Major Details & Curriculum
Major Details
The Department of Judaic Studies in UC College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) offers a comprehensive education in the history, literature and art of Jews from Biblical times to the present. Our interdisciplinary faculty specialize in such areas as ancient Judaism, Jewish arts, archaeology, medieval Jewish history, Jewish literature, Holocaust studies, Zionism and modern Jewish history. Students benefit from a rich educational experience, which may include internships, travel and study in Israel. Judaic studies fully integrates the resources of UC and draws upon the Hebrew Union College and the American Jewish Archive. Judaic studies at UC provides an integrated humanities education tailored to the needs and interests of each individual student.
For current Arts & Sciences students, click here to declare your major or double major
A&S provides flexible degree requirements which allow for and highly encourage multiple areas of study. Free electives allow for enough credits for students to pursue a minor, certificate program or even complete a second major. Some of the most common pairings are listed below.
- Anthropology
- Area Studies
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Communication
- Geography
- History
- International Affairs
- International Human Rights
- Journalism
- Languages
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Curriculum
This curriculum information is intended as a general information guide for students considering enrollment in this major. These online tools are designed to assist you, but are not a substitute for planning with an academic or faculty advisor.
If you are currently enrolled at UC, you can audit your degree online. If you are considering transferring to this major from another school use the course applicability system (CAS) to see how credits you have earned will apply to this major at UC. For course descriptions by college, click here.
Major Checklist (Hebrew Language Concentration)
Major Checklist (Service/Experiential Learning Concentration)
| First Year | Courses | Credits |
| *English Composition | ENGL 101, 102 | 6 |
| *Quantitative Reasoning (QR) | 9 | |
| Basic Hebrew | JUDC 101, 102, 103 | 15 |
| History of Jewish Civilization | JUDC 127, 128, 129 | 9 |
| Introduction to Judaism | JUDC 135 | 3 |
| Free electives (recommended to count in a minor or other program) | 3 | |
| Total for first year | 45 |
| Second Year | Courses | Credits |
| *Intermediate Composition | ENGL 289 | 3 |
| Second Year Hebrew | JUDC 211, 212, 213 | 9 |
| Judaic Studies Departmental Electives | see list below | 6 |
| *Social Sciences (SS) | 9 | |
| *Natural Sciences (NS) | 9 | |
| *Literature (LT) | 3 | |
| Free electives (recommended to count in a minor or other program) | 6 | |
| Total for second year | 45 |
For the third & fourth years, students must select either the Hebrew Language Concentration or Service/Experiential Concentration.
| Third & Fourth Years: Hebrew Language | Course Number | Credits |
| Advanced Hebrew | JUDC 331, 332, 333 | 9 |
| Judaic Studies Elective in Advanced History | see list below | 3 |
| Judaic Studies Electives in Advanced Literature | see list below | 6 |
| Judaic Studies Elective in Advanced Thought | see list below | 3 |
| Capstone Seminar in Judaic Studies | JUDC 497, 498 (or Sr Thesis) | 6 |
| *Humanities (HU) | 3 | |
| *Humanities, Fine Arts, or Literature (HU, FA, or LT) | 3 | |
| *Social & Ethical Issues (if not already taken, SE) | 3 | |
| Free electives (recommended to count in a minor or other program) | 54 | |
| Total for third and fourth years | 90 | |
| Total overall | Minimum 180 |
| Third & Fourth Years: Service/Experiential | Course Number | Credits |
| Select either option (a) or (b) below: | 3 | |
| (a) Internship, Practicum in Judaic Studies | JUDC 365, 366, or 367 | |
| (b) Approved Service/Experiential Learning, Individual Work | JUDC 591, 592, 593 | |
| Judaic Studies Electives in Advanced History | see list below | 6 |
| Judaic Studies Electives in Advanced Literature | see list below | 6 |
| Judaic Studies Electives in Advanced Thought | see list below | 6 |
| Capstone Seminar in Judaic Studies | JUDC 497, 498 | 6 |
| *Humanities (HU) | 3 | |
| *Humanities, Fine Arts, or Literature (HU, FA, or LT) | 3 | |
| *Social & Ethical Issues (if not already taken, SE) | 3 | |
| Free electives (recommended to count in a minor or other program) | 54 | |
| Total for third and fourth years | 90 | |
| Total overall | Minimum 180 |
*Needed to fulfill A&S college requirements.
