THE NEJS MINOR
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Minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture
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NEJS Minor
Undergraduate students are welcome to study in the department as majors, as minors, or simply to take individual courses. Majors find that their NEJS background serves them well in preparation for a variety of graduate and professional careers. Many have gone on to academic or diplomatic/professional careers related to Jewish Studies and the Ancient Near East, the Modern Middle East, Judaica, the rabbinate, Jewish education, Jewish Communal Service, and other professions within the Jewish community.
How to Become a NEJS Minor
Students who wish to minor in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies meet with the undergraduate advising head Professor Jonathan Decter and are assigned a faculty advisor in accordance with their individual areas of interest. Together with their advisor, they develop a plan of study designed to fulfill the requirements of the major and to meet their personal interests and needs. With the approval of the department, a limited amount of credit may be awarded for appropriate courses taken at other universities.
Requirements for the Minor in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies
The minor consists of a coherent set of five courses in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, of which two may be cross-listed courses or courses taken at other universities.
A. At least one of the five courses must focus on the period before 1750, and one on the period after 1750.
Pre-1750
Pre-1750: IMES 104a, NEJS 1b, 2a, 3a, 5a (formerly NEJS 1a), 8a, 10a (formerly 72a), 25a (formerly 53b), 29a, 102a, 104b, 106a, 106b, 101a (formerly 108a), 104a (formerly 108b), 110a (formerly 186a), 111a, 112a, 113a, 113b, 114a, 114b, 115a, 115b, 116a (formerly 156b), 116b, 117b, 118b, 122b, 123a (formerly 157b), 123b, 125b, 126a (formerly 120b), 126b, 127b, 129a (formerly 186b), 130a, 131b (formerly 121b), 132a (formerly 55a), 133a, 140a, 140b, 142b (formerly 122a), 147a (formerly 188a), 148b, 151b, 152a, 152b, 153b (formerly 128b), 154a (formerly 117a), 154b, 155a, 155b, 158b, 159a (formerly 105b), 159b (formerly 119a), 165b (formerly 124b), 166a, 172b, 180a, 184a (formerly 109a), 188a, 191a, 192b (formerly 130b).
Post-1750
REL 107a, YDSH 10a, YDSH 20b, YDSH 30a, YDSH 40b, NEJS 2a, 35a (formerly 68b), 75a (formerly 86b), 75b, 133a, 135a, 136a (formerly 168a), 136b (formerly 168b), 137a (formerly 169a), 137b (formerly 167b), 138a, 141a (formerly 112b), 141b, 142a (formerly 120a), 143a (formerly 121a), 144a, 144b, 145a (formerly 157a), 146a (formerly 162b), 150b (formerly 107b), 151a, 153a, 153b, 158a, 159a, 160a (formerly 119b), 160b (formerly 134b), 161a, 162a, 163a, 163b (formerly 138b), 164a, 164b, 165a (formerly 170b), 165b (formerly 174b), 166b, 167a, 172a, 173a, 173b, 174a, 175a (formerly 129b), 175b (formerly 169b), 176a, 176b, 177a (formerly 135b), 177b (formerly 139b), 178a, 180b, 181a (formerly 190b), 181b (formerly 194b), 182a (formerly 191b), 184b, 185b (formerly 145b), 187a (formerly 148a), 187b (formerly 143b), 188b (formerly 146b), 189a (formerly 147b), 189b, 190a (formerly 171b), 192a, 192b, 193a, 194a, 195a, 196a, 197a, 197b, 198a (formerly 100a).
B. No more than two of the following semester courses may be applied toward the minor: YDSH 10a (Beginning Yiddish), YDSH 20b (Continuing Yiddish), ARBC 10a (Beginning Literary Arabic), and ARBC 20b (Continuing Literary Arabic).
C. HBRW 10a (Beginning Hebrew) and HBRW 20b (Intermediate Hebrew) may not count towards fulfillment of the NEJS minor.
D. Students are required to declare the minor in NEJS no later than the beginning of the senior year. Each student declaring a minor will be assigned a departmental advisor after conferring with the undergraduate advising head.
Transfer Credit for NEJS Minors
By departmental rule, a maximum of two semester course credits for courses taken at other universities, whether in the United States or abroad, may be accepted toward the minor in NEJS. Students are encouraged to seek advance approval from the department's undergraduate advisor for all courses intended for transfer credit. For courses taken in Israeli universities, one Brandeis semester credit will be given for a three-hour-per-week one-semester course; a two-semester, two-hour-per-week course; or two, two-hour, one-semester courses. Credit is not granted for Ulpan courses, but students may take the Hebrew Placement Test administered by the Hebrew program at Brandeis.
Double Counting
No more than two courses that count for the IMES or Hebrew major or minor, or the Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture minor, may count toward the NEJS minor.
Requirements for the Minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture
Click here to download checklist for the Yiddish Minor
The minor consists of a coherent set of five courses in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
A. YDSH 40b (Advanced Intermediate Yiddish)
B. NEJS 98a (Independent study in Yiddish Literature and Culture) [readings in Yiddish]
C. NEJS 75a (Introduction to Yiddish Literature in English translation) or NEJS 75b (Classic Yiddish Fiction in English translation)
D. Two courses selected from the following: NEJS 75a (Introduction to Yiddish Literature), NEJS 75b (Classic Yiddish Fiction), NEJS 136a (History and Culture of the Jews of East-Central Europe up to 1914), NEJS 136b (History and Culture of the Jews of East-Central Europe since 1914), NEJS 137b (History of the Jews in Warsaw, Lodz, Vilna and Odessa), NEJS 141a (Russian Jewish History, 1917 to the Present), NEJS 142a (Modern History of East European Jewry), NEJS 153a (Hasidism as a Religious and Social Movement), NEJS 167a (East European Jewish Immigration to the United States), NEJS 175a (Jewish Women in Eastern Europe), NEJS 98b (Independent study in any aspect of Yiddish Language, Literature or East European Jewish History and Culture)
No more than two of the courses counted toward the minor in Yiddish and East European Jewish Culture may also be counted toward the NEJS major or minor.