Skip to main content

Department of Jewish Studies

Major & Minor

Explore and Discover. Jewish studies provides students of all backgrounds with a wide array of material and methodologies presented by scholars from history, anthropology, sociology, religious studies, philosophy, literature, and history of art.

The Major in Jewish Studies

This interdisciplinary major offers students an understanding of diverse cultures and traditions. Students may focus on several areas of concentration and tailor the major to their academic and career interests.

Requirements

Introductory course – 3 credit hours

  • JS 1002 or 1002W: Introduction to Jewish Studies, JS 1040: Introduction to Modern Jewish History, or JS 1010: Introduction to Judaism.

Language – 6 credit hours

  • Two semesters of HEBR 2201-2202: Intermediate Hebrew or REL 5120: Biblical Hebrew are required. See more on studying Hebrew at Vanderbilt.
  • Hebrew proficiency at the intermediate level can be demonstrated through testing. If this option is exercised, students will take an additional 6 credit hours of electives toward the major.
  • In place of biblical or modern Hebrew, students may substitute one of the following languages of the Jewish people: Rabbinic Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, Ladino, or Judaeo-Arabic. For languages not presently taught at Vanderbilt, proficiency at the intermediate level may be demonstrated through an exam administered by a designated member of the Jewish studies faculty. If this option is exercised, students will take an additional 6 credit hours of electives toward the major.

Electives – 21 credit hours (minimum)

  • Any of the courses from the elective list that are not used to fulfill another requirement towards the major may be counted as an elective with the exception of JS 3880, which cannot count toward the major because it must be taken pass/fail.
  • In addition to the elective courses offered by the College of Arts and Science and professional schools, nontraditional coursework may also be selected, including archaeology at Tel Megiddo (study abroad in Israel), service learning, and internships. Study abroad is encouraged and can be fulfilled with CET Jewish Studies in Prague and at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The Minor in Jewish Studies

The minor in Jewish studies requires a minimum of 18 credit hours as follows:

Introductory course – 3 credit hours.

  • JS 1002 or 1002W: Introduction to Jewish Studies, JS 1010: Introduction to Judaism, or JS 1040: Introduction to Modern Jewish History.

Electives – 15 credit hours

  • Any of the courses from the electives list that are not used to fulfill another requirement toward the minor may be counted as an elective. Special Topics courses or First-Year Writing Seminar courses dealing with topics related to Jewish studies may be counted with the approval of the program director.

Declaring a Major or Minor

To declare your major or minor in the Department of Jewish Studies, complete the Major/Minor Declaration form. See the Major/Minor Declaration User Guide for more instructions or contact the director of undergraduate studies for assistance.