Major Electives
JUDC 315 The Menorah
JUDC 325 Jerusalem
JUDC 326 Jewish Nationalism
JUDC 327 Modern Israel
JUDC 330 Jews and Islam
JUDC 341 The Sephardic Diaspora: 1492-2000
JUDC 343 Medieval Mediterranean Jews: 4th-15th Centuries
JUDC 353 Women in Jewish Civilization
JUDC 362 American Jewish History 1654 to the Present
JUDC 379 Judaism and Christianity in Conflict
JUDC 386 Jewish Heretics
JUDC 393 Biblical Archaeology
JUDC 399 Acculturation and Assimilation: The Jewish Encounter with Western Cultures
JUDC 405 The Bible and the Ancient World
JUDC 475 Mystics and Messiahs
JUDC 481 Spanish Jewry
JUDC 482 East European Jews to World War I
JUDC 505 History of the Hebrew Book
JUDC 300 The Jewish Bible
JUDC 301 Biblical Narratives
JUDC 321 Demons in the Bible and Related Texts
JUDC 328 Women in the Bible
JUDC 329 Evolution of the Angel
JUDC 331-332-333 Advanced Hebrew (credit pending permission of instructor)
JUDC 348 The New Testament in Its Jewish Matrix
JUDC 349 Introduction to Rabbinic Literature
JUDC 355 Yiddish Literature in Translation
JUDC 360 American Jewish Fiction
JUDC 371 Jews in American Film
JUDC 372 Israeli Cinema
JUDC 374 Jewish Humor/Women’s Humor
JUDC 380 Dead Sea Scrolls
JUDC 383 Literature of the Holocaust
JUDC 387 Freud and Judaism
JUDC 392 The Apocrypha
JUDC 401-402-403 Modern Hebrew Literature
JUDC 405 The Bible and the Ancient World
JUDC 487 The Book of Job and the Problem of Evil
JUDC 537 Topics in Jewish Literature
JUDC 550 Film and the Holocaust
JUDC 575 Jewish Women Writers
JUDC 315 The Menorah
JUDC 317 Jewish God Concepts
JUDC 321 Demons in the Bible and Related Texts
JUDC 326 Jewish Nationalism
JUDC 327 Modern Israel
JUDC 328 Women in the Bible
JUDC 329 Evolution of the Angel
JUDC 330 Jews and Islam
JUDC 352 Gender and Judaism
JUDC 353 Women in Jewish Civilization
JUDC 374 Jewish Humor/Women’s Humor
JUDC 379 Judaism and Christianity in Conflict
JUDC 382 Studies in the Holocaust
JUDC 384 Religion and the Holocaust
JUDC 385 Religion and Genocide
JUDC 386 Jewish Heretics
JUDC 387 Freud and Judaism
JUDC 390 Art and Judaism
JUDC 394 Modern Jewish Thought
JUDC 395 Medieval Jewish Philosophy
JUDC 399 Acculturation and Assimilation: The Jewish Encounter with Western Cultures
JUDC 475 Mystics and Messiahs
JUDC 480 Jews in Europe
JUDC 485 Modern Jewish Ethics
JUDC 487 The Book of Job and the Problem of Evil
JUDC 508 Freud and Judaism
JUDC 510 Anti-Semitism
JUDC 550 Film and the Holocaust
JUDC 311 Topics in Ancient Judaism
JUDC 312 Topics in Medieval Judaism
JUDC 313 Topics in Modern Judaism
JUDC 365-366-367 Judaic Studies Practicum
JUDC 591-592-593 Individual Work in Judaica