Individually Designed Major in Jewish Studies
The Individually Designed Major in Jewish Studies permits interested students to focus their attention on the broad field of Jewish Studies and, at the same time, to expand their knowledge of one or another related fields.
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 the Director of the Taube Center for Jewish Studies.
The application deadline for IDM proposals is the fifth week of Spring Quarter of the sophomore year. Applications are reviewed only once a year.
Details about the written procedures and documents necessary for application for an individually designed major in Jewish Studies can be obtained at the Taube Center for Jewish Studies, Bldg. 360, Main Quad, (650) 725-2789. See also the "Individually Design Majors in Humanities and Sciences" section of this bulletin.
REQUIREMENTS
The faculty members in Jewish Studies have designed the following structure for the individually designed major:
History and Society:
Students must take one course in each of the three periods: biblical and ancient, medieval and modern, and contemporary |
20 units |
Religion:
Biblical, rabbinic, medieval, modern |
20 units |
Literature:
Hebrew, Holocaust, American Jewish, Yiddish, German Jewish, Russian Jewish |
15 units |
Hebrew Language (second year or beyond):
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 another category, with the approval of their primary adviser |
12 units |
Ancillary Courses:
Ancient history, medieval history, modern European history, history of philosophy, Islam, Christianity |
8-10 units |
WIM Course:
The Writing in the Major (WIM) course can be taken within a subfield (History, Religious Studies or Comparative Literature).
|
5 units |
Total number of units required |
75-77 units |
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.
HONORS
Students planning an Individually Designed Major in Jewish Studies are also urged to write an honors thesis. Students interested in declaring an Individually Designed Major 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.
COURSES
Students interested in pursuing an Individually Designed Major in Jewish Studies are advised to consult the following list of courses in preparing their program.
- JEWISHST 102/AMELANG 127. Land and Literature
- JEWISHST 101A/AMELANG 128A. Beginning Hebrew, First Quarter
- JEWISHST 101BAMELANG 128B. Beginning Hebrew, Second Quarter
- JEWISHST 101C/AMELANG 128C. Beginning Hebrew, Third Quarter
- JEWISHST 102A/AMELANG 129A. Intermediate Hebrew, First Quarter
- JEWISHST 102B/AMELANG 129B. Intermediate Hebrew, Second Quarter
- JEWISHST 102C/AMELANG 129C. Intermediate Hebrew, Third Quarter
- JEWISHST 103A/AMELANG 130A. Advanced Hebrew, First Quarter
- JEWISHST 104/AMELANG 131. Hebrew Forum
- JEWISHST 104A/AMELANG 140A. Beginning Yiddish, First Quarter
- JEWISHST 104B/AMELANG 140B. Beginning Yiddish, Second Quarter
- JEWISHST 104C/AMELANG 140C. Beginning Yiddish, Third Quarter
- JEWISHST 107A/AMELANG 170A. Biblical Hebrew, First Quarter
- JEWISHST 107B/AMELANG 170B. Biblical Hebrew, Second Quarter
- JEWISHST 107C/AMELANG 170C. Biblical Hebrew, Third Quarter
- JEWISHST 139/FEMST 139. Rereading Judaism in Light of Feminism
- JEWISHST 148,248/SLAVLIT 198,298. Writing Between Languages: The Cast of Eastern European Jewish Literature
- JEWISHST 241/COMPLIT 221/GERLIT 246. Memory, History, and the Contemporary Novel
- JEWISHST 153C/ENGLISH 183C/AMSTUD 183C. Feminism and American Literature
- JEWISHST 183,383/HISTORY 137,337. The Holocaust
- JEWISHST 185B/HISTORY 185B. Jews in the Modern World
- JEWISHST 287D,387D/HISTORY 287D,387D. Tel-Aviv: Site, Symbol, City
- JEWISHST 287E,387E/HISTORY 287E,387E. Jewish Intellectuals and the Crisis of Modernity
- JEWISHST 289,389/HISTORY 229,329. Poles and Jews
- JEWISHST 385A/HISTORY385A. Core in Jewish History, 17th-19th Centuries
- JEWISHST 385B/HISOTRY385B. Core in Jewish History, 20th Century
- JEWISHST 486A/HISTORY 486A. Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History
- JEWISHST 486B/HISTORY 486B. Graduate Research Seminar in Jewish History
- JEWISHST 15A/RELIGST 15A. The Bible and Archaeology*
- JEWISHST 15N/RELIGST 15N. Travels Through the Afterlife*
- JEWISHST 122B/RELIGST 132B/CLASSGEN 134. Early Christianity, Early Judaism, and Gender
- JEWISHST 222A/RELIGST 282A. In Search of David and Solomon
*Courses below the 100-level cannot be counted towards the major, however, it may be counted towards the minor in Jewish Studies.