University Bulletin (2022-2023)

• BA/MA
• Master of Arts

The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program prepares leaders to understand and confront the challenges of a rapidly changing Jewish community, and to help shape its future. Intellectually robust, and experientially varied, the program offers five separate dual-degree tracks which students complete in approximately 21 months (4.5 semesters) and a stand-alone MA in Jewish Professional Leadership which students complete in approximately 12 months (2.5 semesters). The dual-degree options are as follows:

• MA/MBA program with the Heller School of Social Policy and Management.
• MA/MPP program with the Heller School of Social Policy and Management.
• MA/MA program with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.
• MA/EdM program with Department of Education
• BA/MA program with the undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences 

All programs combine top-quality scholarship, professional education, national and international travel, and carefully selected field experiences to equip leaders with the tools necessary to help craft twenty-first-century Jewish life.

Students in the Hornstein program have the opportunity to study with outstanding scholars and practitioners whose work shapes Jewish discourse, policy, and professional practice. The curriculum integrates courses in Jewish studies, nonprofit management, and Jewish communal leadership, and highlights the role of evidence-based practice in achieving communal success.

MA in Jewish Professional Leadership

Knowledge 

1. Gain knowledge of historical models of leadership, lay and religious, in Jewish history
2. Understand historical and theoretical precedents and perspectives on Jewish leadership practice.
3. Explore and analyze multiple approaches to leadership by studying texts and research in the field and speaking with contemporary leaders of the Jewish community.
4. Deepen familiarity with, access to and use of Jewish sources to inform personal approaches to leadership.
5. Understand the purposes, strategies for, and challenges presented by socio-demographic research in the Jewish communal context.
6. Gain familiarity with the Jewish organizational landscape of North America and develop stronger knowledge of the various sectors of this complex landscape, including its diversity of organizations, leaders, and issues.

Core Skills

1. Learn about critical areas of non-profit management including strategic planning, marketing and strategic communications, financial management, and public relations.
2.  Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and use of best practices.
3.  Understand the pivotal role of a comprehensive program of Jewish philanthropy and fundraising to pursue growth-oriented and sustainable financial resource development that leads to greater Jewish communal vitality and impact.
4. Develop fundamental fundraising acumen and skills including how to develop a case for giving. 
5. Develop understanding and skills for how to use Human Resources management to lead a successful team or organization.
6. Gain conceptual understanding of research on and the principles of organizational behavior including organizational structure, culture, and effectiveness.
7. Understand the responsibilities and roles of the Board of Directors in nonprofit organizations.
8. Experience conducting an assessment of an organizational problem including how to conduct a stakeholder analysis.
9.  Apply core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
10. Develop a working understanding of the concepts of evaluation research and their application to a diverse set of programs relevant to the Jewish community.
11. Gain skills for interpreting basic descriptive and inferential statistics.
12.  Learn how to develop and use a logic model.
13.  Learn how to develop and use a theory of change.
14.  Learn how to formulate a plan for implementation and outcome research.
15. Expand networks of professional contacts through guest speakers, visits to Jewish nonprofits and interviews with Jewish leaders.
16. Learn how to demonstrate professional and academic history in practical tools such as a resume and cover letters.
17. Refine written and verbal communication skills.
18.  Learn how to facilitate respectful, productive conversations on even the most difficult and complex subjects.

Social Justice

1. Appreciate debates about fundamental concepts in leadership, including authority, privacy, consultation, community, which take place in other minoritized populations.
2. Understand issues of diversity, equity and privilege within Jewish communities.
3. Perform all research, leadership, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

Almost universally, Hornstein graduates seeking employment upon graduation acquire excellent placements across the top range of Jewish organizations.

MA/MBA program with the Heller School of Social Policy and Management

Knowledge

1. Understand the history, cultural context, and development of present-day Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and throughout the globe, with a focus on the contemporary status and futures of these Jewish communities.
2. Understand and compare leadership practices through for-profit, not-for- profit, and Jewish frameworks.
3. Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and best practices.
4. Learn social-scientific methodologies to collect, analyze, apply, and evaluate data that informs both routine and critical decision-making.
5. Acquire fundraising and development expertise in support of community care, advancement, and innovation.
6. Explore the broad range of classical and contemporary Jewish texts as sources for leadership perspective and performance.
7. Apply and evaluate core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
8. Acquire reading, writing, understanding, and speaking skills in basic modern Hebrew.
9. Gain experiential understanding of world Jewish communities through educational travel seminars in New York City, Israel, and Eastern Europe.
10. Gain the knowledge and core skills prescribed by the dual-degree MBA guidelines in social impact management, financial literacy, communication, collaboration, mobilizing and developing capabilities of individuals and organizations, and integrative skills.

Core Skills

1. Articulate and help execute leadership vision for the Jewish community.
2. Understand trends, frame issues, and apply professional skills in new and creative ways.
3. Develop decision-making skills based on evidence, data, critical thinking, reflective practice, and collaboration.
4. Hone oral, written, listening, and multimedia communication skills to effectively convey knowledge, express perspectives, and present evidence- based, persuasive positions.
5. Develop facilitation, collaboration, and conflict management skills.
6. Demonstrate the ability to conceive and carry out an integrative, synthetic team consulting project that demonstrates graduate- and professional-level competencies in the knowledge and skills acquired in the dual-degree program of study.

Social Justice

1. Understand the broad diversities within the Jewish communities, engaging all its members as partners and planners.
2. Deepen understanding of diverse global communities, perspectives, and traditions, helping to advance positive and peaceful inter-group cooperation and helping to ensure the rights and well-being of all people.
3. Perform all research, leadership, teaching, social service, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The dual-degree Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA/ Heller MBA program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

One hundred percent of Hornstein graduates seeking Ph.D.s, rabbinic ordination, or employment upon graduation acquire excellent placements across the top range of graduate schools and Jewish organizations.

