Jewish Studies

Undergraduate

Jewish studies focuses not only on the religion of Judaism, but on the many dimensions of Jewish culture, including literature, the Hebrew language, history, politics, social institutions, folkways, art, music, and film.

Program Overview

Jews have lived in virtually every corner of the world, interacting in rich and creative ways with the peoples and cultures in which they have found themselves.

Our program encompasses 3,000 years of Jewish civilization and seeks to explore the religion, culture, and history of the Jewish people. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary in orientation and scope. At Mount Holyoke, the study of Jewish culture draws on a wide variety of disciplines, including English, German, gender studies, history, international relations, and religion.

As an interdisciplinary endeavor, Jewish studies provides students with opportunities to cross intellectual boundaries and to make connections across diverse cultural phenomena. The Program in Jewish Studies at Mount Holyoke offers an interdisciplinary minor, with courses in English, German, gender studies, history, Middle East studies, international relations, and religion. The Program in Jewish studies also benefits from the curricular resources of all Five Colleges, the Yiddish Book Center, and the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies at UMass.

Courses and Requirements

The curriculum in Jewish studies provides course offerings in a range of fields and disciplines, including English, German, history, international relations, politics, and religion. Courses represent a variety of methodological approaches and are intended to introduce students to the broad and rich diversity of Jewish culture and experience.

Learning Goals

Jewish Studies is an interdisciplinary field that critically examines the global diversity and historical varieties of Jewish experience. A minor in Jewish Studies is an organic component of a liberal arts education and provides a lens through which to understand the human experience. Students who minor in Jewish studies at Mount Holyoke College are expected to:

  1. Critically examine the varieties of Jewish cultural, religious, and literary expression from ancient Israel to contemporary times.

  2. Incorporate subject matter and modes of inquiry from across the college, including religious studies, literature, history, anthropology, and politics, in order to understand the global Jewish diaspora and its contact with other civilizations.

  3. Study one of the languages in which Jews have expressed themselves throughout the centuries, especially Hebrew and/or Yiddish.

Contact Us

The Program in Jewish Studies helps students focus not only on the religion of Judaism, but on the many dimensions of Jewish culture, including literature, the Hebrew language, history, politics, social institutions, folkways, art, music, and film.

Natalina Tulik
  • Academic Department Coordinator

Next Steps

Apply to Mount Holyoke

Mount Holyoke seeks intellectually curious applicants who understand the value of a liberal arts education and are driven by a love of learning. As a women's college that is gender diverse, we welcome applications from female, trans and non-binary students.

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