Departments & Programs
Jewish Studies
Jewish Studies Honors Program
Requirements
- Majors in Jewish Studies must maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.500 and a minimum Jewish Studies GPA of 3.500.
- A student must apply to the honors advisor, Carolyn Lipson-Walker, for admission into the honors program.
- In addition to completing the requirements for the Jewish Studies major, honors students must successfully complete two courses: first enrolling in JSTU-H 399 Readings for Honors in Jewish Studies (3 credit hours) and then completing the honors thesis with the course JSTU-H 499 Honors Thesis (3–6 credit hours). A grade of A– or higher must be earned in both courses to graduate with honors.
- A thesis director of the student's choice (from the Jewish Studies faculty) will serve as mentor throughout H399/H499. Students must fill out the appropriate honors thesis contract and obtain the thesis director's signature as well as the approval of the honors advisor before registering for JSTU-H 399.
- JSTU-H 399 is typically taken no later than the next-to-last semester before graduation. Under the close direction of the thesis director, the honors candidate completes preliminary reading and research and a 2–3 page thesis prospectus and bibliography.
- Most commonly in the final semester before graduation, the student enrolls in JSTU-H 499 and completes a 25–50 page thesis, representing a significant proportion of original research. The thesis is defended before a committee made up of the thesis director and two other faculty members of the student's choosing (in consultation with the thesis director).
