College of Liberal & Creative Arts
The Modern Jewish Studies major allows students to focus on the history, culture, religion, politics, and literatures of the Jewish people. By exploring the texts, practices, and experiences of Jews, students examine the intersections of race, ethnicity, gender, in relation their own lives.
Jewish Studies offers a robust curriculum in Jewish literatures, Jewish history, Israel Studies, Holocaust Studies, Judaism, and Jewish cultural studies.
Jewish Studies requires students to think about world events, to parse ideological rhetoric, to analyze the unspoken values of texts snd history as Jews have experienced them. Any career that requires students to present their perspectives is enhanced by this degree.
Other highlights:
Majors and minors are eligible annually for the Kurtz scholarship. Additionally, the degree will soon have an international study abroad component in which students can elect to take up to two years of coursework with one of our partners in Europe and Israel.
We have relationships with several paid internships in the Jewish community.
We also have 3-5 events per semester in which visiting writers, scholars and artists give presentations and meet with students.
Access the list of the major requirements to better understand the structure of the major.
The roadmap puts all of your graduation requirements into an easy-to-follow semester-by-semester plan so you know what to take to stay on track. Whether you are a freshman or a transfer student, you'll be able to find a roadmap that best fits you.
Besides your major requirements, students must complete their GE and University requirements. Be sure to make sure you've completed all of these requirements for graduation.
To learn more about this major, check out the major department’s website below. You can also find out how you can access their faculty advisors who can assist you not just with course choices, but also answer questions about the field and discuss your career plans.
Department of Jewish Studies
*Humanities (HUM) Building, Room 415*
Phone: (415) 338-6072
Email: jewish@sfsu.edu
Website: https://jewish.sfsu.edu/
Chair: Kitty Millet
Freshmen Student Advising Information
After choosing “Basic Subjects” GE courses in Steps 1-3 of your Orientation process (if you haven’t done so, log onto your Orientation Profile page to follow the “Pre-Orientation Advising Module”), STEP 4 Choosing Major Classes will show you if there are any classes you can take to satisfy major requirements for your first and/or second semester.
Once you have determined your Roadmap above, review the first section below and write down any course recommendations based on your corresponding major roadmap on your Freshmen Class Planner worksheet.
Students should focus on making progress on their GE’s during the first semester. If students have completed their ENG 114 or equivalent, they can take JS 280, Introduction to Jewish Studies which also satisfy GE Area C2.
Since the degree introduces students to several disciplines, students finish with multiple professional alignments: they can go on to grad school in almost all humanities programs, depending only on their curricular focus. The degree matches with the PhD in literature, history, religious studies, and supplements training in political science, international studies, and foreign languages. It also aligns partially with the pursuit of legal studies. Our majors have gone on to teach in the K-12 classroom, to work in non-profit companies, as well as a range of professions not normally associated with Jewish Studies. In other words, students gain an array of professional possibilities through our degree.
Transfer Student Advising Information
Please see the box above labeled “Major Curriculum/Roadmaps & GE/University Requirements” for information on what courses to take in your first semester at SF State. View our Frequently Asked Questions for Transfers for helpful tips and additional information.