Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Studies

The program in Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Studies enables students to investigate Jewish civilization from the fourth to seventeenth centuries in a multidisciplinary framework, primarily through coursework in the areas of history, exegetical and legal literature, and thought.

Core Faculty

  • Benjamin R. Gampel, Dina and Eli Field Family Chair in Jewish History
  • Stefanie Siegmund, Women’s League Chair in Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies
  • Eitan Fishbane, Professor of Jewish Thought
  • Robert Harris, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Its Interpretation

Associated Instructors

  • Raymond Scheindlin, Professor Emeritus of Medieval Hebrew Literature
  • Marjorie Lehman, Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures
  • Jonathan Milgram, Associate Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures

Bachelor of Arts

The undergraduate program in Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Studies provides students with broad exposure to the history, literatures, and thought of Jews living within the orbit of Christendom and Islam.

Undergraduate Learning Outcomes

By graduation, students will be able to…

  1. Identify the communal and demographic shifts that defined Jewish experiences from the fourth to the seventeenth centuries
  2. Explain Jewish cultural production within the context of the surrounding civilizations of Christianity and Islam.
  3. Analyze medieval Jewish thought, history, and literature using critical disciplinary methodologies.

BA Major Course Requirements

30 credits, chosen in consultation with the major advisor, of which 6 credits may be double-counted for a List College core requirement, as follows:

  • 21 credits (7 courses), distributed across the disciplines (e.g., medieval and early modern history; medieval Hebrew literature and liturgy; religious thought; medieval or early modern rabbinic law, biblical exegesis, and Aggadah; and medieval or early modern visual and material cultures), and advanced language study. These studies should ordinarily begin with either MED 1011 / HIS 1011 (Medieval Jewish History) or MED 1012 / JTH 1012 (Medieval Jewish Thought and Theology).
  • 6 credits (2 courses) of cognate study in medieval or early modern Christianity or Islam, or related history, literature, etc., to be chosen in consultation with the advisor. These courses may be taken at Columbia University, Barnard College, or elsewhere with approval.
  • 3 credits (1 course) senior/capstone seminar (or Senior Honors Thesis, for those admitted).

Of the above-listed courses taken at JTS, at least one must be listed or cross-listed as JGW (Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies). Of the above-listed courses taken at JTS, at least one must be a Hebrew-text intensive seminar.

Note: 3 to 6 credits (1 or 2 courses) of Advanced Hebrew (Heb 5301 or 5302) or advanced study in another language (e.g., Arabic, Latin) may be counted toward the 21 credits, with permission of the advisor.

Master of Arts 

Graduate Learning Outcomes

The graduate program builds on all learning outcomes from the undergraduate program, incorporating greater content and methodological mastery into each area. Additionally, graduate students will be able to…

  1. Contextualize primary and secondary sources within their appropriate literary, historical, and ideological currents
  2. Articulate critical issues and debates within the contemporary field of medieval Jewish Studies
  3. Apply the methods of their field of study to produce advanced critical analysis of a theme, source, text, or material related to medieval Jewish cultures.

MA Admission Requirements

Prior study of Hebrew and background in medieval and Jewish studies is recommended.

Prerequisites

Students entering the program take the following prerequisite courses if they have not had the equivalent previously:

  • One course in medieval history
  • One course in medieval literature
  • One course in medieval philosophy

Students are permitted to register for courses counting toward the degree while fulfilling these prerequisites. 

MA Degree Requirements

Courses

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

  • MDS 5102: Classics of the Jewish Tradition (3 credits)
  • 21 credits (7 courses) to be distributed among at least three of the following five broad subject areas:
    • Medieval and early modern Jewish history
    • Medieval and early modern Hebrew literature (e.g., poetry, liturgy, Midrash, Parshanut, Aggadah)
    • Medieval and early modern Jewish thought (e.g., philosophy, ethics, or Kabbalah)
    • Medieval and early modern rabbinic law
    • Medieval and early modern visual and material culture

Note: Credit toward the 21 credits may be given for up to two semesters of Advanced Hebrew in order to enable students to take Hebrew-text intensive courses. Of the above-listed courses taken at JTS, at least one must be listed or cross-listed as JGW (Jewish Gender and Women’s Studies).

  • 6 credits (2 courses) in related medieval or early modern studies, taken at a neighboring institution in the Consortium Program, or, with permission, in the advanced study of other relevant medieval languages, such as Latin or Arabic. 

All courses are determined in consultation with the advisor.

Comprehensive Exams

A written or oral examination on selected topics, based on the student’s coursework and chosen in consultation with the advisor.

Doctor of Hebrew Literature

Doctor of Hebrew Literature Degree Requirements

Courses

In addition to courses required of all students in the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, 30 graduate credits beyond the MA are required. Courses are selected in consultation with the doctoral advisor. Students who have not received an MA in Medieval and Early Modern Jewish Studies may be required to complete additional courses as prerequisite work. All courses will be determined through consultation with the advisor.

Comprehensive Examination

Upon satisfactory completion of all coursework, students must take an oral examination on selected topics in three disciplinary areas (e.g., history, philosophy, and literature) and in the area of the candidate’s dissertation, including a review of the secondary literature in the area of the proposed dissertation.

Dissertation

An original monograph-length dissertation, or a series of three scholarly papers on a topic in medieval or early modern Jewish studies, to be approved by a faculty committee.  The dissertation may also be a synthesis of extant scholarship on a given topic.  

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy Degree Requirements

Languages

In addition to languages required of all students in the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, proficiency must be demonstrated in two primary source languages (Hebrew, Arabic, or Latin) and two secondary source languages (German and French, Spanish, or Italian), prior to advancement to candidacy.

Courses

In addition to courses required of all students in the Gershon Kekst Graduate School, at least 30 graduate credits beyond the MA are required. Courses are selected in consultation with the doctoral advisor, with 21 credits focusing on the candidates’ area of expertise (e.g. Medieval Jewish history or Medieval Jewish thought). Students who have not received an MA in Medieval or Early Modern Jewish Studies may be required to complete additional courses as prerequisite work. All courses are determined in consultation with the advisor.

Comprehensive Examination

Upon satisfactory completion of all coursework, candidates for the PhD must take a comprehensive examination consisting of written and oral parts. The written part consists of four essays, one in each of three disciplinary studies (e.g., history, literature, and philosophy) and a fourth in a cognate subject. After the candidate has had the opportunity to study the examiners’ comments on the written part, the oral examination ensues. The four essays may be written in separate sittings spread over a semester.

Dissertation

A faculty committee must approve the dissertation proposal. The dissertation will be an original monograph-length dissertation that demonstrates the candidate’s ability to pursue original research in their area of focus, to be approved by a faculty committee after an oral defense.