The following courses are pre-approved for the Jewish Studies major and minor. (400- and 500-level courses listed here may be used towards the completion of the Jewish Studies graduate certificate.)
GLBL 100 Intro to Global Studies
Credit: 3 hours.
Foundation course for understanding a range of contemporary issues and learning to analyze them from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Students consider globalizing trends within themes of wealth and poverty; population, cultures, and human rights; environment and sustainability; and governance, conflict, and cooperation. Course objectives are to enhance knowledge of human cultures, their interactions and impacts on the world; develop skills for successfully negotiating realities of contemporary societies; and promote values for global learning, diversity, and sustainable futures.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Spring 2025 for:
- Cultural Studies - Western
- Social & Beh Sci - Soc Sci
GER 575 20thC German Studies
Credit: 4 hours.
Seminar in selected genres, themes, or authors of the twentieth century.
4 graduate hours. No professional credit. May be repeated in separate semesters to a maximum of 12 hours if topics vary.
HEBR 404 Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
Credit: 4 OR 5 hours.
Continuation of HEBR 403. Concentration on ability to engage in reasonable fluent discourse in Hebrew, comprehensive knowledge of formal grammar, and an ability to read easy Hebrew texts. Israeli television programs and movies are used to develop communicative skills and cultural knowledge. Participation in the language laboratory is required.
5 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: HEBR 403 or equivalent.
HIST 200 Intro Hist Interpretation
Credit: 3 hours.
Through the careful examination of a specific topic or theme, this course provides a thorough introduction to historical interpretation. Particular attention will be devoted to research strategies, writing practices, handling primary and secondary sources, and the analysis of historiography.
May be repeated to a maximum of 6 hours with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Topics will be listed in the department's course guide at http://www.history.illinois.edu.
HIST 312 Immigrant America
Credit: 3 OR 4 hours.
History of immigration and immigrant groups in the United States from 1830 to 1980. Covers major waves of immigration and focuses on the diverse cultural heritage, social structure, and political activism of immigrants from Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
JS 344 Jewish Intellectual History: Encounters with Islam and Christianity
Jewish Intellectual History: Encounters with Islam and Christianity
Credit: 3 hours.
JS 495 Independent Study
Credit: 2 TO 4 hours.
Readings in selected fields in consultation with the instructor along with the completion of a specified writing assignment.
2 to 4 undergraduate hours. 2 to 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in the same term to a maximum of 4 undergraduate hours or 8 graduate hours. May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of 8 undergraduate hours and 16 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
JS 201 History of Antisemitism
Credit: 3 hours.
Studies the negative representations of Judaism and Jews from antiquity to the modern world. Topics include: Greco-Roman concepts of the Jewish religion; medieval Christian symbolization of the demonic Jew; Jews and negative attitudes to capitalism; blood purity and blood libel; the rise of racial prejudice in the modern nation state; totalitarianism and genocide; antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Same as REL 212.
This course satisfies the General Education Criteria in Spring 2025 for:
- Cultural Studies - Western
- Humanities – Hist & Phil
JS 501 Grad Intro to Jewish Culture
Credit: 4 hours.
Interdisciplinary graduate-level introduction to the study of Jewish culture and society. Focuses on the significations of Jewishness in modern history through a wide range of recent writings by historians, anthropologists, philosophers and cultural theorists. Key themes will include the relationship of Judaism to the other monotheistic religions, the varied pathways of Jewish modernization, the construction of Jewish Otherness in Europe and beyond, and responses to the Holocaust and the creation of the state of Israel.
The following courses may also be submitted for approval. (A syllabus must be submitted to process the request):
AIS 501 Indigenous Critical Theory
ARAB 150 Lang&Culture of Arab World
CLCV 220 Exploring the Greek and Roman World
CLCV 231 Development of Ancient Cities
CLCV 444 The Archaeology of Italy
CMN 232 Intro to Intercultural Comm
GLBL 392 Int Diplomacy and Negotiation
PS 201 US Racial & Ethnic Politics
REL 344 Jewish Intellectual History: Encounters with Islam and Christianity