Undergraduate Students
Though the IIJS serves the entire university community, the College is at its heart, and supporting our students is a central mission of the Institute. We are proud to be teaching and training the next generation of students in the field, providing Columbia and Barnard undergraduates with a variety of opportunities to learn about Jewish studies and Israel in all their complexity and diversity. With access to expansive course offerings, exceptional Jewish Studies library resources, and programs both on campus and abroad - including our Undergraduate Israel Fellowship and guest lecturers presenting on a wide range of topics - our students are deeply engaged in studying the diversity of Jewish experience and the totality of Israeli history, literature, culture, and geopolitics.
Minor in Jewish Studies*
*Barnard students interested in the Jewish Studies combined major, please consult Barnard Jewish Studies and Professor Beth Berkowitz
The Minor in Jewish Studies is designed for CC and GS students who wish to gain knowledge of Jewish Studies from a range of disciplinary and methodological perspectives including, but not limited to, history, languages and literatures, music, film, religion, and sociology. Jewish Studies is an academic field that is firmly grounded in the humanities and social sciences and is not synonymous with the study of theology.
The goals of the program are for students to expand their knowledge of Jewish Studies by asking key questions, further honing analytical and writing skills, engaging in research and classroom discussions, and finding intellectual links among their minor coursework, Core Curriculum courses, and major study coursework, when possible.
Upon completion of the minor, students should gain an understanding of the breadth and depth of Jewish Studies and how the discipline fits into the humanities and social sciences via coursework that focuses either thematically on Jewish Studies topics within larger frameworks (e.g., contemporary Jewish literature in the context of comparative literature) or on a particular period from Jewish perspectives (e.g., a focus on the Jewish experience in North Africa in the twentieth century).
There is no major in Jewish Studies; the minor will provide students with the opportunity to study Jewish Studies as an academic discipline at Columbia–the first American university to establish this field in 1950.
Requirements:
There are no prerequisites
The IIJS does not offer a minor to students in other schools
Students are required to complete five Jewish Studies courses comprising between 15 to 20 points, depending on the number of points of each course. Introductory language study that complements the student’s Jewish Studies coursework may constitute one of these courses.
Languages may include (but are not limited to) Arabic, Aramaic, French, Greek, Hebrew, Russian, and Yiddish and should be relevant to the student’s other coursework in Jewish Studies. Language courses at the advanced level that are conducted in the language and that require reading and writing in the language may count as an additional course.
The curriculum of the minor is intentionally interdisciplinary: students are encouraged to take courses in departments other than their major field that further their interests in Jewish Studies.
The minor is also an opportunity to take courses in Jewish Studies not directly related to the student’s major
Advising:
Please reach out to Dr. Isabelle Levy (icl2001) with any questions about the Minor in Jewish Studies.
Given the broad, interdisciplinary nature of Jewish Studies, students will be advised on how to progress through the minor on a case-by-case basis, according to their interests. Students will be advised on how to plan a series of courses that address related aspects or themes in Jewish Studies or that pertain to a particular historical period from an interdisciplinary standpoint.
Students should prioritize their major and the Core Curriculum requirements while keeping in mind when Jewish Studies courses of particular interest to them will be offered.
* The minor will replace the existing Special Concentration in Jewish Studies; there is no major in Jewish Studies.
Online Resources:
BA/MA in Jewish Studies
The Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies offers a joint BA/MA option for Columbia and Barnard students. This program allows qualified students to begin earning credits towards a Master’s Degree in Jewish Studies while they are still undergraduates, making it possible to complete the BA and MA degrees in as little as five years.
How does it work?
Students in the BA/MA program can take graduate-level courses in Jewish Studies starting in their senior year. They may complete up to 15 credits towards the Master’s Degree by taking 4000-level courses. This is almost half of the 32 credits required, making it possible to complete the Master’s Degree in as little as one additional year, depending on the courses chosen. Please note that the 15 credits to be transferred from the undergraduate to graduate programs may not also be used to fulfill credits for the undergraduate major or concentration.
How to apply?
Students may apply for the BA/MA program in the spring of their junior year or the fall of their senior year. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is required to apply. Students must complete the full application for the M.A. Program in Jewish Studies, including letters of recommendation. Information about the application and the M.A. Program can be found here.
Who is it for?
The M.A. in Jewish Studies is designed for students interested in deepening their knowledge of Jewish history, religion, literature, and Israel. Students considering careers in Jewish-related fields, such as teaching, administration, librarianship, journalism, and writing, are especially encouraged to apply.
For further information about the program, or if you are interested in applying, please contact iijs@columbia.edu.