Programs by Campus
Bloomington
Jewish Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Departmental E-mail: iujsp [at] indiana [dot] edu
Departmental URL: www.indiana.edu/~jsp
Departmental Phone: (812) 855-0453
Departmental Fax: (812) 855-4314
Curriculum
M.A. in Jewish Studies
The M.A. in Jewish Studies is intended to provide students with the advanced interdisciplinary study and the language background necessary to prepare them for a doctoral program in a disciplinary department or to prepare students for nonacademic careers in the professional world and nonprofit sector. The program will normally take two years to complete. The program is designed to provide students with a solid working knowledge in one or more languages relevant to the study of Jewish culture (typically Modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, and/or Yiddish), a broad exposure to the academic field of Jewish Studies in a number of different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and the analytical skills that should serve them whether they choose to pursue a doctoral degree related to Jewish Studies or find employment in the professional world, for example in philanthropy or education.
Admission Requirements
Bachelor’s degree with evidence of superior ability and completion of the Graduate Record Examination. Second-year proficiency of Hebrew or another relevant language is desirable but not a requirement for admission.
Course Requirements
A total of 32 credit hours. Students are required to complete JSTU-H 520 (4 cr.); 16 credits (at least four courses) to be distributed among courses taught by Jewish Studies faculty; and 12 credits (at least three courses) of electives. Of the electives, 3 credits can be in JSTU-J 699 for research towards an M.A. thesis.
Grades
Only courses that receive a grade of B- or higher will count towards fulfillment of the course requirements. Students must retain an overall average in courses fulfilling the course requirements of B (3.0) or higher.
Language Requirement
Completion of the Jewish Studies M.A. requires second-year reading proficiency in a language relevant to the student’s research interest, normally Modern Hebrew, Biblical Hebrew, or Yiddish. First and second year (elementary and intermediate level) language courses in the first foreign language do not count towards the degree requirements but may be necessary to demonstrate proficiency. Up to 6 credits in a second relevant language may be counted towards the required 16 credits of courses taught by Jewish Studies faculty.
M.A. Thesis or Comprehensive Exam
To complete the M.A. in Jewish Studies, students will have a choice of writing an M.A. thesis (not to exceed 40 pages or 12,000 words) or completing a comprehensive exam. Students who choose the thesis option will register for 3 credits under JSTU-J 699 and will be examined on the thesis by a committee of three faculty members, at least two of whom must be Jewish Studies faculty. Students who select the comprehensive exam option will be examined on a reading list to be selected in consultation with the exam committee, which will consist of three faculty members, at least two of whom must be Jewish Studies faculty.
Dual M.A. in Jewish Studies and History
The combined program will have a total of 52 credit hours, instead of the 62 hours required to attain the two degrees separately. Students will take 5 courses counting towards Jewish Studies and 5 courses counting towards History, as well as 12 credits of electives.
Admission Requirements
Bachelor’s degree with evidence of superior ability and completion of the Graduate Record Examination. Second-year proficiency of Hebrew or another relevant language is desirable but not a requirement for admission. Students will have to meet admission requirements in the Department of History (refer to the University Graduate School Bulletin).
Course Requirements
20 credit hours in Jewish Studies, including JSTU-H 520 (4 cr.) and 16 credits (at least four courses) taught by Jewish Studies faculty; 20 credit hours in History, including HIST-H 601 and 16 credits of course work in the Department of History, with a minimum of one seminar and two colloquia; 12 credits (at least three courses) of electives. Courses taken to fulfill requirements in the Department of History can include courses on Jewish history but cannot be identical with the courses counted towards fulfillment of the Jewish Studies requirements.
Grades
Only courses that receive a grade of B- or higher will count towards fulfillment of the course requirements. Students must retain an overall average in courses fulfilling the course requirements of B (3.0) or higher.
Language Requirement
Second-year reading proficiency in one language relevant to the student’s research interest, normally Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, or Biblical Hebrew, is required for completion of the degree. Language courses in a language relevant for the student’s research interest, normally Modern Hebrew, Yiddish, or Biblical Hebrew, can be counted to fulfill the elective credit requirement.
M.A. Thesis, Comprehensive Exam, and History Field Review
To complete the Jewish Studies component of the dual M.A., students will have a choice of writing an M.A. thesis (not to exceed 40 pages or 12,000 words) or completing a comprehensive exam. Students who choose the thesis option will register for 3 credits under JSTU-J 699 and will be examined on the thesis by a committee of three faculty members, at least two of whom must be Jewish Studies faculty. Students who select the comprehensive exam option will be examined on a reading list to be selected in consultation with the exam committee, which will consist of three faculty members, at least two of whom must be Jewish Studies faculty. In order to complete the History component of the M.A., students will undergo a field review in the Department of History, for which they will submit two papers written for a History course, at least one of which was written in a seminar.
Ph.D. Minor in Jewish Studies
The Borns Jewish Studies Program has as its objective the study of Jewish civilization from antiquity to the present and its interaction with and impact on world civilization. The program draws on the many disciplines necessary to study the multifaceted Jewish experience, thus bringing a variety of approaches to the study of Jewish civilization. The contributing units include Anthropology, Comparative Literature, English, Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Germanic Studies, History, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, Philosophy, Religious Studies, and the Russian and East European Institute. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Jewish Studies Program, the structure of course work will vary according to each student’s areas of interest and departmental requirements.
Course Requirements
Fifteen (15) hours of graduate credit in courses on Jewish Studies with a grade of B or higher. All students are required to take a core course, JSTU-H 520 Colloquium in Jewish Studies. No more than two courses may be taken in the student’s home department. No more than 6 credit hours of individualized readings can be applied to the minor. No more than eight (8) hours of transfer credit from another institution may be applied to the minor. Relevant graduate courses from any discipline may be counted toward the minor. With permission from a student’s home department, students may pursue an intensive minor in Jewish studies. The selection of courses must be approved by the Jewish Studies Associate Director or Academic Advisor.
Note: Doctoral students in History can major in modern Jewish history. Doctoral students in Religious Studies can focus on Biblical Interpretation or Judaism and Christianity in Antiquity.
Ph.D. Minor in Yiddish
Students may complete a Ph.D. minor in Yiddish through the Department of Germanic Studies. Requirements include 12 credits, consisting of GER Y502, GER Y503, GER Y504, 3 remaining credits to be chosen from GER Y505, GER Y506, GER Y815, and other courses focusing on non-language Yiddish topics.