced Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 110A/B (Introduction to Biblical Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 110C (Readings in Biblical Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 111A (Israeli Society through Hebrew Song and Video)
    • Hebrew 111B/C (Conversational Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 112 (Readings in Modern Scholarly Hebrew)
    • Hebrew M113 (Contemporary Israeli Short Stories/Novellas and Films in English)
    • Hebrew 120 (Biblical Texts)
    • Hebrew 125 (Hebrew Bible with Medieval Commentaries)
    • Hebrew 130 (Rabbinic Texts)
    • Hebrew 135 (Medieval Hebrew Texts)
    • Hebrew C140 (Modern Hebrew Poetry and Prose)
    • Hebrew 170 (Dead Sea Scrolls)
    • Hebrew 180A (Survey of Hebrew Grammar)
    • Hebrew 180B (Survey of Hebrew Grammar)
    • Hebrew 188FL (Special Studies: Readings in Hebrew)
• Jewish Core (2 courses)
  • Select two of the following:
    • Jewish Studies 140A (American Jewish History, 1654 to 1914)
    • Jewish Studies 140B (American Jewish History, 1914 to the Present)
    • Jewish Studies M142 (Modern Israel: Politics, Society, Culture)
    • Jewish Studies M144 (Zionism: Ideology and Practice in Making of Jewish State)
    • Jewish Studies M178 (Introduction to History and Culture of Iranian Jews)
    • Jewish Studies M181 (Topics in Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M182A (Ancient Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M182B (Medieval Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M182C (Modern Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M184A (Jewish Civilization: Encounter with Great World Cultures)
    • Jewish Studies M184B (History of Anti-Semitism)
    • Jewish Studies M184C (American Jewish Experience)
• Required Electives (6 courses)
  • Select six of the following:
    • Hebrew or Jewish Studies or from Ancient Near East M135 (Religion in Ancient Israel)
    • Ancient Near East 162 (Archaeology, Identity, and Bible)
    • Ancient Near East M170 (Introduction to Biblical Studies)
    • English 111A (Hebrew Bible in Translation)
    • English 111C (Topics in Biblical Literature)
    • German 109 (Jewish Question and German Thought)
    • History C191F (Capstone Seminar: History — Near East)
    • Iranian 130 (Intellectual History of Jews of Persia)
    • Iranian 131 (Introduction to Judeo-Persian: Literature and Culture)
    • Iranian 132 (Intermediate Judeo-Persian Literature and Culture)
    • Iranian M178 (Introduction to History and Culture of Iranian Jews)
    • Political Science 132A (International Relations of Middle East)
    • Political Science M132B (International Relations of Middle East)
    • Semitics 130 (Biblical Aramaic)
    • Study of Religion 120 (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam: Comparative Approach)
    • Yiddish 101A/B/C (Elementary Yiddish)
    • Yiddish 102A/B/C (Intermediate Yiddish)
    • Yiddish 121A (20th-Century Yiddish Poetry in English Translation)
    • Yiddish 121B (20th-Century Yiddish Prose and Drama in English Translation)
    • Yiddish 121C (Special Topics in Yiddish Literature in English Translation)
    • Yiddish 130 (Introduction to Yiddish Culture and Language through Film)
    • Yiddish 131A (Modern Yiddish Poetry)
    • Yiddish 131B (Modern Yiddish Prose and Drama)
    • Yiddish 131C (Special Topics in Yiddish Literature)

Minor Requirements

To minor in Hebrew and Jewish Studies, students must complete the following requirements:

• Required Lower Division Courses (15 units)
  • Hebrew 1A/B/C (Elementary Hebrew), 8 (Elementary Hebrew: Intensive), or equivalent
• Required Upper Division Courses (5 courses)
  • Hebrew Core (3 courses)
    • Hebrew 102A/B/C (Intermediate Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 103A/B/C (Advanced Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 110A (Introduction to Biblical Hebrew: Phonology, Morphology, and Structure of Biblical Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 110B (Introduction to Biblical Hebrew: Readings of Biblical Prose Texts)
    • Hebrew 111A (Israeli Society through Hebrew Song and Video)
    • Hebrew 111B/C (Conversational Hebrew)
    • Hebrew 120 (Biblical Texts)
    • Hebrew 125 (Hebrew Bible with Medieval Commentaries)
    • Hebrew 130 (Rabbinic Texts)
    • Hebrew 135 (Medieval Hebrew Texts)
    • Hebrew C140 (Modern Hebrew Poetry and Prose)
  • Jewish Core (2 courses)
    • Jewish Studies 175 (Modern Israeli Literature Made into Films)
    • Jewish Studies M182A (Ancient Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M182B (Medieval Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M182C (Modern Jewish History)
    • Jewish Studies M184A (Jewish Civilization: Encounter with Great World Cultures)

Study in Israel

Students are encouraged to spend up to one year in Israel either to study with an education abroad program or to study at an Israeli university.