Harvard was the first university in America to establish a Chair in Jewish Studies. Our commitment to training scholars in Jewish Studies continues unabated. The faculty in Jewish Studies welcomes qualified applicants for admission to the Master's and Ph.D. programs. Graduate students in Jewish Studies work closely with advisors, receive thorough training in texts and methods, and are encouraged to explore Harvard's unparalleled library resources in Judaica.
Students must fulfill all the requirements of the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. These include competence in two departmental languages-one of which must be Hebrew-plus French and German. Students in Jewish Studies may be required to master other languages, depending on their areas of specialization.

The program in Jewish studies focuses on the history and literature of the Jewish people from late antiquity to modern times. While students generally choose to focus their interests chronologically and thematically-e.g., some aspect of Jewish culture in a clearly defined time period-the program itself stresses "vertical" competence: all students are required to gain some competence in chronological periods other than their main one, and, in general, ability to work with classical Hebrew sources is a prerequisite for admission to the program. As an alternative to specialization by chronological period, students may choose to focus their studies entirely along thematic lines, such as the history of Jewish biblical interpretation.

Students will generally develop their own individualized course of study in consultation with their advisors; at the same time, it is expected that all students will achieve significant mastery of the broad sweep of Jewish cultural history, and of the areas outside Jewish Studies most appropriate to their field. For example, a student specializing in modern Jewish cultural history in Europe would be expected to demonstrate general knowledge of the course of pre-modern Jewish cultural history as well as the relevant areas of modern European culture. In addition, each year the department offers a Seminar in Jewish Studies, which all graduate students are required to take. The seminar is devoted to broad methodological issues in Jewish Studies.

Students pursuing a graduate degree in Jewish Studies are required to meet the general graduate requirements for all students pursuing graduate degrees in the Department of Near Eastern Language and Civilizations.

In keeping with the rules of the Department, graduate students in Jewish Studies must take four general exams; it is expected that these exams will be taken at the end of the third year. A common template for these exams would be one exam in Hebrew language, in which a student will translate, annotate, and contextualize a complex Hebrew text; one exam in the cultural history of the Jews in the periods in which the student is not specializing; an exam in the period and discipline (history, literature, philosophy, Yiddish studies, etc.) of specialization, which can also reflect the thematic focus of the student's work; one exam in an appropriate area outside of Jewish Studies. Other templates could be developed in consultation with one's advisory committee.

Undergraduate Program:

Students concentrating in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations have the option of devoting most of their concentration work to Jewish Studies. Students who choose this option must fulfill the requirements of the department (total number of courses, tutorial, etc.); those who choose to specialize in Jewish Studies must take Hebrew to fulfill the departmental language requirement. Beyond those requirements, beginning in the Fall 2004, students specializing in Jewish Studies will be expected to take an introductory course in Jewish cultural history, which will be offered every year. The remainder of the program will be filled out by courses chosen in consultation with the student's advisor. In selecting these courses, students may choose to focus on a particular time period or theme, or may choose to acquaint themselves with the wide range of periods and themes covered by the Jewish Studies faculty, or some combination of each approach.

Those interested in Jewish studies should become familiar with the resources and personnel of the Center for Jewish Studies.

Faculty: