The broad, interdisciplinary field of Jewish Studies examines the civilization of the Jewish people from its beginning in biblical antiquity to the present. The diverse quality of Jewish civilization and the unifying forces of its religion and language offer ample material for the study of continuity, adaptation, and change.
The undergraduate program offers courses in the Bible, Jewish history, Jewish literature, midrash, Jewish philosophy, medieval and modern Jewish studies, Talmud, and rabbinics. The program has links with the Departments of American Studies, Sociology, History, English, German, Music, and Political Science. The University's Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies offers courses related to the Nazi Holocaust and its aftermath.
The College of Liberal Arts Advantage: More Than a Major
When you study Jewish Studies at the University of Minnesota, you gain the added advantage of a College of Liberal Arts education. At CLA, the liberal arts mean you get more than just a degree in one major or another; it means you will be exposed to different areas of study, to different ways of thinking and learning. In fact, the liberal arts teach you how to learn—how to ask the right questions, how to problem solve, and how to innovate. The liberal arts prepare students for the complexities of our world, because here at CLA you will study not just, say, politics or art but also where politics and art intersect, where science and ethics intersect, where economics and the environment intersect.
