Jewish Studies (JWST)
Jennifer Hoyer
Director of Jewish Studies
Kimpel Hall 425
479-575-2951
jhoyer@uark.edu
The Jewish Studies minor introduces students to Jewish history, thought, and lifeways, through the millennia and around the globe. Students take courses introducing them to the basic tenets of Judaism, to fundamentals of Jewish languages (Aramaic, Biblical Hebrew, Modern Hebrew, and Yiddish), and to major strands in European, American, and Middle Eastern Jewish thought. Affiliated courses will cover Jewish literature; religious dialogue and history; current politics; ancient, medieval, early modern, and modern Jewish history; and discourse on gender, multiculturalism, and social justice. Jewish Studies offers a broad interdisciplinary context of coursework that can complement most programs of study.
Requirements for a Minor in Jewish Studies: Students who minor in Jewish Studies will take JWST 20003 Introduction to Judaism, a 3-credit hour introductory interdisciplinary course that lays out historical, religious, cultural, linguistic, and philosophical foundations and questions critical to any exploration of any branch of Jewish Studies. Students must take an additional 12 hours of elective coursework from among options listed below. Other courses with significant Jewish Studies-related content and the possibility for an additional Jewish Studies project (for example Religious Studies courses, Middle East Studies courses, or appropriate literature or cinema courses), subject to approval by the chair of the Jewish Studies program, will also be considered.
| JWST 20003 | Introduction to Judaism | 3 |
| Choose 12 hours from the following: | 12 | |
| Germany and the Holocaust: The Significance of the Holocaust in Differentiated Contexts | ||
| Biblical and Patristic Greek | ||
| Intermediate Ancient Greek I | ||
| History of the Modern Middle East | ||
| Palestine and Israel in Modern Times | ||
| Intellectual History of Europe Since the Enlightenment | ||
| History of the Holocaust | ||
| Religion in America to 1860 | ||
| Colloquium (The Land of Israel in Jewish Thought) | ||
| Colloquium (Jewish-Christian Relations) | ||
| Colloquium (Intensive Biblical Hebrew) | ||
| Introduction to Jewish Languages | ||
| Modern Jewish Thought | ||
| Contemporary Jewish Thought | ||
| Special Topics in Jewish Studies | ||
| Independent Investigations in Jewish Studies | ||
| Special Topics in Medieval Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Courses
JWST 20003. Introduction to Judaism. 3 Hours.
An introduction to the practices, teachings, and scriptures of Judaism, focusing on the post-Biblical period up to the present. (Typically offered: Fall Odd Years)
JWST 31003. Introduction to Jewish Languages. 3 Hours.
An introduction to the alphabet, grammar, syntax, and basic vocabulary of Hebrew, Jewish Aramaic and Yiddish. (Typically offered: Fall Even Years)
JWST 40003. Modern Jewish Thought. 3 Hours.
A survey of the main trends in Jewish thought from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century. (Typically offered: Irregular)
This course is cross-listed with PHIL 41003.
JWST 40103. Contemporary Jewish Thought. 3 Hours.
A survey of trends in Jewish thought in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, focusing on the ways in which Jewish thinkers have responded to the events affecting Jews and the conditions of Jewish life in from approximately 1900 to the present. (Typically offered: Spring Odd Years)
This course is cross-listed with PHIL 43103.
JWST 4700V. Special Topics in Jewish Studies. 1-3 Hour.
Irregular course offerings that focus on a specialized area of Jewish Studies not covered in depth in regular JWST or affiliated courses. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 6 hours of degree credit.
JWST 4750V. Independent Investigations in Jewish Studies. 1-3 Hour.
This course can be offered to allow a student to pursue reading and research on a topic of interest not covered in regular JWST courses. Prerequisite: Instructor consent. (Typically offered: Irregular) May be repeated for up to 6 hours of degree credit.