MA/MPP program with the Heller School of Social Policy and Management

Knowledge

1. Understand the history, cultural context, and development of present-day Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and throughout the globe, with a focus on the contemporary status and futures of these Jewish communities.
2. Understand and compare leadership practices through for-profit, not-for-profit, and Jewish frameworks.
3. Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and best practices.
4. Learn social-scientific methodologies to collect, analyze, apply, and evaluate data that informs both routine and critical decision-making.
5. Acquire fundraising and development expertise in support of community care, advancement, and innovation.
6. Explore the broad range of classical and contemporary Jewish texts as sources for leadership perspective and performance.
7. Apply and evaluate core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
8. Acquire reading, writing, understanding, and speaking skills in basic modern Hebrew.
9. Gain experiential understanding of world Jewish communities through educational travel seminars in New York City, Israel, and Eastern Europe.
10. Gain the knowledge and core skills prescribed by the dual-degree MPP guidelines in communication, quantitative and qualitative research and reasoning, policy and program evaluation, historical understanding of policy formation, and the structure and functioning of government and policy- related organizations.

Core Skills

1. Articulate and help execute leadership vision for the Jewish community.
2. Understand trends, frame issues, and apply professional skills in new and creative ways.
3. Develop decision-making skills based on evidence, data, critical thinking, reflective practice, and collaboration.
4. Hone oral, written, listening, and multimedia communication skills to effectively convey knowledge, express perspectives, and present evidence- based, persuasive positions.
5. Develop facilitation, collaboration, and conflict management skills.
6. Demonstrate the ability to conceive and carry out an integrative, synthetic capstone policy paper that demonstrates graduate- and professional-level competencies in the knowledge and skills acquired in the dual-degree program of study.

Social Justice

1. Understand the broad diversities within the Jewish communities, engaging all its members as partners and planners.
2. Deepen understanding of diverse global communities, perspectives, and traditions, helping to advance positive and peaceful inter-group cooperation and helping to ensure the rights and well-being of all people.
3. Perform all research, leadership, teaching, social service, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The dual-degree Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA/Heller MPP program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

One hundred percent of Hornstein graduates seeking Ph.D.s or employment upon graduation acquire excellent placements across the top range of graduate schools and Jewish organizations.

MA/MA program with the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies

Knowledge

1. Understand the history, cultural context, and development of present-day Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and throughout the globe, with a focus on the contemporary status and futures of these Jewish communities.
2. Understand and compare leadership practices through for-profit, not-for-profit, and Jewish frameworks.
3. Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and best practices.
4. Learn social-scientific methodologies to collect, analyze, apply, and evaluate data that informs both routine and critical decision-making.
5. Acquire fundraising and development expertise in support of community care, advancement, and innovation.
6. Explore the broad range of classical and contemporary Jewish texts as sources for leadership perspective and performance.
7. Apply and evaluate core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
8. Acquire reading, writing, understanding, and speaking skills in basic modern Hebrew.
9. Gain experiential understanding of world Jewish communities through educational travel seminars in New York City, Israel, and Eastern Europe.
10. Gain the knowledge and core skills prescribed by the dual-degree NEJS MA guidelines in historical knowledge, religious traditions, scholarly research methods and analytic skills, research language(s), and an appreciation of religious and cultural diversities.

Core Skills

1. Articulate and help execute leadership vision for the Jewish community.
2. Understand trends, frame issues, and apply professional skills in new and creative ways.
3. Develop decision-making skills based on evidence, data, critical thinking, reflective practice, and collaboration.
4. Hone oral, written, listening, and multimedia communication skills to effectively convey knowledge, express perspectives, and present evidence- based, persuasive positions.
5. Develop facilitation, collaboration, and conflict management skills.
6. Demonstrate the ability to conceive and carry out an integrative, synthetic final thesis or project that demonstrates graduate- and professional-level competencies in the knowledge and skills acquired in the dual-degree program of study.

Social Justice

1. Understand the broad diversities within the Jewish community, engaging all its members as partners and planners.
2. Deepen understanding of diverse global communities, perspectives, and traditions, helping to advance positive and peaceful inter-group cooperation and helping to ensure the rights and well-being of all people.
3. Perform all research, leadership, teaching, social service, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The dual-degree Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA/ Near Eastern and Judaic Studies MA program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

One hundred percent of Hornstein graduates seeking PhDs, rabbinic ordination, or employment upon graduation acquire excellent placements across the top range of graduate schools and Jewish organizations.

MA/EdM Program with the Department of Education

Knowledge

1. Understand the history, cultural context, and development of present-day Jewish communities in North America, Israel, and throughout the globe, with a focus on the contemporary status and futures of these Jewish communities.
2. Understand and compare leadership practices through for-profit, not-for-profit, and Jewish frameworks.
3. Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and best practices.
4. Learn social-scientific methodologies to collect, analyze, apply, and evaluate data that informs both routine and critical decision-making.
5. Acquire fundraising and development expertise in support of community care, advancement, and innovation.
6. Explore the broad range of classical and contemporary Jewish texts as sources for leadership perspective and performance.
7. Apply and evaluate core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
8. Acquire reading, writing, understanding, and speaking skills in basic modern Hebrew.
9. Gain experiential understanding of world Jewish communities through educational travel seminars in New York City, Israel, and Eastern Europe.

Core Skills

1. Articulate and help execute leadership vision for the Jewish community.
2. Understand trends, frame issues, and apply professional skills in new and creative ways.
3. Develop decision-making skills based on evidence, data, critical thinking, reflective practice, and collaboration.
4. Hone oral, written, listening, and multimedia communication skills to effectively convey knowledge, express perspectives, and present evidence-based, persuasive positions.
5. Develop facilitation, collaboration, and conflict management skills.
6. Analyze visions of Jewish education and think critically and creatively about Jewish educational programming.
7. Design, implement and assess Jewish educational programs for adolescents and adults.
8. Draw upon a deeper understanding of Jewish history, tradition and culture in designing the educational programs.
9. Draw upon a deeper understanding of human development and learning to design programs that meet diverse learning needs.
10. Work productively with a staff of educators to meet the diverse needs of program participants.
11. Actively seek feedback and advice on one’s educational practice from peers and supervisors.
12. Work effectively as educators in a variety of settings where Jewish teaching and learning takes place. 
13. Demonstrate the ability to conceive and carry out an integrative, synthetic project that demonstrates graduate- and professional-level competencies in the knowledge and skills acquired in the dual-degree program of study.

