Mar 28, 2024  
USC Catalogue 2016-2017 
    
USC Catalogue 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOGUE]

Jewish Studies (BA)


The interdisciplinary major in Jewish Studies investigates the study of Jewish religion, history, culture and languages through a variety of academic perspectives. Students can work with scholars in the School of Religion in USC Dornsife College, the Louchheim School for Judaic Studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and faculty across the USC campus trained in religious studies, Jewish thought, history, linguistics, literature, international relations, political science, music and sociology. The curriculum is designed to allow students options in combining courses that focus on Judaism as a religion with those that focus on history, literature and other forms of Jewish culture and civilization.

Major Requirements


Students choose among courses that focus on Judaism as a living religious system and those that focus on Jewish history, culture and society in its global setting.

Three core courses are required: REL 301  Introduction to the Study of Religion, REL 401  Seminar in Religious Studies, and either JS 100  Introduction to Jewish History or JS 180  Judaism.

In addition, students choose five courses from the Judaism as a Religious Tradition track and the Jewish History and Culture track listed below for a total of eight courses and 32 units.

Students may choose one lower-division course and four upper-division courses or five upper-division courses.

 

C. Jewish History and Culture (at least one course required)


D. Major Electives (three courses required)


In addition to the three core courses in Area A and one required course in each of Areas B and C, student must complete three additional courses chosen from the lists above. No more than two courses in total may come from the lower-division (100- and 200-) levels.

Jewish Studies majors are encouraged to take HEBR 120 , HEBR 150  and HEBR 220 , which fulfill the Dornsife College foreign language requirement.