As you register for courses, keep in mind that these courses below count towards the JS minor for the general track, and some count towards the social science track of the JS minor. There are generous scholarships for the winter and summer study abroad programs to Israel, and scholarships that cover full tuition for Hebrew. If you need guidance in completing your minor, please email Director Professor Aronoff at aronoffy@msu.edu
Jewish Studies Minor Courses 2025
All are welcome to enroll in our courses
Fall 2025
For questions about whether any other course counts toward the minor please check with Professor Yael Aronoff at aronoffy@msu.edu.
ENG 356 Readings in Jewish Literature, S. Rachman (3 credits)
Mon Wed 10:20 AM-11:40 AM
This course sets out to explore English-language-based Jewish-American writing in global literary-historical contexts. The last decades have seen a virtual explosion of important and interesting works by writers of Jewish backgrounds writing in American and global literary traditions. This writing ranges from sophisticated work from major established literary figures like Philip Roth and Cynthia Ozick to newer writers like Nicole Krauss, Dara Horn, and Nathan Englander. It reflects both a flowering of literary creativity and a cultural moment in which the lineaments of Jewish-American culture and tradition are being contested, re-imagined, and redrawn in global and historical terms. During the term we will read six recent works using a variety of shorter texts (stories and essays) as points of reference in the history of Jewish-American culture as it has emerged in the U.S. and in global literary context. We will also have recourse to several landmark films addressing Jewish-American experience and themes.
HEB 101 (4 cr.) Elementary Hebrew I
Sec. 001 – Mon-Thu, 9:10-10:00 AM
Sec. 002 – Tuesday and Thursday 2:40-4:30
Introduction to spoken and written Hebrew for conversation, reading, and research. Basic grammatical analysis of modern Hebrew.
HEB 201 (4 cr.) Second-Year Hebrew I – Mon-Thu, 10:20-11:10 AM
Intermediate level spoken and written Hebrew for conversation, reading, and research. Advanced grammatical analysis of modern Hebrew.
HST 317: American Jewish History (3 credits)
Mon Wed 2:40 PM-4:00 PM
This course will trace the development of the American Jewish community from 1654, when 23 Jewish refugees fled Brazil and landed by mistake in the city that would become New York, to the present, when American Jews have become such a successful and well-integrated ethnic and religious community that bagels, schmucks and Seth Rogen have become familiar parts of popular American culture. Composed of many different groups, including Ashkenazic and Sephardic, Reform, Orthodox and Conservative, Reconstructionist, feminist, atheist, and secular, as well as many different racial and gender identities, including Black, Latino, Asian, gay, lesbian, and transgender, the American Jewish community is not easily typed, and we will devote some of the class to examining battles over what it means to be an American Jew. Focusing on successive waves of immigration, we will also explore the changing ways in which Jews have been included as integral members of the American nation, as well as the ways that they have been excluded as outsiders.
IAH 207-040: Literatures, Cultures, Identities I, V. Weiss (4 credits)
Focus: Monsters in Film and Literature
Mon Wed 10:20 AM-12:10 PM
The twenty-first century has seen a surge in depictions of monsters in films and literature, from the extraordinary success of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises, to Godzilla. What is the allure of monsters and why do we enjoy this kind of fear? What do monsters represent, and what hidden desires and anxieties do they allow authors and filmmakers to express? Throughout the eras and in every culture, we find variations of monstrous creatures that embody social boundaries, norms, and values. The course explores literary and cinematic texts that represent a variety of heroes, anti-heroes, monsters and others. We will review how these characters construct the notions of the “I” and the “other” and how they reflect cultural paradigms and socio-political changes.
IAH 241G–002: Creative Arts and Humanities: Film and Culture (D), V. Weiss (4 credits)
Focus: Israeli Cinema and Television
Mon Wed 12:40 PM-2:30 PM
Through academic engagement with Israeli cinema and television, this course opens a window into the beauty and complexities of Israeli society. We will explore the plurality and diversity of Israeli society, which encompasses various sociopolitical, cultural communities. This course considers the various ways the filmic medium has portrayed Israel’s complex matrix of cultural identities. The different sessions address some of the major factors shaping Israeli culture (e.g., immigration; the regional conflict; gender politics; and queer identities).