Social Justice

1. Understand the broad diversities within the Jewish community, engaging all its members as partners and planners.
2. Deepen understanding of diverse global communities, perspectives, and traditions, helping to advance positive and peaceful inter-group cooperation and helping to ensure the rights and well-being of all people.
3. Perform all research, leadership, teaching, social service, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The dual-degree Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA/ Education Department EdM program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

Spring 2022 marks the first graduating cohort from this program and students are being sought for excellent placements across the top range of graduate schools and Jewish organizations.

BA/MA Program with the Undergraduate School of Arts and Sciences

Knowledge

1. Gain knowledge of historical models of leadership, lay and religious, in Jewish history
2. Understand historical and theoretical precedents and perspectives on Jewish leadership practice.
3. Explore and analyze multiple approaches to leadership by studying texts and research in the field and speaking with contemporary leaders of the Jewish community.
4. Deepen familiarity with, access to and use of Jewish sources to inform personal approaches to leadership.
5. Understand the purposes, strategies for, and challenges presented by socio-demographic research in the Jewish communal context.
6. Gain familiarity with the Jewish organizational landscape of North America and develop stronger knowledge of the various sectors of this complex landscape, including its diversity of organizations, leaders, and issues.

Core Skills

1. Learn about critical areas of non-profit management including strategic planning, marketing and strategic communications, financial management, and public relations.
2. Examine the current structure and mission of Jewish organizations with a focus on change, innovation, and use of best practices.
3. Understand the pivotal role of a comprehensive program of Jewish philanthropy and fundraising to pursue growth-oriented and sustainable financial resource development that leads to greater Jewish communal vitality and impact.
4. Develop fundamental fundraising acumen and skills including how to develop a case for giving. 
5. Develop understanding and skills for how to use Human Resources management to lead a successful team or organization.
6. Gain conceptual understanding of research on and the principles of organizational behavior including organizational structure, culture, and effectiveness.
7. Understand the responsibilities and roles of the Board of Directors in nonprofit organizations.
8. Experience conducting an assessment of an organizational problem including how to conduct a stakeholder analysis.
9. Apply core learning in organizational settings through professional field placements in Jewish organizations.
10. Develop a working understanding of the concepts of evaluation research and their application to a diverse set of programs relevant to the Jewish community.
11. Gain skills for interpreting basic descriptive and inferential statistics.
12.  Learn how to develop and use a logic model.
13. Learn how to develop and use a theory of change.
14. Learn how to formulate a plan for implementation and outcome research.
15. Expand networks of professional contacts through guest speakers, visits to Jewish nonprofits and interviews with Jewish leaders.
16. Learn how to demonstrate professional and academic history in practical tools such as a resume and cover letters.
17. Refine written and verbal communication skills.
18. Learn how to facilitate respectful, productive conversations on even the most difficult and complex subjects.

Social Justice

1. Appreciate debates about fundamental concepts in leadership, including authority, privacy, consultation, community, which take place in other minoritized populations.
2. Understand issues of diversity, equity and privilege within Jewish communities.
3. Perform all research, leadership, and community interactions following the highest ethical and professional standards of the field.

Graduate Outcomes

The dual-degree/ Undergraduate BA/Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership MA program provides core knowledge and skills leading to a variety of careers and next steps.

One hundred percent of Hornstein graduates seeking Ph.D.s, rabbinic ordination, or employment upon graduation acquire excellent placements across the top range of graduate schools and Jewish organizations.

Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions section of the Bulletin for information on Admission to the program. For information on our program’s specific application requirements, please see the Hornstein website.

Shirley Idelson, Leon A. Jick Director
American Jewish history, history of higher education, history of Reform Judaism, the American rabbinate, and journalism.

Fern Chertok, Director of Advising and Fieldwork
Evaluation research, organizational behavior, impact of Jewish adult education, and involvement of interfaith families in synagogues.

Joseph Reimer
Jewish experiential education, professional leadership development, and Jewish learning in summer camps.

Jonathan D. Sarna
American Jewish history and life, Jews in the Americas, American religion, American Jews and Israel.

Barry Shrage, Professor of the Practice
Jewish engagement, nonprofit leadership and management, development and fundraising, Jewish identity education.

Affiliated Faculty (contributing to the curriculum, advising and administration of the department or program)

Brenda Anderson, Senior Lecturer (Heller School for Social Policy and Management, International Business School)

Lawrence Bailis, Associate Professor (Heller School for Social Policy and Management)

Carole Carlson, Senior Lecturer and MBA Program Director (Heller School for Social Policy and Management)

Michael Doonan, Associate Professor and MPP Program Director (Heller School for Social Policy and Management)

Sharon Feiman-Nemser, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Professor (Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

Jonathan Krasner, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor (Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

Jon Levisohn, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor (Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

Adjunct Faculty

Meredith Lewis, Lecturer
Nonprofit management, transition management, community engagement, product design, and journalism.

Tom Rose, Lecturer
Clinical psychology, human resources management and HR exectuive in the for-profit and nonprofit worlds.

Kimberlee Schumacher, Lecturer
Management consulting, strategy, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership.

Andrea B. Wasserman, Lecturer
Strategic planning, organizational development, philanthropy and fundraising in Jewish nonprofits.

See the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in this Bulletin, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management website for related faculty.

