Global Studies: Judaic and Israel Studies Emphasis 

The study of the Jewish People, the State of Israel, and of Jewish civilization from Biblical times to the present, affords a very sound preparation for careers that involve global and local concerns. Our students have successfully pursued careers in education, business, social work, international relations, law, human resources, commerce, journalism, politics, work in various NGOs, and many other fields. 

As a multi-millennial phenomenon, Jewish civilization is global by definition. That is because Jews have been dispersed throughout the world since the Iron Age.  Jews have not only survived but thrived and contributed to the world under a mindboggling variety of local conditions, both as an oft-persecuted minority throughout various continents, and as a majority (and a minority) in their historic homeland. Studying Jewish civilization thus allows a view of how resilient cultures are built, damaged, and creatively rebuilt through time.  Not by chance, the study of Jewish civilization is interdisciplinary, and intersects with various fields and methodologies that the School for Global Studies encompasses: Human Rights, Middle Eastern Studies, Gender Studies, and others—not to mention History, Religious Studies, Cultural Anthropology, and the like. 

The Global Studies: Judaic and Israel Studies Emphasis provides intellectual and experiential frameworks—including Hebrew language study and a Study Abroad Program in Israel--for understanding and solving problems that center on culture writ large, and Jewish culture in particular.  All our courses help students to develop their communication skills and to engage those skills in the creative dissection of history, tradition, and modernity.  Courses are offered in both in-person and online formats.