 Judaic
Studies Minor
Judaism is the most ancient of the three religious traditions claiming
descent from Abraham. In a very real sense it is the “mother”
faith of Christianity and Islam, and it is impossible to understand these
traditions in isolation from it. From its beginnings it has spread throughout
the world, not simply as a religion, but creating multifaceted cultures,
intellectual traditions and history whose influence has been profound.
The minor
in Judaic Studies is designed for students interested in
the culture, history, and politics of Jewish communities across the world.
It allows them to study Judaism in its own right and provides a narrative
of amazing
resilience and survival.
It is intended to stimulate further investigation of its fruitful interaction
with other cultures and religious traditions, notably Christianity and
Islam, both historically and in the contemporary world. Students who take
elective language courses in Biblical and Modern Israeli Hebrew are introduced
to the family of Semitic languages that includes Arabic.
All the courses in the Judaic Studies minor are well suited
to students majoring in English, global affairs, government and international
politics, history, philosophy and religious studies.
Course of Study
This interdisciplinary minor is available to currently enrolled undergraduates
and consists of a minimum of 15 credits of related coursework, including
9 required credits and 6 elective credits.
Core courses (9 credits)
RELI 370 Judaism: Life and Thought
RELI 371 Classic Jewish Texts
HIST 388/SOCI 450 The Holocaust: Construction of Social History through
Survivor Testimonies
HIST 461 Arab-Israeli Conflict
Elective courses (6 credits)
HEBR 101 Elementary Hebrew (Modern Israeli) 1
HEBR 102 Elementary Hebrew 2
HEBR 150 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew 1
HEBR 160 Introduction to Biblical Hebrew 2
HIST 465 The Middle East in the 20th Century
RELI 211 Religions of the Near (Middle) East
RELI 352 Religion and History of Ancient Israel
RELI 353 Judaism from Exile to Talmud
RELI 372 American Judaism
RELI 373 Varieties of Jewish Expression
Special Topics
Special topics courses and independent studies courses, when relevant,
may fulfill elective courses for the minor with the prior approval of
the coordinator.
Special topics courses can include:
ANTH 303 Peoples and Cultures of the Middle East
ENGL 360 Special Topics in Literature: Jewish American Literature
FRLN 330 Topics in World Literature
HIST 387 Topics in Global History: Peace in the Middle East
PHIL 421 The Philosophical ethics of Emmanuel Levinas
Judaic Studies Minor Coordinator
If you have any questions about the minor call or send an email to:
Dr. John Barclay Burns
| Department of Religious Studies | George
Mason University
Robinson Hall B 447 | 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F1 | Fairfax, VA 22030
Voice 703-993-1291 | Fax 703-993-1297 | email: jburns@gmu.edu
Affiliated Faculty
Dr. Wayne J. Froman
(Associate Professor, Philosophy)
Dr. Carol Gould
(Professor, Philosophy and Government)
Dr. Stephen Glazer
(Adjunct Professor, Religious Studies)
Dr. Yehuda Lukacs
(Associate Provost for International Programs)
Dr. David A. Kaufmann
(Associate Professor, English)
Dr. Lisa M. Rabin
(Modern and Classical Languages)
Dr. Lenore J. Weitzman
(Robinson Professor, Sociology and Law)
|