Requirements for the Dual Degree of Master of Arts/Master of Business Administration (Hornstein MA in Professional Jewish Leadership, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management MBA)

Program of Study
This program prepares professional leaders with the full complement of business and nonprofit management skills, as well as specialized knowledge of Judaic studies and contemporary Jewish life. The program blends the Heller School's management curriculum with the Hornstein program's integrated approach to Jewish leadership training. Graduates of the dual-degree program receive two master's degrees: a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership from the Hornstein Program and an MBA from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

Degree Requirements

The dual degree requires eighty course credits including:

A. Specific Hornstein courses, as follows, totaling approximately thirty-eight credits:

• HRNS 380 Proseminar
• HRNS 237 Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 261 Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership
• HRNS 231 Jewish Community in Historical Perspective
• HRNS 246 Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 247 Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 234 Human Resource Management for Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 241 Skills & Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy & Fundraising
• HRNS 399 Capstone Seminar
• HRNS 350 Myra Kraft Seminar on Israel
• HRNS 297 Field Experience

B. Specific Heller courses, as follows, totaling approximately thirty-eight credits 

• HS 250a Financial Analysis & Reporting
• HS 248 Financial Management
• HS 251 Managerial Accounting
• HS 215 Corporate Finance
• BUS 252 Marketing Management
• HS 290 Economic Analysis for Managers
• HS 232 Team Consulting Project Workshop
• HS 299 Team Consulting Project
• HS 252 Strategic Management
• HS 258 Operations Management

C. The remaining credits are taken as electives. 

The program is usually completed in four and a half semesters, including the summer between years one and two. 

Residence Requirement

The in-person residence requirement is 4.5 semesters of full-time study or the equivalent thereof in part-time study.

Capstone Project

Dual-degree students must meet the MBA second-year Team Consulting Project requirement and will generally focus on a Jewish community-related management challenge. TCP advisors will include one Heller and one Hornstein faculty member.

Supervised Professional Field Experience

Supervised professional field experience forms an important part of the Hornstein program. It is designed to immerse students in the best professional practices and organizations within the Jewish community, and to help students refine their practical skills, learn to turn theory into action, and become self-reflective and effective practitioners.

Field experience usually takes place in the summer and/or second year of the program and consists of approximately 150 hours of work managing a project jointly created by the student, the Hornstein faculty, and the supervisor in the field organization.

Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel
Students take a classroom 2-credit seminar and then travel to Israel (at least once, 10 days) as a required part of the curriculum to examine contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with diaspora communities.

Language Requirement
Prior to the end of their final semester, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew equivalent to two semesters of college/university study.  Students may fulfill the Hebrew language requirement by 1) placing out of the requirement through a written and /or oral assessment, 2) providing evidence of passing (B- or above) two semesters of Hebrew at the college/university level, 3) providing evidence of successfully completing a Hebrew language ulpan, or 4) passing (B- or above) a 20- or higher level Hebrew course at Brandeis. Hebrew credits may count as elective credits, but not as required curriculum course credits.

Co-curricular Requirements

Hornstein Community Time
Meeting periodically throughout the year, these required sessions enable Hornstein community building and enable students to present their learning to one another. Students are involved in planning and coordinating the various Community Time activities.

Betty Starr Colloquium
Students spend four days during each academic year visiting the national offices of major and start-up Jewish organizations in a North American center of Jewish life.  The goal is to explore aspects of the communal agenda with agency executives.

Requirements for the Dual Degree of Master of Arts/Master of Public Policy (Hornstein MA in Professional Jewish Leadership, and the Heller School for Social Policy and Management MPP)

Program of Study
This program prepares professional leaders with the full complement of policy analysis and development skills, as well as specialized knowledge of Judaic studies and contemporary Jewish life. The program blends the Heller School's public policy curriculum with the Hornstein program's integrated approach to Jewish leadership training. Graduates of the dual-degree program receive two master’s degrees: a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership from the Hornstein Program and a Master of Public Policy from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management.

Degree Requirements

The dual Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership/Master of Public Policy in Social Policy is a rigorous, interdisciplinary degree program that provides students with the skills necessary for advanced careers in the government, nonprofit, and private sectors.

The dual-degree requires eighty course credits including: 

A. Specific Hornstein courses, as follows, totaling approximately forty credits:

• HRNS 380 Proseminar
• HRNS 237 Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 261 Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership
• HRNS 231 Jewish Community in Historical Perspective
• HRNS 246 Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 247 Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 234 Human Resource Management for Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 241 Skills & Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy & Fundraising
• HRNS 230 Managing Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 399 Capstone Seminar
• HRNS 350 Myra Kraft Seminar on Israel
• HRNS 297 Field Experience

B. Specific Heller courses, as follows, totaling approximately thirty-two credits 

• HS 303 History of Social Welfare 
• HS 405 Econometrics
• HS 532 Social Policy Analysis
• HS 472b Policy to Action: Understanding Implementation 
• HS 372 Economic Theory and Social Policy
• HS 332 Research Methods
• HS 529 Diversity, Inclusion and Equity in Social Policy 
• HS 336 MPP capstone Seminar 

C. The remaining credits are taken as electives. 

The program is usually completed in four and a half semesters including the summer between years one and two.

Residence Requirement

The in-person residence requirement is 4.5 semesters of full-time study or the equivalent thereof in part-time study.

Capstone

Dual-degree students must meet the MPP second-year capstone requirement and will generally focus their papers on Jewish community-related policy. Capstone advisors will include the instructor of the capstone seminar and a designee from the Hornstein program.

Supervised Professional Field Experience

Supervised professional field experience forms an important part of the Hornstein program. It is designed to immerse students in the best professional practices and organizations within the Jewish community, and to help students refine their practical skills, learn to turn theory into action, and become self-reflective and effective practitioners.

Field experience usually takes place in the summer and/or second year of the program and consists of approximately 150 hours of work managing a project jointly created by the student, the Hornstein faculty, and the supervisor in the field organization.

Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel
Students take a classroom 2-credit seminar and then travel to Israel (at least once, 10 days) as a required part of the curriculum to examine contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with diaspora communities.

