Jewish Literature

Professors
Avraham Holtz, Emeritus
Alan Mintz
David Roskies
Raymond Scheindlin (on leave, fall 2007)
Menahem Schmelzer, Emeritus

Associate Professor
Barbara Mann (on leave, fall 2007)

Assistant Professor
Anne Lapidus Lerner
Maud Kozodoy

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Jeffrey Hoffman
Naomi Prawer Kadar

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts
Master of Arts
Doctor of Hebrew Literature
Doctor of Philosophy

Bachelor of Arts

Admission Requirements
For admission to List College, please click here.

Degree Requirements
From the Core Curriculum

  • LIT 1031: The Weekday Prayer Book (three credits)
  • LIT 1032: Modern Jewish Literature, or any literature elective numbered 3000 or above (three credits)
  • LIT 2033: Classics of Modern Jewish Literature (three credits)

For Jewish Literature Majors
Twenty-one credits (seven courses) beyond the core curriculum chosen in consultation with the program adviser.

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements
For admission to The Graduate School, please click here.

Degree Requirements
The Department of Jewish Literature offers concentrations in medieval Hebrew literature, modern Hebrew literature, and modern Yiddish literature. Upon admission, each candidate must consult with the adviser to work out a course of study that will satisfy departmental requirements. No student will be permitted to register for any semester without the written consent of the adviser.

Languages
Students must achieve third-year competence in their respective languages.

Courses
Students entering the program will ordinarily be required to demonstrate superior performance in three literature courses if they have not done so previously. Students are permitted to register for courses counting toward the degree while fulfilling these prerequisites. It is expected that they will be taken during the first year of study.

In addition to courses required of all students in The Graduate School, at least thirty graduate credits are required as follows:

  • Twenty-one graduate credits (seven courses) in Jewish literature, including courses in prose, poetry, criticism, medieval literature, Yiddish Literature, and modern literature. One course may satisfy more than one distribution requirement; e.g., a course in medieval prose could satisfy both the medieval-literature and the prose requirements.
  • Nine credits (three courses) in other subjects, selected in consultation with the adviser
  • LIT 5507, LIT 5508, and LIT 5509 or the equivalent (the three-semester introductory sequence of courses in Yiddish literature) for students concentrating in Yiddish literature (nine credits)

Comprehensive Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of all course work, candidates must pass a written comprehensive examination covering the works of specific authors, literary criticism, and literary history, to be selected in consultation with the adviser. The examination is given once each semester.

Doctor of Hebrew Literature

Admission Requirements
For admission to The Graduate School, please click here.

Additionally, an undergraduate or graduate degree with a concentration in literature is recommended.

Degree Requirements
The program offers concentrations in medieval Hebrew literature, modern Hebrew literature, and modern Yiddish literature.

Courses
In addition to courses required of all students in The Graduate School, at least thirty graduate credits are required as follows:

  • Twenty-one credits (seven courses) at the doctoral level in Jewish literature, including two courses in prose and two courses in poetry
  • At least three credits (one course) in the medieval period
  • At least three credits (one course) in the modern period
  • Six credits (two courses) in a field of literature related to the area of concentration (e.g., Arabic, English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Yiddish)

Note that one course may satisfy more than one distribution requirement above, e.g., a course in medieval prose could satisfy requirements for both the medieval period and prose.

Comprehensive Examination
Upon completion of all course work, students concentrating in modern Hebrew literature will be examined on the works of Jewish literature and literary criticism designated for DHL students on the department's doctoral reading list. Students concentrating in medieval Hebrew literature or modern Yiddish literature will be examined on a reading list that they will prepare under the guidance of an adviser.

Dissertation
A substantial piece of original research or criticism.

Doctor of Philosophy

Admission Requirements
For admission to The Graduate School, please click here.

Additionally, an undergraduate or graduate degree with a concentration in literature is recommended.

Degree Requirements
Languages
In addition to languages required of all students in The Graduate School, students concentrating in the modern period must demonstrate a reading knowledge of Yiddish, and students concentrating in the medieval period must demonstrate a reading knowledge of Arabic.

Courses
In addition to courses required of all students in The Graduate School, at least thirty graduate credits are required as follows:

  • Twenty-one credits (seven courses) at the doctoral level in Jewish literature, including one course in prose and one course in poetry
  • At least three credits (one course) in medieval literature
  • At least three credits (one course) in the modern period
  • One seminar (three credits) in the area of concentration (e.g., Arabic, English, French, German, Polish, Russian, Yiddish)
  • LIT 5507, LIT 5508, and LIT 5509 (the three-semester introductory sequence of courses in Yiddish literature), or the equivalent, for students concentrating in Yiddish literature (nine credits)

Comprehensive Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of all course work, students will be examined on a reading list that they will prepare under the guidance of the adviser.

Students must demonstrate knowledge of the major trends and writers of a literature collateral to the major: modern Yiddish literature for Hebrew literature majors, medieval Arabic literature for medieval Hebrew literature majors, and Hebrew literature for Yiddish literature majors.

Students must demonstrate the ability to present a developed view of a specific critical problem and to trace the development of one major genre from its origin to its most recent manifestations.

Dissertation
A major piece of original research or criticism.

Search the Course Catalog for LIT Courses