Academic Program in Jewish Studies
Program Requirements
Students pursing the Jewish studies major enter into a rigorous academic program that includes core and elective courses from the areas of Jewish history, religion, literature, and politics.
A senior capstone and honors program is open to committed students who want to complete an advanced research project in Jewish studies. Consult with the program director to ensure you meet guidelines and course objectives.
We recommend that majors live in the Hebrew Heritage House, the residential program house for Jewish studies, where Jewish cultural, social, and textual programs abound. Founded in 1969 by students as a winter term project under the name Hebrew House, today about 35 students choose to live in this residential community focused on Jewish cultural engagement.
In addition to program housing, you may enrich your studies by spending a semester or more in Israel, Europe, England, or another American institution, taking a variety of Jewish studies courses through our study-away program. Many of our students engage in intensive language study of Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic languages through a variety of these study-away programs.
The Jewish Studies Program regularly hosts outstanding individuals in contemporary Jewish scholarship, politics, and literature through such annual programs as the David Hyman B’nai B’rith Lecture in Judaism and the Lubicki-Rosen lectures on the Holocaust and the Haskell Lecture Series, which is sponsored by Oberlin’s Department of Religion.