Jewish Texts and Interpretations
Bachelor of Arts
The Jewish Texts and Interpretations major allows students to develop skills for reading, comprehending, and interpreting texts across disciplines, genres, and historical periods.
The goal of the major is to train students to become skilled readers of significant Jewish texts. In their course of study, students will acquire language proficiency, develop a context for intertextual allusions, consider what constitutes a “Jewish” text and the idea of a canon, and develop a critical methods toolbox of reading.
Undergraduate Learning Outcomes
Upon graduation, students will be able to…
- Locate central Jewish texts in their historical contexts
- Read and comprehend classical Jewish sources in their original languages
- Identify themes such legal, ethical, or philosophical principles across Jewish sources
- Characterize different modes and forms of Jewish exegesis
- Apply critical methodologies like literary analysis, feminist analysis, and source criticism to the analysis of ancient and modern Jewish primary sources
BA Major Course Requirements
Completion of the major follows the credit load and course requirements for all List College students. Additionally, to fulfill the Texts and Interpretations major, students will take nine text courses approved by the major advisor. Five of the nine courses must focus on primary texts in their original language. At least five courses must be in Bible or Rabbinics above the 1000 level. All text courses will foreground primary sources and apply interpretive methodologies. Students will also take a seminar in methods and theories of critical reading.