MC 335: Israeli Politics, Cultures, and Society, A. Tal (4 credits)
Tue Thu 12:00 PM-3:00 PM
Analysis of Israeli politics and society. Relationship between society and: social and ethnic cleavages, culture and politics, political institutions and parties, and democracy and the Jewish nature of the state. Israel’s foreign policy and its influence of foreign policy on shifting national-ism and political contestations.
MC 450: International Environmental Policy A. Tal (3 credits)
Tue Thu 4:00 PM-7:00 PM
The environment in the Middle East reflects the impacts of millennia of continued human activities, with degraded soils, biodiversity loss and contaminated water resources. In a trial-and-error process since its inception, Israel has pursued an ambitious program of ecological restoration through afforestation, aggressive water management and environmental conservation. Yet, the country’s population has grown by over 800% creating health hazards and damage to natural resources. This course evaluates the effectiveness of different environmental policies in Israel and involving its neighbor from a variety of perspectives. It also assesses potential regional ecological cooperation as part of a Middle Eastern peace process.
MC 387: Jews and Antisemitism, B. Lorch (4 credits)
Mon Wed 10:20 AM-11:40 AM
MC 387 studies antisemitism both as a pressing problem in contemporary public affairs and as “the longest hatred,” a stubborn prejudice that has persisted for thousands of years. Since the beginning of Christianity, Jews have been singled out for persecution by communities in which they lived as a minority. In recent years, antisemitism has surged in the United States and Europe, after having declined in the decades following the Holocaust. We will attempt to understand this troubling phenomenon by examining its history, underlying causes, and contemporary manifestations.
The first part of the course studies the history of antisemitism from the rise of Christianity to the Holocaust. We will look at how hostility to Judaism emerged in early Christianity; why antisemitism persisted in modern societies based on equality and individual rights; and how Nazi antisemitism led to the near annihilation of the Jewish population in Europe during the Holocaust. We will also trace the origins of stereotypes about Jewish malevolence, power, and greed; pay particular attention to how different ideologies have been used to justify antisemitism, including traditional religion, western liberalism, Marxism, and pseudo-scientific racism; and consider how Jews have responded to antisemitism both politically and theologically throughout their history.
The second part of the course will study contemporary antisemitism with a focus on the United States. We will study the current resurgence of antisemitism both in light of the history of antisemitism and by trying to understand its more immediate causes. We will consider how antisemitism plays a role in the ideology of new right-wing movements, as well as sources of antisemitism on the political left. We will pay particular attention to the connection between the creation of the State of Israel and increasing antisemitism worldwide, and current debates over the relation between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.
REL 150: Exploring Biblical Literature, C. Frilingos (3 credits)
Mon Wed 1:00 PM-2:20 PM
A critical survey of biblical texts, including the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and writings found in the Apocrypha/Deuterocanon, that combines historical and literary analysis with attention to the ancient religious context of this literature.
IAH 211C-008: Judaism in America, L. Yares (3 credits)
Mon Wed 3:00-4:50 PM
This course explores the rich history and evolving identities of American Jews from the colonial era to the present day. We will investigate how immigration, ideas about Jewish religion, culture, and politics have shaped American Jews and American Judaism. The course will pay particular attention to the production of American Jewish culture and art.
Spring 2025
HEB 102: Elementary Hebrew II, Y. Kedem (4 credits) Mon Tu Wed Th 9:10-10:00am
Further work on spoken and written Hebrew for conversation, reading, and research. Further basic grammatical analysis of modern Hebrew.
HEB 202: Second Year Hebrew II, Y. Kedem (4 credits) Mon Tu Wed Th 10:20-11:10am
Further intermediate-level spoken and written Hebrew for conversation, reading, and research. Further advanced grammatical analysis of modern Hebrew.
