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The Minor in Modern Jewish and Israel Studies

Course Requirements for the Minor: 18 units

The following courses, or their approved transfer equivalents, are required of all candidates for this minor.

Interdisciplinary Studies

Survey

2 courses required:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
MJIS 204W The Stories of Judaism (W)   3.0 FA  GE  USD  W
This course is also offered as RELS 204W.
This course introduces students to the beliefs and practices of Judaism and the experiences of Jews in history through the lens of scriptural and literary narratives. The course surveys biblical narratives, Rabbinic and Hasidic stories, and modern works by writers such as Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, Isaac Babel, S. Y. Agnon, and Cynthia Ozick. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (005860)
MJIS 205 Antisemitism and Islamophobia   3.0 SP  GE  USD
This course is also offered as RELS 205.
This course traces the interrelated historical development of anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim persecution. It explores accusations against Jews arising in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome as well as under Christian and Muslim rule, together with the development of modern racial theories about Jews, political forms of anti-Jewish hatred, the Holocaust, and enduring myths of Jewish conspiracies. It also investigates the idea of a "clash of civilizations," the impact of the Crusades, colonialism, and Islamic resurgence, and the treatment and persecution of Muslim minorities in Western Europe, Russia, Bosnia, China, Israel, Myanmar, India, and the United States. 3 hours discussion. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved US Diversity course. (020675)

Formative Judaism

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
ENGL 355 Bible, Literature, and Culture   3.0 FA  GE
Study of the literary types and qualities of the English Bible and their impact upon British and American literature and language. 3 hours seminar. This is an approved General Education course. (003471)
RELS 306 Roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam   3.0 FA  
This course introduces students to the formation and early history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam with a a special focus on the scriptural traditions of those three religions. 3 hours seminar. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. (021561)

Historical Context

1 course selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
HIST 322 Russian and Soviet History   3.0 FA  
The course covers the dramatic events of the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and the evolution of Soviet and Russian history up to the present. Emphasis is on the social origins of the Russian Revolution, how a revolution for social democracy gave rise to one- party rule, and the chain of events which placed the Soviet Union on a path leading eventually to its demise in 1991 and the recasting of politics and society. 3 hours seminar. (004530)
HIST 328 Modern Germany: From Unification to Reunification   3.0 F2  
This course examines the main currents of German history from its first unification in 1870-71 under Bismarck to the reunification in 1989-90. The emphasis is on the nature of Imperial Germany, the German experience during the First World War, the political weaknesses and cultural innovations of the Weimar Republic, the rise of Hitler and of Nazism, the nature of the Third Reich, the causes and consequences of the Second World War, the Holocaust, and the experience of divided Germany in the postwar period. 3 hours seminar. (004519)
MEST 362 The Middle East to 1800   3.0 FA  GE  GC
This course is also offered as HIST 362.
Introduction to some major aspects of culture, society and the state in the Islamic Middle East, including Islamic religion, the Arab Empire, the family, law, roles of men and women, styles of living. Examination of the post-Mongol empires of Ottoman and Safavid, and their interaction with European powers in the early modern period. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004550)
MEST 362W The Middle East to 1800 (W)   3.0 FA  GE  GC  W
This course is also offered as HIST 362W.
Introduction to some major aspects of culture, society and the state in the Islamic Middle East, including Islamic religion, the Arab Empire, the family, law, roles of men and women, styles of living. Examination of the post-Mongol empires of Ottoman and Safavid, and their interaction with European powers in the early modern period. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Writing Course. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (021461)
POLS 446 Politics of the Middle East   3.0 INQ  
Analyzes the foreign policies of the Middle Eastern nations. Emphasizes Arab-Israeli and inter-Arab dynamics, the impacts of Muslim culture, sectarian strife, and the roles of external forces, including the superpowers. 3 hours lecture. (007565)
SOCI 356 Genocide   3.0 FA  GC
The social impact of acts of genocide around the globe is explored, from the beginning of the 20th century to the present. This course examines the issues of ethnic and national identity, ethnocentrism, the role of technology, and issues of power. Also considered are the moral implications of genocide, as well as individual, social, and corporate responsibility. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (002230)

Electives

HBRW 199, HBRW 299, HBRW 399, and HBRW 499 may only be taken once for this requirement and must be taken for 3 units.

2 courses selected from:

SUBJ NUM Title Sustainable Units Semester Offered Course Flags
HBRW 199 Special Problems   1.0 -3.0 FS  
Prerequisites: Faculty permission.
This course is an independent study of special problems and is offered for 1.0-3.0 units. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (020944)
HBRW 299 Special Problems   1.0 -3.0 FS  
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (021051)
HBRW 399 Special Problems   1.0 -3.0 FS  
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. 3 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (021184)
HBRW 499 Special Problems   1.0 -3.0 INQ  
This course is an independent study of special problems offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register directly with a supervising faculty member. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 6.0 units. Credit/no credit grading. (021335)
MJIS 489 Internship   1.0 -3.0 FS  
This course is an internship offered for 1.0-3.0 units. You must register with a supervising faculty member. 9 hours supervision. You may take this course more than once for a maximum of 15.0 units. (005866)
RELS 100 Introduction to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam   3.0 FS  GE
An analysis of the religions of the West: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. (008129)
RELS 202 Islam and the World   3.0 FA  GE  GC
This course is also offered as HIST 261, MEST 261.
Introduces students to the history, faith, practice, and cultures of Islam, starting with the Late Antique Near Eastern milieu from which it emerged and tracing its development and geographic spread around the world to the present day. 3 hours lecture. This is an approved General Education course. This is an approved Global Cultures course. (004515)
RELS 302 Muhammad and the Qur'an   3.0 INQ  
This course is also offered as HIST 361, MEST 302.
This course introduces students to the sacred scripture and prophet of Islam. Students study the biography of Muhammad (570-632) and the text of the Qur'an by situating it within the context of Muhammad's life and career. By the end of the course, students are able to appreicate how devout Muslims view Muhammad and the Qur'an, as well as ask critical questions raised by modern scholars of religion. 3 hours lecture. (020263)
RELS 308 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam since the Crusades   3.0 SP  
Prerequisite: RELS 306 for RELS majors only.
This course explores the development of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam from the crusades to the modern era. Major topics include the teachings of each tradition on war, peace, and conflict; religious diversity among the three traditions, especially in response to modernity and globalization; and the role of ritual in the three traditions. 3 hours lecture. (021416)

OR (the following may be substituted for the above with department permission)

Any course listed above which has not been used to meet other requirements in the minor; or any other course with significant Jewish Studies content as determined by the advisor.

Catalog Cycle:21