Language Requirement

Prior to the end of their final semester, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew equivalent to two semesters of college/university study.  Students may fulfill the Hebrew language requirement by 1) placing out of the requirement through a written and /or oral assessment, 2) providing evidence of passing (B- or above) two semesters of Hebrew at the college/university level, 3) providing evidence of successfully completing a Hebrew language ulpan, or 4) passing (B- or above) a 20- or higher level Hebrew course at Brandeis. Hebrew credits may count as elective credits, but not as required curriculum course credits.

Co-curricular Requirements

Hornstein Community Time
Meeting periodically throughout the year, these required sessions enable Hornstein community building and enable students to present their learning to one another. Students are involved in planning and coordinating the various Community Time activities.

Betty Starr Colloquium
Students spend four days during each academic year visiting the national offices of major and start-up Jewish organizations in a North American center of Jewish life.  The goal is to explore aspects of the communal agenda with agency executives. 

Requirements for the Dual Degree of Master of Arts (MA in Jewish Professional Leadership and MA in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies)

This program prepares future Jewish leaders to understand contemporary issues within the context of Jewish history, culture, and tradition. The program provides the knowledge, research skills, and practical tools necessary to envision and help shape twenty-first-century Jewish life. Graduates of this dual degree program receive a Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Leadership from the Hornstein Program, and a Master of Arts from the Department of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies.

Degree Requirements

The dual degree requires eighty course credits, usually completed in four and a half semesters, including the summer between years one and two. 

A. Approximately forty credits are taken as Hornstein courses as follows:

• HRNS 380 Proseminar
• HRNS 237 Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 261 Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership
• HRNS 231 Jewish Community in Historical Perspective
• HRNS 246 Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 247 Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 234 Human Resource Management for Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 241 Skills & Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy & Fundraising
• HRNS 230 Managing Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 399 Capstone Seminar
• HRNS 350 Myra Kraft Seminar on Israel
• HRNS 297 Field Experience

B. Approximately thirty-six credits (100-level or above) are taken as NEJS courses (of which at least 24 credits are taught by NEJS faculty members).

C. The remaining credits are taken as electives. 

D. First year students are required to participate in a weekly for-credit graduate Proseminar (NEJS 231a) during the fall.

E. Students must also complete a final comprehensive examination, thesis, or capstone project related to both Hornstein and NEJS learning.

F. The remainder of each student’s program is individualized and is created in conjunction with advisors from Hornstein and NEJS.

Residence Requirement

The in-person residence requirement is 4.5 semesters of full-time study or the equivalent thereof in part-time study.

Capstone Project

Students must complete one of the three capstone options listed under the requirements for the NEJS MA, in a manner that reflects and integrates their study in this joint program.

Supervised Professional Field Experience

Supervised professional field experience forms an important part of the Hornstein program. It is designed to immerse students in the best professional practices and organizations within the Jewish community, and to help students refine their practical skills, learn to turn theory into action, and become self-reflective and effective practitioners.

Field experience usually takes place in the summer and/or second year of the program and consists of approximately 150 hours of work managing a project jointly created by the student, the Hornstein faculty, and the supervisor in the field organization.

Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel

Students take a classroom 2-credit seminar and then travel to Israel (at least once, 10 days) as a required part of the curriculum to examine contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with diaspora communities.

Language Requirement

All candidates are required to demonstrate language proficiency in modern Hebrew. Please see the language requirement for MA degree under Near Eastern and Judaic Studies in this Bulletin.

Cocurricular Requirements

Hornstein Community Time
Meeting periodically throughout the year, these required sessions enable Hornstein community building and enable students to present their learning to one another. Students are involved in planning and coordinating the various Community Time activities.

Betty Starr Colloquium

Students spend four days during each academic year visiting the national offices of major and start-up Jewish organizations in a North American center of Jewish life.  The goal is to explore aspects of the communal agenda with agency executives.

Program of Study

The Hornstein BA/MA degree supplements undergraduate study in the School of Arts and Sciences with a master’s degree in Jewish Professional Leadership. Achieved in a fifth (graduate) year of study, the Hornstein MA provides the professional skills and deep knowledge of the American and world Jewish communities that position graduates for work in a wide range of careers in the Jewish community. Highly motivated and academically successful Brandeis undergraduates are invited in the spring of their junior year to apply for admission to the five year BA/MA. Students must complete all requirements for the BA at the end of the fourth year.

Degree Requirements

A. The dual degree requires fifty-six course credits. 

B. Approximately forty total Hornstein credits are required, approximately eighteen of which are taken during the undergraduate senior year and the remainder during the graduate year. These include the following specific Hornstein courses:

• HRNS 380 Proseminar
• HRNS 237 Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 261 Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership
• HRNS 231 Jewish Community in Historical Perspective
• HRNS 246 Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 247 Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders
• HRNS 234 Human Resource Management for Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 241 Skills & Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy & Fundraising
• HRNS 230 Managing Jewish Nonprofits
• HRNS 340 Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership
• HRNS 299 Thesis/Final Project
• HRNS 399 Capstone Seminar
• HRNS 350 Myra Kraft Seminar on Israel
• HRNS 297 Field Experience

C. The remaining credits are taken as electives at the 100-level or above. 

Residence Requirement

The in-person residence requirement is 2.5 semesters (summer, fall, spring) of full-time study (the fifth year), after completing the BA.

Capstone

Dual-degree students complete a significant final thesis or capstone project during the last semester of the fifth year. All final projects must be approved by the student’s Hornstein advisor.

Supervised Professional Field Experience

Supervised professional field experience forms an important part of the Hornstein program. It is designed to immerse students in the best professional practices and organizations within the Jewish community, and to help students refine their practical skills, learn to turn theory into action, and become self-reflective and effective practitioners.

Field experience usually takes place in the summer and/or second year of the program and consists of approximately 150 hours of work managing a project jointly created by the student, the Hornstein faculty, and the supervisor in the field organization.

Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel

Students take a classroom 2-credit seminar and then travel to Israel (at least once, 10 days) as a required part of the curriculum to examine contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with diaspora communities.

Language Requirement

Prior to the end of their final semester, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew equivalent to two semesters of college/university study.  Students may fulfill the Hebrew language requirement by 1) placing out of the requirement through a written and /or oral assessment, 2) providing evidence of passing (B- or above) two semesters of Hebrew at the college/university level, 3) providing evidence of successfully completing a Hebrew language ulpan, or 4) passing (B- or above) a 20- or higher level Hebrew course at Brandeis. Hebrew credits may count as elective credits, but not as required curriculum course credits.

Co-curricular Requirements

Hornstein Community Time
Meeting periodically throughout the year, these required sessions enable Hornstein community building and enable students to present their learning to one another. Students are involved in planning and coordinating the various Community Time activities.

Betty Starr Colloquium

Students spend four days during each academic year visiting the national offices of major and start-up Jewish organizations in a North American center of Jewish life.  The goal is to explore aspects of the communal agenda with agency executives.

Program of Study

The Hornstein MA in Jewish Professional Leadership  provides the professional skills and deep knowledge of the American and world Jewish communities that position graduates for work in a wide range of careers in the Jewish community. 

Degree Requirements

The degree requires forty Hornstein course credits. The program is usually completed in four and a half semesters, including the summer after the first year of the program. 

• HRNS 231  Jewish Community in Historical Perspective
• HRNS 246   Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders 
• HRNS 350a Myra Kraft Seminar on Israel 
• HRNS 380   Proseminar 
• HRNS 237  Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits HRNS 246  Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders 
• HRNS/NEJS 26  Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership
• HRNS 297  Field Experience (during summer)
• HRNS 241  Skills and Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy and Fundraising 
• HRNS 399a Capstone Seminar 
• HRNS 234a Human Resource Management for Jewish Nonprofits 
• HRNS 230  Managing Jewish Nonprofits

Residence Requirement

The in-person residence requirement is 2.5 semesters of full-time study or the equivalent thereof in part-time study.

Capstone Project

Hornstein MA students complete a significant final thesis or capstone project during the last semester. All final projects must be approved by the student’s Hornstein advisor.

Supervised Proffessional Field Experience

Supervised professional field experience forms an important part of the Hornstein program. It is designed to immerse students in the best professional practices and organizations within the Jewish community, and to help students refine their practical skills, learn to turn theory into action, and become self-reflective and effective practitioners.

Field experience usually takes place in the spring or summer semester of the program and consists of approximately 150 hours of work managing a project jointly created by the student, the Hornstein faculty, and the supervisor in the field organization.

Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel

Students take a classroom 2-credit seminar and then travel to Israel (at least once, 10 days) as a required part of the curriculum to examine contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with diaspora communities.

Language Requirement

Prior to the end of their final semester, students are required to demonstrate proficiency in Modern Hebrew equivalent to two semesters of college/university study.  Students may fulfill the Hebrew language requirement by 1) placing out of the requirement through a written and /or oral assessment, 2) providing evidence of passing (B- or above) two semesters of Hebrew at the college/university level, 3) providing evidence of successfully completing a Hebrew language ulpan, or 4) passing (B- or above) a 20- or higher level Hebrew course at Brandeis. Hebrew credits may count as elective credits, but not as required curriculum course credits.

Co-curricular Requirements

Hornstein Community Time

Meeting periodically throughout the year, these required sessions enable Hornstein community building and enable students to present their learning to one another. Students are involved in planning and coordinating the various Community Time activities.

Betty Starr Colloquium

Students spend four days during each academic year visiting the national offices of major and start-up Jewish organizations in a North American center of Jewish life.  The goal is to explore aspects of the communal agenda with agency executives.

Summer Registration

Master's students in the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership program should register for courses in consultation with your program through Workday self-service. Half-semester tuition will be charged.

The Hornstein program is affiliated with several Brandeis institutes and programs that promote research and continuing professional education in the field of Jewish professional leadership and Jewish education. Students have access to research projects, training, courses, and professionals associated with the following.

Crown Center for Middle East Studies

A research center committed to proving that it is possible to produce balanced, objective, and dispassionate research regarding all aspects of the contemporary Middle East. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/crown.

Genesis

A summer program for high school students empowering teens to relate their secular interests to Judaism by integrating their studies of the arts and humanities with social and political action. It provides a laboratory for work in informal Jewish education. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/genesis.

Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education

The Mandel Center is dedicated to the study and improvement of Jewish education. Through its initiatives in Jewish education, the Mandel Center contributes to a flourishing Jewish present and future. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/centers/mandel.

Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies

The Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies (CCMJS) is a multidisciplinary research center dedicated to bringing the concepts, theories, and techniques of social science to bear on the study of modern Jewish life. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/cmjs.

Schusterman Center for Israel Studies

The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies is dedicated to promoting exemplary teaching and scholarship in Israeli history, politics, culture, and society at Brandeis and beyond. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/israelcenter.

Steinhardt Social Research Institute

Collects, analyzes, and disseminates unbiased data about the Jewish community and about religion and ethnicity in the United States. For more information, please see www.brandeis.edu/ssri.

Every student, whether or not currently in residence, must register at the beginning of each term. All graduate students will be evaluated by the program each spring. At this evaluation the records of all graduate students will be carefully reviewed with reference to the timely completion of coursework and non-course degree requirements, the quality of the work and research in progress and the student’s overall academic performance in the program.

