The Jewish Studies Major offers two areas of focus from which to choose. These focus areas are called tracks or options. The first is the Hebrew Studies track (option A), and the second is the Jewish Cultural Studies track (option B). The Hebrew Studies option emphasizes proficiency in the Hebrew language and the Jewish Cultural Studies option incorporates coursework from other disciplines with a focus on modern perspectives on Jewish culture and history.
Major Requirements
All majors in Jewish Studies are required to register with the program at the beginning of their candidacy and are encouraged to speak to the program coordinator as early as possible to plan a course of study.
Jewish Studies majors in both tracks must complete a minimum of 15 advanced-level (numbered 300 and above) credits in L&S courses taken in residence at UWM. A GPA of 2.0 is required in courses taken for the major at UWM and in all courses that count for the major, including transfer work. All majors in Jewish Studies must complete a minimum of 30 credits in the major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Judaism | ||
| The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture | ||
| Introduction to Jewish History | ||
| Research Requirement (All research courses and projects must be approved by the coordinator) | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Advanced Independent Study | ||
One of the 300 level or above courses listed below | ||
| Major Tracks | ||
| Select one of the following: | 24-26 | |
Hebrew Studies Track | ||
Jewish Cultural Studies Track | ||
| Total Credits | 30-32 | |
Major Tracks
Students must select one of the following two tracks:
Hebrew Studies Track
Hebrew language courses: Students are required to complete HEBREW 201 and HEBREW 202 in order to graduate in this track. HEBREW 101 and HEBREW 102 count toward the 100-200 level course requirement below.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| HEBREW 201 & HEBREW 202 | Third-Semester Hebrew and Fourth-Semester Hebrew | 8 |
| Select 6 credits of 100 or 200 level courses from the following: | 6 | |
| First Semester Hebrew | ||
| Second Semester Hebrew | ||
| Introduction to Judaism (recommended) | ||
| Jewish Culture in America: History, Literature, Film | ||
| Bible Stories | ||
| Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible | ||
| The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible | ||
| Representing the Holocaust in Words and Images | ||
| The Modern Middle East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| Select 12 credits of 300 level or above courses from the following: | 12 | |
| Topics in Biblical Literature: | ||
| Women in the Bible | ||
| The Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| Global Jewish Film and Television: | ||
| The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture | ||
| Jewish and Christian Responses to the Holocaust | ||
| Introduction to Jewish History | ||
| Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship | ||
| The Holocaust: Anti-Semitism & the Fate of Jewish People in Europe, 1933-45 | ||
| Advanced Independent Study | ||
| Total Credits | 26 | |
Jewish Cultural Studies Track
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select 9 credits of 100 or 200 level courses from the following: | 9 | |
| First Semester Hebrew | ||
| Second Semester Hebrew | ||
| Third-Semester Hebrew | ||
| Fourth-Semester Hebrew | ||
| Jewish Culture in America: History, Literature, Film | ||
| Bible Stories | ||
| Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible | ||
| The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible | ||
| Representing the Holocaust in Words and Images | ||
| The Modern Middle East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | ||
| Select 15 credits of 300 level or above courses from the following: | 15 | |
| Topics in Biblical Literature: | ||
| Women in the Bible | ||
| The Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture | ||
| Introduction to Jewish History | ||
| Global Jewish Film and Television: | ||
| Jewish and Christian Responses to the Holocaust | ||
| Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship | ||
| The Holocaust: Anti-Semitism & the Fate of Jewish People in Europe, 1933-45 | ||
| Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict | ||
| Advanced Independent Study | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |