Jewish Women's Studies

Professor
David Kraemer, Talmud and Rabbinics

Associate Professors
Barbara Mann, Jewish Literature (on leave, fall 2007)
Edna Nahshon, Hebrew Language

Assistant Professor
Anne Lapidus Lerner, Jewish Literature, Program Adviser

The Jewish Women's Studies Program is designed to afford students the opportunity to focus on the history and culture of Jewish women, a topic that was, until recently, largely unexplored in the field of Jewish scholarship. Students in this multidisciplinary program are encouraged to explore wide-ranging academic subject areas in order to gain a variety of perspectives on this expanding field of inquiry.

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts
Master of Arts
Rabbinical School Concentration

Bachelor of Arts

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

For Jewish Women's Studies Majors
Twenty-one credits (seven courses) chosen in consultation with the program adviser, distributed as follows:

  • One course in feminist theory
  • Six courses in Jewish Women's Studies, in at least four different fields (i.e., Jewish history, Jewish literature, Talmud and rabbinics, Jewish philosophy, and Bible), subject to approval of the program adviser
Master of Arts

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

Degree Requirements
Courses
In addition to courses required of all students in The Graduate School, 30 graduate credits are required as follows:

  • A program seminar required of all students, preferably during their first year of study (3 credits)
  • One course in feminist theory
  • Five additional courses in Jewish Women's Studies
  • Three courses in an area of concentration selected by each student from among the various departments and programs (courses cross-listed with Jewish Women's Studies fulfill both the concentration and Jewish Women's Studies requirements)

Once the distribution requirement has been met, the credit requirement may be met with electives. Course selection is subject to the approval of the program adviser.

Master's Thesis
Each student must write a master's thesis, ordinarily on a topic in the area of concentration, in consultation with the program director and under the supervision of a faculty member who is preferably both in the area of concentration and on the Jewish Women's Studies committee.

Search the Course Catalog for JWS Courses