ED/HRNS 168a Summer Camp: The American Jewish Experience

How did American summer camps evolve? How did Jews appropriate this form for their communal needs? How did leadership develop and what are the pressing issues of today? These questions will be examined from historical, educational, and managerial perspectives. Usually offered every second year.
Joseph Reimer

NEJS 145a History of the State of Israel
[ hum ]

Examines the development of the State of Israel from its foundation to the present time. Israel's politics, society, and culture will be thematically analyzed. Usually offered every year.
Staff

NEJS 156a Modern Responsa Literature: The Sephardic Tradition
[ hum ]

The genre of Jewish literature known as Responsa has long been central to Jewish law. This course will focus on a large spectrum of responsa with significant attention being given to ones written by Israeli rabbis on a host of contemporary issues. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

NEJS 169a Inside the Religious School Classroom
[ hum ]

This course offers a 2-credit optional Experiential Learning practicum for students teaching in an area religious school.

Examines the purposes, pedagogies and outcomes of religious education broadly refined by analyzing records of practice (e.g. classroom videotapes, student work, curricula). Usually offered every second year.
Staff

NEJS 171b Tikkun Olam/Repairing the World: Service and Social Justice in Theory and Practice
[ hum ]

What does tikkun olam mean? What is a life of service? What should one learn from service-learning? Does "social justice" actually do any good? This is a service-learning course, and includes a service component in the field. Usually offered every third year.
Jon Levisohn

ED/HRNS 390a Independent Study

Staff

ED/HRNS 391a Independent Study

Yields half-course credit.

Staff

HRNS 202b Jewish Passages: Developing through the Cycles of Jewish Life

Thirteen-year-old American Jewish teens celebrating their bnei-mitzvah are engaging with a historic Jewish passage that has changed radically over the past century, as American Jews have continually adapted Jewish life cycle rituals to narrate who they are in the midst of a changing cultural milieu. From naming babies to celebrating a 95th birthday, Jewish passages are also viewed as opportunities for Jewish professionals to help individuals and families locate themselves within cycles of Jewish life. This course helps students understand how Judaism’s life cycle rituals relate to developmental psychologists’ understanding of the course of human development, while also bringing in the ways social scientists describe the evolution of these rituals. Usually offered every fourth year.
Joseph Reimer

HRNS 206f Informal Jewish Education

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit. May not be taken for credit by students who took HRNS 206b in prior years.

Explores what we mean by 'informal education' and how serious Jewish educators have brought "informal education" and "experiential learning" to settings as diverse as summer camps, Israel trips, arts programs, and community service initiatives. Usually offered every second year.
Joseph Reimer

HRNS 216f The Sabbath: A Textual Exploration

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Introduces the Sabbath through translated classical Jewish texts that depict its traditional design and meaning. Class discussion will explore how these texts are interpreted today by varying Jewish religious communities. Usually offered every second year.
Joseph Reimer

HRNS 231b The American Jewish Community in Historical Perspective

Uses history to shed light on the issues and challenges facing the contemporary American Jewish community. This course asks how the community assumed its current shape, and uses a series of historical case studies to examine past crises and the lessons that might be learned from them. The goal of this course is to help students craft a "usable past" - one that employs the hindsight of history to understand the present and plan ahead for the future. Usually offered every year.
Jonathan Sarna

HRNS 234a Human Resources Management in Jewish Nonprofits

Human resource management (HRM) aligns people with the mission of an organization. This course considers general principles of HRM and their application to Jewish and other non-profit organizations. Focuses on concepts and strategies that increase organization effectiveness (e.g., dealing with lay leaders, religious-secular differences) to enhance the value of people in organizations served. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HRNS 234f Human Resources Management in Jewish Nonprofits

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Human resource management (HRM) aligns people with the mission of an organization. This course considers general principles of HRM and their application to Jewish and other non-profit organizations. Focuses on concepts and strategies that increase organization effectiveness (e.g., dealing with lay leaders, religious-secular differences) to enhance the value of people in organizations served. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HRNS 237b Organizational Behavior in Jewish Nonprofits

Core course required for all Hornstein students. Also open to undergraduates and to graduate students from other departments with permission and signature of instructor.

Presents contemporary management theories, case studies, skill-building exercises, and traditional Jewish teachings to provide a conceptual understanding of individual and group behavior in Jewish nonprofit organizations. Covers such topics as motivation, trust, ethics, group dynamics, decision-making, power, conflict, influence, negotiation, lay-professional relations, leadership, organizational culture, and organizational change. Usually offered every year.
Mark Rosen

HRNS 241a Skills and Techniques in Jewish Philanthropy and Fundraising

Core course required of all Hornstein students.

Provides a conceptual framework and develops a community organizing approach, implementing fundraising campaigns for Jewish communal enterprises. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HRNS 246a Statistics for Jewish Professional Leaders

Prerequisite: HRNS 247a. Core course required of all Hornstein students. 

Provides an introduction to statistical thinking and analytical methods. Focus is on understanding statistical reasoning and interpreting analyses. Topics include descriptive and inferential statistics applied to understanding survey research, evaluation, and policy studies relevant to Jewish organizational leadership. Usually offered every year.
Matt Boxer

HRNS 247a Program Evaluation for Jewish Professional Leaders

Core course required of all Hornstein students.

Provides participants with an understanding of the basic concepts of evaluation research and their application to Jewish communal policy. Emphasizes methodological issues and their application to social interventions and program delivery using exemplars from the Jewish communal sphere. Usually offered every year.
Fern Chertok and Len Saxe

HRNS 248f Jewish Texts for Professional Leaders

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Introduces Jewish Text study in English on themes from Biblical, rabbinic, medieval and modern sources. Students gain appreciation for how these texts grapple with key questions still alive for world Jewry. Usually offered every second year.
Joseph Reimer

HRNS 260f Jewish Community and Jewish Identity

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Focuses on understanding the qualities and skills required of Jewish leadership facing our most complex challenges and choices. How particular? How universal? Is Israel the most divisive issue in American Jewish life or our most powerful unifying force? What will community and Peoplehood mean for the Millennial generation and the ones that follow. In particular we'll focus on Jewish community and its relationship to the crucial institutions and networks that comprise Jewish Community, The important role that community and its institutions play in shaping Jewish identity and conversely the critical role that Jewish identity plays as the glue that holds community together. We will therefore explore the nature and meaning of Jewish identity, historically and for the next generation and our critical relationship to Israel as it goes through its own challenges. We will also try to better understand the interaction between leadership and management when confronting periods of redefinition. As leaders we must do more than manage a good 'process.' We must have a future vision of our own and a preferred path for getting there. Usually offered every second year.
Barry Shrage

HRNS 297a Hornstein Professional Field Experience

Open to Hornstein students who have completed at least one semester of course work in the program. Course yields half-course credit.

