Judaic Studies

Minor in Judaic Studies

Six courses from the following list completed with a grade of C or higher, including either CAS RN 101 or RN 104 and at least one but no more than two 200-level courses. The remaining three or four courses should be taken at the 300 level or higher. The study of Hebrew is strongly encouraged. Students who choose to complete the CAS foreign language requirement using Hebrew may receive credit for CAS LH 212 toward the minor in Judaic studies. Any student may count up to two courses in Hebrew language toward the minor, provided those courses are taken at the LH 212 level or higher. Refer to departmental sections for complete descriptions of courses.

  • CAS HI 223 Jews in the Modern World
  • CAS HI 383 Topics in the History of Israel
  • CAS HI 552 Topics in Jewish History
  • CAS LH 111 First-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 112 Second-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 117 Biblical Hebrew I
  • CAS LH 139 Intensive First-Year Hebrew
  • CAS LH 211 Third-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 212 Fourth-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 282 Agnon and Oz: In Search of Identity (in English translation)
  • CAS LH 311 Fifth-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 312 Sixth-Semester Hebrew
  • CAS LH 350 Hebrew Narrative
  • CAS LH 351 Styles and Meaning of Hebrew Poetry
  • CAS RN 101 The Bible
  • CAS RN 104 Religions of the World: Western
  • CAS RN 201 The Hebrew Bible
  • CAS RN 202 From Jesus to Christ: The Origins of Christianity
  • CAS RN 216 Judaism
  • CAS RN 220 Holy City: Jerusalem in Time, Space, and Imagination
  • CAS RN 221 Moses
  • CAS RN 308 The Open Heaven: Apocalyptic Literature in Early Judaism and Christianity
  • CAS RN 319 Midrash: Classical Rabbinic Biblical Interpretation
  • CAS RN 320 Readings in Classical Hebrew
  • CAS RN 321 Wisdom Tradition in Ancient Israel and Judaism
  • CAS RN 322 History of Judaism
  • CAS RN 323 Classical Jewish Thought
  • CAS RN 324 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
  • CAS RN 325 Jewish Mysticism
  • CAS RN 326 Jewish Mystical Movements and Modernization 1492–2000
  • CAS RN 328 Judaism in the Modern Period
  • CAS RN 329 Modern Jewish Thought
  • CAS RN 330 American Jewish Experiences
  • CAS RN 331 Zionism and the State of Israel
  • CAS RN 333 Antisemitism
  • CAS RN 334 Dead Sea Scrolls
  • CAS RN 335 Judaism in the First Century
  • CAS RN 336 The Heretical Jew (meets with CAS XL 356)
  • CAS RN 337 Gender and Judaism
  • CAS RN 339 The Modern Jew
  • CAS RN 384 The Holocaust
  • CAS RN 385 Representations of the Holocaust in Literature and Film (meets with CAS XL 281)
  • CAS RN 420 Maimonides
  • CAS RN 439 Jewish Bioethics
  • CAS RN 459 Primo Levi within Holocaust Literature

Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies

Administration

  • Michael Zank Acting Director

The Boston University Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies coordinates and supports all academic programs relating to Judaic studies at the University. The services and programs of the center are available to Judaic studies students and all others interested in the subject area.

Advising

Judaica minors are assigned members of the Judaica faculty as advisors who help them formulate their minors in accordance with department requirements. Students considering a Judaic studies minor are encouraged to make an appointment with the center director to discuss their plans.

Courses, Library Enhancement, and University Programs

The center seeks to coordinate all courses in Judaic studies at Boston University. Its ambition is to provide a broad-based, academically rigorous curriculum in the most important areas of Jewish history, literature, and thought. In addition to supporting the University teaching program in Hebrew language study, the center actively works to support the enhancement of relevant library resources and to sponsor relevant lectures, conferences, and publications in Judaic studies. The center is committed to the support of all types of research in Judaic studies.

Special Events

The center hosts special events of high quality and interest in order to further the integration of Judaic studies into the life of the University and the community at large. These include programs in film, theatre, and music, all of which contribute to the cultural life of the University.