Jewish American Studies Minor (American Studies)

Jewish American Studies is a multidisciplinary program designed to provide students with a critical understanding of the historical, cultural, social, political and religious experience of Jewish Americans, with a particular emphasis on the development and culture of Jewish communities in California and the West as well as on both historical and contemporary effects of global issues on American Jewish communities. By drawing upon courses in American Studies and by emphasizing comparative as well as interdisciplinary study, this program offers training in the analytical tools and methods of interpretation appropriate for studying the American Jewish experience in its particularity and ethnic and cultural study in general. The program is particularly appropriate for students interested in integrating studies in the humanities and social sciences and for students preparing to work and interact with diverse communities and cultures in the United States and abroad in such fields as education, human services, business, journalism and public administration.

Successful completion of 20 units in American Studies and Judaic Studies are required to qualify for the minor.