Jewish Studies

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2014-15 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu/.

About the Program

Minor

The minor in Jewish Studies is designed to give students an overview of some of the major themes in Jewish Studies and cultivate the potential of budding Jewish Studies scholars among the undergraduate population. In addition to gaining a certain minimum breadth of acquaintance with the field, students have the opportunity to explore a particular interest among the variegated topics and areas presented by Jewish Studies.

Declaring the Minor

For information on declaring the minor, please contact the Jewish Studies Program

Visit Group Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.
  2. A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
  3. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.
  4. Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth Requirement, for Letters and Science students.
  5. No more than one upper-division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
  6. All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which you plan to graduate. If you cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, please see a College of Letters and Science adviser.
  7. All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)

The study of Modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, or Yiddish is encouraged and is essential for some but not all of the courses. However, there is no language requirement for the Jewish Studies minor and only advanced language courses are applicable to the minor.

Requirements

JEWISH 101The Cultural Legacies of the Jews2
Select four upper-division elective courses (consult Academic Adviser) 1
1

 One elective may be a 2-unit course; the other electives must be 3 or 4 units.

Courses

Jewish Studies

JEWISH 39L Freshman and Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

JEWISH 39M Freshman and Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

JEWISH 39N Freshman and Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

JEWISH 39O Freshman and Sophomore Seminar 1.5 - 4 Units

Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester.

JEWISH 98 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Organized group study on topics selected by upper division students under the sponsorship and direction of the Jewish Studies faculty.

JEWISH 101 The Cultural Legacies of the Jews 3 Units

The course is intended to give Jewish studies minors a general introduction to the field through a survey of eight major phases of Jewish cultural experiences. Considered in chronological order and embracing several different relevant disciplines (history, literature, language, popular culture) covering major themes, phases, or periods, the course offers subject matter from the Bible to the modern period. Each of the lecturers will have selected one or two articles or chapters from books relevant to his/her subject for students to read.

JEWISH 120 Special Topics in Jewish Studies 2 - 3 Units

Course will focus on specific areas or topics in Jewish studies through a combination of lectures, term papers, and examinations. Instructors and topics to vary from semester to semester. Consult Jewish Studies website for updated course descriptions.

JEWISH 198 Directed Group Study 1 - 4 Units

Organized group study on topics selected by upper division students under the sponsorship and direction of the Jewish Studies faculty.

Contact Information

Graduate Group in Jewish Studies

4401 Dwinelle Hall

Phone: 510-664-4138

jewishstudies@berkeley.edu

Visit Group Website

Group Chair

Jill Stoner, MArch (Department of Architecture)

Phone: 415-317-0533

jstoner@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Program Chair

Kenneth Bamberger, JD (School of Law)

kbamberger@law.berkeley.edu

Student Affairs Officer

Erica Roberts

Phone: 510-664-4138

cjsprograms@berkeley.edu

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