The Jewish Experience in Cultural Contexts

The Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies provides a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum in the history, religion, and civilization of the Jewish people, and offers two years of instruction in Hebrew language and literature. The program, stresses Professor Judith Baskin, is “open and accessible to all students, regardless of their personal background.”

The program offers students with diverse interests and backgrounds a deeper understanding of the history of Western civilization through the Jewish perspective. “To study the Jewish experience is to gain a central example of the survival of a minority group in a variety of cultural contexts,” says Baskin. “To study one minority is to gain an understanding of the larger dilemmas of minority ethnic, cultural, racial, and religious groups.”

Associate Professor Daniel Falk, an expert on biblical studies and ancient Judaism, says the program attracts diverse students with different reasons for studying Judaism. “Some students are interested in Judaic studies as a personal exploration,” he says. “Others are interested in general subjects such as religious studies, sociology, and history; they find in Judaism a fascinating case study.”

The Judaic studies major is highly interdisciplinary, allowing you to create your own focus by choosing classes in departments such as anthropology, history, geography, Germanic languages and literature, women’s studies, and philosophy. In addition, you’ll take core classes in Judaic studies, including biblical Hebrew, introduction to the study of the Bible, the American Jewish experience, and a three-part series about Jewish history.

By offering students a venue to study the history of Judaism, the program contributes to increased cultural awareness on campus. “For many students, [Judaic studies] awakens their consciousness of what it means to be an ‘other’ in the larger society,” says Baskin. “And by looking at the ‘other,’ you gain a better sense of individuality.”

Points of Interest

• Guest speakers and special visitors— such as cultural historian Sander Gilman, author Helen Epstein, and Israeli folk artist Dov Noy—enrich on-campus resources
• Seniors can receive credit for a variety of internships and practicums
• Program flexibility allows students to take classes in more than a dozen departments and programs
• Associate Professor Daniel Falk is renowned for his expertise on the Dead Sea Scrolls
• Courses offer an opportunity to discuss: Anthropology,Sociology, Cultural tradition, Narrative and poetry in the Bible

Sample Courses

Hands-on Learning

As a student of Judaic studies, you’ll have myriad opportunities to learn about Judaism outside the classroom. You may hear renowned speakers brought in for the Singer family lecture series or the Lowenberg lecture. You can attend a series of weekly films in classes such as The Bible Through Film.

You may choose to participate in an internship with one of the many local Jewish organizations such as Temple Beth Israel or Hillel. A variety of study-abroad opportunities are also available through the UO to enhance your understanding of Jewish culture and history. 

Interdisciplinary Opportunities

Judaic studies majors can take courses in a broad range of topics taught in the disciplines of participating faculty members, including anthropology, art history, comparative literature, English, geography, Germanic languages and literatures, history, landscape architecture, music, philosophy, political science, religious studies, romance languages, sociology, and women’s and gender studies.

“The Judaic Studies Program is based on the talents, energies, and commitment of faculty members in various departments who contribute to research and teaching,” says Program Director and Professor Judith Baskin.

Student Work

Noah Mullin came to the UO undecided about his major, but soon heard about the Judaic Studies program’s reputation and found his place. Mullin cites "Israelis and Palestinians" as his favorite class. “It’s fantastic; Diane Baxter taught it. You basically role-play—the class stops and you go into negotiations. It was a lot of fun. It’s a lot of people’s favorite class.” Mullin is currently working on his honors thesis, which focuses on Jewish influences on American pop culture, especially in music. He calls Eugene “the perfect place to study something like this,” and says “the people here are very open to accepting ideas.” Beyond the classroom, Mullin is assistant editor for Judith Baskin’s Jewish Cambridge Dictionary Project.

When Kaci Willet came the UO she decided she wanted to get a background in the history of Christianity. “I liked the structure and focus of the Judaic studies major,” she says. Willet, a Judaic studies major and an honors college student, plans to focus her honors thesis on the Jews for Jesus movement and the dynamics of their relationship with Judaism. In the future, she wants to pursue a graduate degree in religious studies and maybe teach religion at the high school level. Since Hebrew is her favorite class in the program, Willet says she would also love the opportunity to teach the language. 

Selected Faculty Work

Religious Studies Assistant Professor Deborah Green’s current research,“investigates the connection between early (first through fourth centuries CE) rabbinic cultural experience of perfume and incense with the metaphorical images created by the rabbis in their midrashim,” says Green. She has also published papers on the use of perfume in Jewish burials and has several forthcoming articles. One of the courses she teaches in the Judaic Studies program is Biblical Hebrew, which she calls one of the most satisfying and fun aspects of her job at the UO. “Undergraduates at Oregon are a joy to teach because they are open to learning new ideas and are able to grasp complex concepts. As a professor, one of my goals is to teach my students the necessary skills to keep learning throughout their lives,” she says.

Daniel Falk is an associate professor in the Religious Studies Department. Professor Falk’s interests lie in the history and literature of ancient Judaism and the beginnings of Christianity, “The focus of my research,” says Falk, “has been on Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, which provide us with the most colorful glimpse of a particular community of Jews in antiquity. I have been involved in publishing some of the fragments as a member of the International Team of Editors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.” Falk teaches courses in early Judaism, a Dead Sea Scrolls seminar, introduction to the Bible, and prophecy and apocalyptic. “The aspect of teaching I find most fascinating is helping students step outside of their assumed world views for a while to seek to understand other ways of viewing the world,” he says. 

Career Opportunities

The Judaic Studies Program provides an excellent foundation in the humanities. “We require a lot of humanities courses that are not related to Judaic studies, so it is an excellent humanities degree from which a student can really go on in any direction,” says Baskin.

Majors have pursued careers in Jewish education, academic Judaic studies, and social work—some majors have even become cantors or rabbis. 

Contact Information
(541) 346-5288
(541) 346-4118 fax