Jewish History

Core Faculty

  • David Fishman, Professor of Jewish History
  • Benjamin Gampel, Professor of Jewish History, Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History  
  • Shuly Rubin Schwartz, Chancellor, Irving Lehrman Research Professor of American Jewish History
  • Stefanie Siegmund, Associate Professor of History, Women’s League Chair in Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies
  • Jack Wertheimer, Joseph and Martha Mendelson Professor of American Jewish History

Associated Instructors

• Brian Smollett, Assistant Professor of Modern Jewish History

Bachelor of Arts

BA Major Course Requirements

30 credits (ten courses) distributed as follows:

  • HIS 1011: Medieval Jewish History (3 credits)
  • HIS 5117: Jews and Judaism in the Ancient World (3 credits)
  • HIS 5406: Modern Jewish History (3 credits)
  • One course in American Jewish History (3 credits)
  • Five courses (15 credits) of Jewish history electives, chosen in consultation with the major advisor
  • Senior seminar, senior thesis, or advanced capstone elective (3 credits)

Master of Arts

MA students must meet the admissions standards and prerequisites required of all Kekst graduate students.

MA Degree Requirements:

Courses

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

  • MDS 5102: Classics of the Jewish Tradition (3 credits)
  • HIS 5117: Jews and Judaism in the Ancient World (3 credits)
  • HIS 6313: Under Cross and Crescent: Jews and Judaism in the Middle Ages (3 credits)
  • HIS 5406: Modern Jewish History (3 credits)
  • Six additional courses in Jewish history (18 credits) o Students may choose courses from all periods of Jewish history but are urged to distribute these courses to prepare for the comprehensive examination, which covers all periods of Jewish history.

Note: If a student has previously taken an analogous course to the requirements at the undergraduate level, the student will be required to take other advanced history coursework as determined by the advisor. 

Comprehensive Exams

Students must satisfactorily complete a one-hour oral examination on selected primary and secondary sources from all periods of Jewish history. Examination topics are identified in advance through student consultation with the advisor.