Jewish Philosophy

Professors
Arnold M. Eisen
Neil Gillman
Alan Mittleman, Chair

Assistant Professors
Eitan Fishbane
Leonard Levin

Adjunct Assistant Professors
Alfredo Borodowski
Gordon Tucker

Adjunct Instructor
Nina Redl

Adjunct Lecturer
Shai Held

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

PHI 1011: God, Torah, and Israel in Modern Jewish Thought (three credits)
PHI 1012: Jewish Philosophical Texts (three credits)

For Jewish Philosophy Majors
Twenty-one credits (seven courses) beyond the core curriculum requirements as follows:

One course in biblical or rabbinic thought
One course in medieval Jewish thought
One course in contemporary Jewish thought
One course in Jewish mysticism
One course in Jewish ethics or social or political thought
Two additional electives in the Department of Jewish Philosophy

Master of Arts

Admission Requirements
For admission to The Graduate School, please click here. Additionally, students must hold a bachelor's degree with a major in Philosophy or its equivalent. It is assumed that such a major will include courses in each of the major areas of the history of philosophy (ancient, medieval, and modern). Recognized equivalent of the undergraduate major in philosophy will be evaluated for each student.

Degree Requirements
Courses
Students entering the program will be required to take the following courses during the first year of graduate study if they have not had the equivalent previously:

One semester in problems in philosophy or an introduction to the history of Western philosophy
One semester in major themes in Jewish thought
One semester in rabbinic religion or rabbinic thought

Students are permitted to register for courses counting toward the degree while fulfilling these prerequisites.

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

Three credits in biblical thought
Three credits in rabbinic thought
Three credits in medieval Jewish thought (text or themes)
Three credits in modern Jewish thought (nineteenth and twentieth centuries)
Three credits in Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah and Hasidism)
Three credits in philosophy of religion
Three credits in Jewish ethics or social or political thought
Three credits in Judaica, chosen in consultation with the departmental adviser

Comprehensive Examination/Thesis
The written comprehensive examination will require knowledge of general trends in Jewish philosophy, based on a selected list of primary and secondary readings. With the approval of the department chair, candidates may elect to write a thesis in place of the comprehensive examination.

Doctor of Hebrew Literature

Admission Requirements
For admission to The Graduate School, please click here. Additionally, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of the history of philosophy; the history of Jewish thought, including the biblical, talmudic, modern, and contemporary periods; and familiarity with Jewish mysticism and Hasidism. Evidence of this competence may be shown through course credit or an entrance examination administered by the department.

Degree Requirements
Courses
In addition to courses required of all students in The Graduate School, thirty graduate credits beyond the MA are required. Twenty-one of these credits must be in Jewish philosophy. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with the department adviser.

Comprehensive Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of all course work, students will be examined in the general area of Jewish philosophy and in their specialized field.

Dissertation
A significant piece of research that constitutes a contribution to the field.

Doctor of Philosophy

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

In addition to meeting all requirements of The Graduate School, students must have a master's degree in Judaica, a working knowledge of Hebrew, and competence in the study of biblical and rabbinic texts in the original languages. Students must demonstrate, in the course of their studies, competence in one or more of the following languages: Arabic, German, French, Latin, or Greek. Master's degrees will be evaluated for any insufficiencies, which will have to be corrected in addition to the students' doctoral course requirements.

Two research seminars in the student's field of interest (six credits)
One reading course on a selected problem or philosopher (three credits)
One course on a medieval text (three credits)
One course on a modern text (three credits)
Two seminars in Jewish ethics, Jewish social and political philosophy, Kabbalah and Hasidism, or philosophy of law (six credits)

Depending upon the individual area of concentration, the department reserves the right to require that a student pursue studies at another institution in order to meet special needs.

Comprehensive Examination
Upon satisfactory completion of all course work, each student must pass three comprehensive examinations. One in the history of Jewish philosophy, one in the student's chosen field of concentration, and one chosen from the following areas: biblical and rabbinic thought, medieval philosophy and mysticism, modern Jewish thought, phenomenology of religion, ethics, and social and political philosophy.

Dissertation
An original piece of research that advances knowledge in the candidate's field of concentration.

The Jewish Theological Seminary

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