Jewish Studies Minor

Objectives

Jewish Studies provides an academically rigorous minor to examine Jewish history, culture, faith, and practice in its unity and diversity across geographic, political, historical, religious, and aesthetic boundaries and dimensions.

The Jewish Studies program is unique in that it provides:

1. A rigorous foundation for the academic minor, including interfaith study abroad courses.
2. Regular opportunities for engaged learning, such as endowed lectureships, partnerships, and collaborations with museums, local and international colleges and universities, and Jewish organizations in Los Angeles; and special events for the University and the community. The Jewish Studies program sponsors three endowed events each year, which Jewish Studies minors can actively participate in.
3. Jewish Studies Scholarships, Fellowships, and Awards are available for academic excellence, student travel and research, financial need, and other special considerations.
4. Jewish Studies Addressing Antisemitism Grants for faculty research and teaching create multiple social justice opportunities for LMU students and faculty.

The Jewish Studies program provides students with a diversity of Jewish perspectives and is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds. Through education and community outreach, the Jewish Studies program offers a profound opportunity to engage others directly and constructively in order to promote greater understanding and appreciation of Judaism and its relation to other faith traditions, and to act together upon such respect and understanding.

Faculty from a range of departments, schools, and colleges teach courses in Jewish Studies, many of which are cross-listed with Core and other University requirements. For questions relating to these and other matters in Jewish Studies, students should consult the Director of the Jewish Studies program.

Study Abroad

LMU Jewish Studies offers Study Abroad courses each summer, such as: "Literature and Faith in the Holy Land," in Israel; and "Poland and the Holocaust," in Poland. These courses can be applied toward the Jewish Studies minor. The LMU Semester exchange at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and Study Abroad courses offered through other programs or colleges, may also satisfy Jewish Studies' requirements.

Jewish Studies Student Learning Outcomes

Students will know:

• The nature of the Jewish religious experience
• Significant aspects of Jewish history, culture, and literature/art
• Significant developments in and implications of Jewish/Christian relations

Students will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical reflection on significant aspects of Jewish history, culture, religion, and literature/art
• Conduct critical research and write intelligently and persuasively on issues within Judaism
• Synthesize and apply this knowledge to pursue justice locally and globally

Students will value:

• The rich contribution of the Jewish people to history, culture, religion, and literature/art
• The importance of inter-religious dialogue
• The living vitality of Jewish faith and culture through the promotion of justice.

Jewish Studies Minor Requirements

The foundational courses for the Jewish Studies minor address its interdisciplinary nature and the Program’s desire to provide opportunities for students to engage the classroom and the community. The required 20 semester hours must include courses in modern as well as ancient Jewish history, courses that also count toward the University Core (in any discipline), and the choice of a Capstone project or internship, Study Abroad course, or course in Jewish literature, film, or culture.

Example

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Hours
JWST 3000	Modern Jewish History	4
JWST 3750	Judaism: Religion, History, and Culture (Ancient through Modern)	4
University Core 1		8
Select one of the following:		4
JWST 4900	Capstone Project
an approved Study Abroad course
an approved course in Jewish literature, film, or culture
Total Semester Hours		20

¹

such as First Year Seminar: Literature of Exile and Terror, First Year Seminar: Modern Jewish Literature; Explorations: Ideas of Zionism; Integrations: The History and Psychology of the Holocaust and Genocide. In consultation with the Program Director, other Core courses may satisfy this requirement.