Judaic Studies, B.A.
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Program Overview
As a Judaic studies student, you鈥檒l get to explore the tremendous scope and diversity of the Jewish experience. You鈥檒l study Jewish civilization from its ancient Middle East roots to the many places in which it flourishes today. As the only Judaic studies department within the CUNY system, we offer a unique opportunity for students of all religious backgrounds to explore Jewish heritage in a historical light. Courses in Hebrew and Yiddish, as well as in translation, promote access to a wide spectrum of Jewish literature. We also offer courses that will advance your understanding of the vast and complex Jewish communities and diasporas residing in Brooklyn.
Major Details
The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2025鈥�26 academic year per the 可乐视频 Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here.
Major Requirements (27 Credits)
NYSED Program Code: 01977
Option 1: Judaic Studies
Recommended for students for whom a broad background in Judaic Studies is desirable, such as social work, communal advocacy, work in government, political advocacy, work in an archive, library, or museum, preparation for a graduate degree in Judaic Studies, seminary, teaching, or related fields, or a career in social policy or Jewish philanthropic work.
Majors must take six credits in each of the three chronological periods, recommended in sequential order: (1) Ancient; (2) Medieval/Early Modern; and (3) Modern. They must also take one upper-level thematic course and the Senior Thesis.
- Majors and minors must take the introductory course JUST 聽in their first semester unless they test out. Students who test out of JUST聽聽must complete an additional JUST elective. JUST聽聽is an optional gateway course which can count toward the minor or major but does not fulfill the distributional requirements listed below (in 2 and 3).
- Majors take six credits in each of the following three chronological periods:
- Ancient period: JUST , ,听,听,听,听,听,听, or聽. HEBR ,,,. JUST 聽recommended as an introductory survey.
- Medieval/Early Modern period: JUST ,听,听,听, or聽. HEBR聽. JUST聽听辞谤听聽are recommended as introductory surveys.
- Modern period: JUST , , , , , , ,听, , , ,, , , , , , or HEBR聽,听,听,听,听,听,听. JUST聽听补苍诲听聽are recommended as introductory surveys.
- Majors must take at least one course in each of the following categories (six credits):
- Thematic courses: JUST , , , , , , , , , , , or .
- Senior thesis, JUST 听辞谤听聽(or JUST聽听辞谤听 with permission of the chair), should be taken as an upper junior or lower senior.
- U.S. yeshiva transfer credits will not count toward the major. Students who receive the full 27 Israel yeshiva transfer credits upon completion of the capstone course would have a head start toward the major/minor since three of the Yeshiva transfer credits would count toward the 12-credit JUST minor, and nine transfer credits would count toward the 27-credit major. The rest of the transfer credits will be awarded as electives that do not count toward the major or minor. The capstone course will count toward the major. To serve as a capstone course, the course must be a 3000-, 4000-, or 5000-level Judaic Studies (JUST) or Hebrew (HEBR) course (or relevant advanced RELG course substituted by the chair); it must be at least three credits; and students must receive at least a B in the capstone course to receive Yeshiva transfer credits. Cross-listed courses taught by faculty outside the department do not count as a capstone. Pathways courses count toward the major/minor but not as a capstone course.
With permission of the chair of the Department of Judaic Studies, the student may substitute up to three relevant courses as needed to replace any of the above courses.
Option 2: Law and Judaic Studies
Recommended for students planning a career in law, public affairs, planning and management, religion, bioethics, communal advocacy, work in government, political advocacy, and rabbinic law.
Students who choose this option must consult with the chairperson to customize their program.
The requirements are the same as in option 1 but the student must take at least 9 credits from the following courses as they fulfill their requirements in option 1 (No more than 3 Yeshiva Transfer Credits can be applied to these 9 credits of the Law requirement). For students who attended Jewish Day Schools and yeshivas, JUST , , and 聽do not count towards this option.
All Law and Judaic Studies majors taking the courses in the list below for this option must consult with their professors and tailor their assignments for those classes to be on legal topics.
Classical Jewish Texts
Jewish Approaches to Ethical Issues
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
Land and Cultures of Israel
Jewish Religion and Tradition
Introduction to the Talmud
Midrash
The Jewish Woman
Sex and Gender in Judaism
Individual Vs Community (Modern Jewish Thought)
Maimonides
Mystics, Pietists and Heretics: Topics in Early Modern Jewish History
Readings in Talmud
Black Jewish Activism
Business Practices and the Jewish Tradition
Making a Living: Jews, Business, and Professions from Antiquity up to the Modern World
Studies in Jewish Customs
Contemporary Issues in Halakhah
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Mishnah
Intermediate Talmud
Religion and the Holocaust: During and After
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Situate and analyze primary and secondary sources relating to Jewish history within their historical, political, and religious cross-cultural contexts.
- Identify key periods, terms, and geographic areas central to Jewish history and culture.
- Analyze the interrelationship between written and oral teachings (whether legal, mystical, literary, or personal testimonies) at different stages of Jewish history and how these affected Jewish religious and cultural development.
- Recognize the limitations of what we can actually 鈥渒now鈥� about Jewish history given the expected loss of material over time, the prominence of orality in Jewish culture, and the particularly tumultuous history of this often persecuted and exiled minority.
- Identify and use a variety of scholarly approaches within Judaic studies, such as social history, literary theory, economics, archaeology, biblical criticism, philology, and gender theory with facility in accessing libraries and archives, both physical and digital, with emphasis on Judaic studies and relevant contextual studies.
- Read and analyze primary materials in language(s) relevant to their field of study (e.g., Hebrew, Aramaic, Yiddish, Ladino, Arabic, etc.).
Judaic Studies
The requirements for early childhood education teacher (birth鈥揼rade 2) are described under the Department of Early Childhood Education/Art Education in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
The requirements for childhood education teacher (grades 1鈥�6) programs are described under the Department of Childhood, Bilingual, and Special Education in the Undergraduate Bulletin.
Students who major in either of these programs and who elect a concentration in Judaic studies must complete at least 30 credits in the Judaic Studies Department with a grade of C or higher in each course. Students must meet with a department adviser to declare their intention to complete this sequence.
Concentration Requirements
Students must take three courses from section 2 of the Judaic studies major: One course from rubric 2A (Ancient period); one course from rubric 2B (Medieval/Early Modern period); and one course from rubric 2C (Modern period).
The remaining 21 credits can be taken as electives from any other Judaic Studies courses.
Students with 27 yeshiva/seminary transfer credits may use nine of those credits to meet the requirements for the concentration.
Degree Maps
To help you pursue your studies in the most efficient manner, and to maximize your efforts to graduate in four years, 可乐视频 has created four-year degree maps for all its majors.
View for this major and others.
Internships and Employers
Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the Judaic studies B.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:
- Anti-Defamation League
- Hillel International
- inTulsa
- Jewish Family and Children鈥檚 Services
- Jewish HomeLife
- Jewish Kids Group
- Korn Ferry
- Yeshiva University
