Jewish Studies Minor
The Jewish Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary approach to the academic study of Jewish culture, history, sociology, literature, art, film and religion. While the focus of Baruch’s Jewish Studies program highlights the American, and more specifically, the New York Jewish experience, all courses that center on Jewish-related subjects fulfill the requirements for the minor. These courses are offered often cross-listed with other departments and are open to all students; they address the historical, social, cultural, religious and political life of American and world Jewry.
Requirements for the Minor
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Mapping the Jewish Experience | 3 credits |
Choose two of the following courses:
| Urban Anthropology | 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Anthropology/Sociology* (SOC 3085) | 3 credits | |
| Religious Worlds of New York (REL 4050, SOC 4050) | 3 credits | |
| Latin American Jewish Women Writers (JWS 3051), (LACS 3051), (LTS 3051) | 3 credits | |
| Laughter Through Tears: Classic Yiddish Fiction in Translation (JWS 4001) | 3 credits | |
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CMP/JWS 4110
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The Novel in German | 3 credits |
| Ethnic Literature* | 3 credits | |
| Topics in Film* | 3 credit | |
| Jewish-American Literature | 3 credits | |
| History (Ancient) of the Jewish People as Reflected in Literature | 3 credits | |
| History (Medieval/Modern) of the Jewish People as Reflected in Literature | 3 credits | |
| The Hebrew Essays | 3 credits | |
| Religion and Politics in the United States (POL 3008, REL 3008) | 3 credits | |
| Topics in American History * | 3 credits | |
| American Urban History | 3 credits | |
| The Immigrant in American History | 3 credits | |
| History of the People of the City of New York | 3 credits | |
| History of the Jewish People in America | 3 credits | |
| Topics in European History* | 3 credits | |
| Immigration on Stage and Screen (THE 3060) | 3 credits | |
| Jewish Humor | 3 credits | |
| The Holocaust in History and Memory (HIS 3538) | 3 credits | |
| Special Topics in Jewish Studies | 3 credits | |
| Independent Study I and II ** | 3 credits | |
| Christian, Jewish, and Islamic Philosophy in the Middle Ages | 3 credits | |
| The Modern Middle East and North Africa | 3 credits | |
| The Traditions of Judaism | 3 credits | |
| The Hebrew Bible | 3 credits | |
| Modern Jewish Thought | 3 credits | |
| * Students may use this course if the topic is relevant to the minor, and permission is obtained from the Director of the Jewish Studies Program.
** Students may use 3-credit independent study courses (JWS 5000 and/or JWS 5001) as electives within the major with permission from the Director of the Jewish Studies Program |
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Students are expected to complete the minor requirements in place at the time they are officially accepted into their programs. Please review the College Bulletin for the relevant academic year.
Fall 2026 Jewish Studies Course Offerings:
JWS 4900 ETA – Mapping the Jewish Experience – Capstone Course
TOPIC: TBA
Hybrid Asynchronous – Tu 2:30PM-3:45PM
Class Number: 39861
Instructor: Sarah Valente
How did Sephardic Jews fare in the New World? This course follows the trajectory of Sephardic Jewish migration to the New World through the centuries. Starting with the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497, students will explore the historical, political, and religious plight of this community as it traveled from place to place trying to establish a Jewish community. Students will follow the treacherous journey of Sephardic Jews from Recife, Brazil, where they had created the first synagogue of the New World in 1636, to their arrival in New Amsterdam in 1654, where they established the first congregation in the U.S. Students will learn about the significant cultural contributions of Sephardic Jewish writers such as fifth-generation American Emma Lazarus and their relationship to New York City. The course will include tours to New York sights related to this remarkable history. As a capstone course, a large component of the course will be a research project, which each student will work on throughout the course of the semester, culminating with a final paper and capstone presentation.
JWS 3950 BTRA- Special Topics in Jewish Studies
TOPIC: Israeli Theatre
In Person – TuTh 9:05AM – 10:20AM
Class Number: 39867
Instructor: Jerome Chanes
The course traces the history of theatre in Israel from its beginnings in Eastern and Central Europe in the early years of the twentieth century, through its development in pre-state Palestine and the early decades of Israel (1950s-60s), to the present. The thesis of the course is that theatre in Israel?both Hebrew and Arabic?is ?political? theatre; almost all the drama written and produced over the past 120 years is a sharp comment on what is going on the society?politics, religion, societal fault-lines (Palestinian Arabs, Jews from Arab lands, Western- and Eastern-European Jews, native-born Israelis), the Holocaust, the army and the wars, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Zionism?indeed, identity itself. Theatre is the prism through which Israeli society is refracted? history, politics, Arab-Israeli (and other) conflict, religion.
JWS 3950 ERA- Special Topics in Jewish Studies
TOPIC: Twenty-First Century Jewish Short Stories
In Person – Tu 2:30PM-3:45PM
Class Number: 39902
Instructor: Erika Dreifus
This course focuses on contemporary Jewish short stories, emphasizing work published since 2000. The course investigates how Jewish experience is portrayed by fiction writers in North America, Israel, and across the Jewish diaspora. Connections to?as well as departures from?subjects and forms from earlier eras will be examined.
Contact
For more information about the Jewish Studies minor, please contact:
Dr. Sarah Valente
Sarah.Valente@baruch.cuny.edu