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Teaching > Undergraduate Studies: Major, Minor and Awards

Individually Designed Major

Students who choose an individually designed or double major in Jewish Studies receive a focused overview of the history, literature, and religion of the Jewish people from the Biblical period to the present. This major is an interdisciplinary major, and individual courses of study are therefore tailored to the individual student in consultation with a faculty advisor. All students, however, receive intensive training in the methods of at least one discipline (for example, history) and exposure to methods of others (for example, literature). With the help of related courses outside Jewish studies, students seek to bring these approaches to bear on the development of Jewish civilization in all its varieties.

Courses offered by the affiliated faculty members vary somewhat from year to year, but will always include: a range of levels, from introductory lectures to advanced seminars; the teaching of beginning, intermediate, and advanced Hebrew; and a range of topics that reflects the diversity of the Jewish Studies faculty.

Requirements:

Each major should complete at least 75 units, all in courses at or above the 100 level (or their equivalent). A maximum of 15 of these 75 units may be taken on a credit/no credit basis. A maximum of 5 of these 75 units may be taken in individual study or directed reading. Students must present evidence that demonstrates their ability to do independent work and have at least three full quarters of undergraduate work remaining at Stanford after the date on which the proposal is approved by the committee. Each major must obtain sponsorship from three faculty members, one of whom is the student's primary adviser, and from one of the Directors of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies.

The faculty members in Jewish Studies have designed the following structure for the major:

Category Units:

History and Society (20):
Students must take one course in each of the three periods: biblical and ancient, medieval and modern, and contemporary

Religion (20):
Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, modern

Literature (15):
Hebrew, Holocaust, American Jewish, Yiddish, German Jewish, Russian Jewish

Hebrew Language (second year or beyond) (12):
Students who demonstrate by examination that they have completed the equivalent of at least two years of university-level Modern Hebrew may apply the 12 units required in this category to more work in one or the other categories required by the major, with the approval of their primary adviser

Ancillary Courses (8-10):
Ancient history, medieval history, modern European history, history of philosophy, Islam, Christianity

Total number of units required: 75-77

Students planning an Individually Designed Major in Jewish Studies are also urged to write an honors thesis. Students interested in majoring in Jewish Studies should discuss this with their adviser(s) when discussing the major itself. Up to 10 honors thesis units may be included in the major.

No course proposed for the major may be counted as fulfilling more than one required category in the proposed major. Transfer credits from other universities must be approved by the appropriate Stanford authorities.

Jewish Studies Minor

The Jewish studies minor is open to students in any department who wish to enrich their studies through an acquisition of knowledge in Jewish history, thought, religion, literature, and society. Students must complete their declaration of the minor no later than the last day of the quarter FOUR quarters before degree conferral. For example, a student graduating in June (spring quarter) must declare the minor no later than the last day of spring quarter of the junior year.

Requirements:

Students must complete six courses for a maximum of 36 units toward the minor. All courses of study should be discussed and approved by a Jewish studies faculty member in the departments of History, Religious Studies, or English. In addition to the suggested introductory courses, students are also encouraged to take courses in Hebrew language as part of their Jewish studies minor, and will be granted credit toward the minor for up to 5 units of language study. Any variations on the minor requirements must be approved in advance by the Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies.

Courses credited toward the minor must be distributed in the following way:

1. three introductory courses at the 100 level or below in the fields of History, Religious Studies, Literature or Hebrew Language (for a maximum of 5 units)--students may substitute one of the designated introductory-level courses offered through the Program in Comparative Studies of Race and Ethnicity if they choose;
2. two courses at the 100 level or above from two of three areas of concentration (History, Religious Studies, or Literature); and
3. one seminar or undergraduate colloquium at the 200 level or above in one area of concentration (History, Religious Studies, or Literature).

No course credited toward the Jewish studies minor may be double counted toward major requirements.

Awards

The Dr. Bernard Kaufman Undergraduate Research Award in Jewish Studies

The Kaufman Award will be given during the 2007-2008 academic year to an undergraduate student who is engaged in research on Jews in modernity, with a preference for research focusing on contemporary Jewish life. Applications must be submitted to the Taube Center for Jewish Studies office by January 15, 2008.

The Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award Honors

The Donald and Robin Kennedy Undergraduate Award honors the best essay written by an undergraduate at Stanford on a Jewish theme, and offers a prize of $500. This award is made possible by the generous gifts of William J. Lowenberg and Barbara and Ken Oshman.