Through diverse course offerings and an undergraduate major, the Program in Jewish Studies enables undergraduate students to develop a broad knowledge of the history, religion, literature, philosophy, languages, and politics of the Jews. Jewish society, texts, ideologies, material cultures, and institutions are studied from a comparative perspective in the context of the histories, cultures, and intellectual traditions among which Jews have lived throughout the ages. As an interdisciplinary program, the Program in Jewish Studies employs historical, literary, political, social, and philosophical methods of analysis.
1922 drawing of the Sabbath by Issachar Ber Ryback, part of Yale’s Yiddish Book Collection of the Russian Avant-Garde
The Jewish Studies major offers a broad liberal arts background combined with intensive preparation in the historical and religious experience of Jewish cultures from antiquity to contemporary times. It can also be combined, as a second major, with various other majors, including Economics, Political Science, Literature, English, Philosophy, and History.
As an interdisciplinary program, the Program in Jewish Studies employs historical, literary, political, social, philological, and philosophical methods of analysis. Students have opportunities to work in libraries and archives, study and travel abroad, and participate in the program’s vibrant events.
“I came to Jewish Studies as a non-Jewish student deeply curious about the Hebrew Bible, but what led me to major in Jewish Studies were courses on modern Jewish thought and Jewish history in post-biblical times. These courses were not just a highlight of my intellectual journey at Yale but also profoundly shaped (and continue to shape) how I think about my own identity and my place in America as an immigrant, and what I teach and research today as an identity/ethnic politics scholar.”
Jangai Jap, Class of 2014, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs
Explore undergraduate opportunities
Whether you are curious about registering for your first Jewish Studies course or considering a major, we would love to hear from you!
“Coming from a Modern Orthodox Yeshiva day school background, taking Jewish Studies classes at Yale merged the joy and comfort of familiar materials with the wonder of learning new perspectives on those materials, forcing me to think ever more deeply about subjects I loved. These classes – and the exceptional teachers and scholars who taught them – opened my mind in ways that I cherish and carry with me to this day.”
Evan Farber, Class of 1999, Lawyer, Loeb & Loeb LLP
-
Class trip to Touro Synagogue and Newport Historical Society Archives
“It’s one thing to analyze networks from a distance in the classroom. It’s another to sit in Touro’s wooden pews and hold López’s own letters.”
Questions?
-
Hannan Hever
Jacob & Hilda Blaustein Professor of Hebrew Language & Literature and Comparative LiteratureDirector of Undergraduate Studies; Executive Committee