Students work 150-250 hours under the mentorship of a leader in a Jewish nonprofit organization. Placements are carefully designed to advance professional leadership skills and match students' interests and career goals. Each student is advised by a faculty member and by the manager of fieldwork and alumni relations. Usually offered every semester.
Staff

HRNS 298a Advanced Professional Field Experience

Prerequisite: HRNS 297a or permission of the instructor. Course yields half-course credit.

For Hornstein students who wish to pursue an additional elective field experience beyond the requirement of HRNS 297a. Students work a minimum of 125 hours in a Jewish nonprofit organization, and are required to conduct a literature review and submit a related paper that is connected to their fieldwork project. Fieldwork projects are carefully designed to provide students with practical experience as well as guidance and mentoring from experienced Jewish professionals. Each student is advised by the Director of Field Experience Programs. Usually offered every semester.
Mark Rosen

HRNS 299a Master's Thesis

Staff

HRNS 329f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Sharon Feiman-Nemser

HRNS 332a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Joseph Reimer

HRNS 333f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Joseph Reimer

HRNS 334a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Mark Rosen

HRNS 335f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Mark Rosen

HRNS 338a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Jonathan Sarna

HRNS 339f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Jonathan Sarna

HRNS 340a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Ellen Smith

HRNS 341f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Ellen Smith

HRNS 342a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Len Saxe

HRNS 343f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Len Saxe

HRNS 345f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Rachel Fish

HRNS 346a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Jon Levisohn

HRNS 347f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Jon Levisohn

HRNS 348a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Matt Boxer

HRNS 349f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Matt Boxer

HRNS 350a Jewish Professional Leadership Seminar on Israel

Required core course for all Hornstein students. Yields half-course credit.

Examines contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with Diaspora communities. Course begins with on-campus sessions and culminates in Israel. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HRNS 350b Myra Kraft Seminar in Israel

Yields half-course credit.

An intensive examination of contemporary issues in Israeli society and its relationship with Diaspora communities. Course culminates in Israel. Usually offered every year.
Staff

HRNS 351a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Barry Shrage

HRNS 352f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Barry Shrage

HRNS 355a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Fern Chertok

HRNS 356f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Fern Chertok

HRNS 357a Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Shirley Idelson

HRNS 358f Readings in Jewish Professional Leadership

Meets for one-half semester and yields half-course credit.

Shirley Idelson

HRNS 380a Proseminar: Issues, Structure, and Perspectives of the American Jewish Community

Required course for all Hornstein students.

An introduction to key issues in the structure and perspectives of the American Jewish community. Students will develop a shared background, language, and experiences in their first semester to serve as a foundation throughout their career--both at Brandeis and in the field. Usually offered every year.
Ellen Smith

HRNS 390a Independent Study

Staff

HRNS 399a Capstone

Yields half-course credit.

The final course in the Hornstein curriculum, the class transitions Hornstein learning to the coming professional workplace in the Jewish community through faculty "last lectures," critical assessments of current issues, and student presentations. Usually offered every year.
Ellen Smith

HRNS/NEJ 261a Strategies and Quandaries in Contemporary Leadership

Examines models of leadership and challenges facing leaders in contemporary organizational life, through Jewish history and culture placed in conversation with other cultural and disciplinary perspectives from critical race studies, women's and gender studies, disability studies, and indigenous studies. Classes will be discussion-based, centered around the productive contrasts and interactions between the readings, and the contemporary practices and experiences of students' leadership. Usually offered every second year.
Lynn Kaye

ED/NEJS 170b Inside Jewish Education: Language, Literacy, and Reading
[ hum ]

Combines autobiography, classroom videotapes, curriculum investigation and fieldwork to explore the purposes, practices and effects of contemporary Jewish education in its many forms and venues. Usually offered every other year.
Ziva Hassenfeld

NEJS 145a History of the State of Israel
[ hum ]

Examines the development of the State of Israel from its foundation to the present time. Israel's politics, society, and culture will be thematically analyzed. Usually offered every year.
Staff

NEJS 156a Modern Responsa Literature: The Sephardic Tradition
[ hum ]

The genre of Jewish literature known as Responsa has long been central to Jewish law. This course will focus on a large spectrum of responsa with significant attention being given to ones written by Israeli rabbis on a host of contemporary issues. Usually offered every second year.
Staff

NEJS 169a Inside the Religious School Classroom
[ hum ]

This course offers a 2-credit optional Experiential Learning practicum for students teaching in an area religious school.

Examines the purposes, pedagogies and outcomes of religious education broadly refined by analyzing records of practice (e.g. classroom videotapes, student work, curricula). Usually offered every second year.
Staff

NEJS 169b From Sunday Schools to Birthright: History of American Jewish Education
[ hum ]

Empowers students to articulate a reality-based, transformative vision of Jewish education that is grounded in an appreciation for the history and sociology of American Jewish education. It will familiarize students with and contextualize the present Jewish educational landscape, through the use of historical case studies and current research, encouraging students to view the field from an evolutionary perspective. The seminar will address Jewish education in all its forms, including formal and informal settings (e.g., schools, camps, youth groups, educational tourism). Usually offered every third year
Jonathan Krasner

NEJS 171b Tikkun Olam/Repairing the World: Service and Social Justice in Theory and Practice
[ hum ]

What does tikkun olam mean? What is a life of service? What should one learn from service-learning? Does "social justice" actually do any good? This is a service-learning course, and includes a service component in the field. Usually offered every third year.
Jon Levisohn