HST 331: Ancient Roman History 200 BCE to 500 CE, N. Kaye (3 credits) Mon Wed 2:40 PM-4:00 PM
What makes someone a citizen – or in Latin, a civis? Who gets to be a citizen? What is citizenship really worth? This class takes you back into the world of, first, the Roman Republic, and then, the Roman Empire, not only for a tour – but also in search of answers. We will track the Roman citizenry as it emerged out of clan warfare in a small village-turned-city-state in central Italy, ca. 500 BCE – all the way until it was expanded to include all free inhabitants of lands stretching from Britain to Syria, ca. 200 CE. In other words, we will seek to understand how the meaning of citizenship changed in Roman history.
The religions of Rome figure prominently in a class that tracks the globalization of Roman religion, the clash with Judaism, and the rise of Christianity. The challenges that both of these world religions represented We focus on monuments such as the Colosseum and Arch of Titus when studying the city of Rome in the Digital Scholarship Lab’s 360 Room, grappling with the rise of the dynasty of the Flavians that attended the destruction of Herod’s kingdom in Judaea and the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
When it comes to warfare, civil engineering, family mores, gender relations, or law, whether you think the Romans were pretty awesome or pretty terrible – and hopefully, your mind isn’t quite made up yet! – the course offers you a way to evaluate the Romans more critically by placing them in historical context.
HST 392: History of the Holocaust, A. Simon (3 credits) Tu Th 10:20-11:40am
Nazi persecution and genocide in Europe, 1933-1945. Jewish experience within broader context. Perpetrators, victims, bystanders, and resistors. Post-Holocaust memory, film, literature, and philosophical implications.
HST 480 Sec. 001: Seminar in American History: The United States and the Holocaust, K. Fermaglich (3 credits) Mon Wed 1:00-2:20pm
The Holocaust—the murder of six million Jews under the Nazi regime—did not touch American soil. Yet, from the Diary of Anne Frank to Schindler’s List to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Holocaust has taken central stage in the American cultural imagination. How can we understand the power of the Holocaust in a society that was, in general, physically untouched by the catastrophe? This HST 480 class will explore connections between American history and the Holocaust. In the first part of the class, we will ask questions about how the United States responded to the mass murder of Jews in Europe. How did American Jews respond? In the second part of the class, we will ask questions about the legacy of the Holocaust in the United States after 1945. How were survivors of the Holocaust integrated into American society? How have representations of the Holocaust in literature, film, and theater changed over time in the United States? How and why has the Holocaust been memorialized in American public spaces? This class is not only an exploration of the relationship between the United States and the Holocaust; however It is also a senior history seminar. Students will build on previous understandings of historical inquiry to learn more in depth about the concept of historiography and the practice of historical research. You will write an original paper or develop a website on a subject of your choice related to the subject of the United States and the Holocaust.
HST 481W Sec. 001: From Alexander to Bar Kochiva: The Holy Land in the Graeco-Roman Period, N. Kaye (3 credits)
Mon Wed 10:20-11:40am
When did the Judeans become the Jews? What were the Maccabees really fighting for? Was the war with Rome, which resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, an inevitable consequence of the clash between Judaism and Hellenism? Who was the cruel and chameleon Herod the Great? What was everyday life like in the Galilee of Jesus of Nazareth? These are some of the questions explored in our seminar, which tracks the development of Judaism under the Hellenistic regimes of the Ptolemies, Seleukids, and Hasmoneans, including the millennialism of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran) and the sometimes violent sectarianism of Roman Judaea. The course will emphasize the historical and cultural geography of the Holy Land during a period of great change. Another focus will be relations between Judeans/Jews and others, such as Samaritans, Phoenicians, Nabateans, and Edomites/Idumeans. Students can expect a significant archaeological component, as well as visits to the 360 room in the Digital Scholarship Lab (virtual trips to Jerusalem, the desert fortress of Masada and elsewhere), as well as to Rare Books where we will examine MSU’s Samaritan Pentateuch and ancient synagogue inscription, a fascinating window on to the making of the Hebrew Bible as we know it today.
IAH 211C Sec. 003: Area Studies and Multicultural Civilizations: The Americas (D): Beyond Sandler and Seinfeld: Introduction to American Jewish Culture, K. Fermaglich
Mon Wed 3:00-4:50pm
This class is designed to introduce students to some key issues and debates in modern American Jewish culture. Rather than examining Jewish culture as one integrated body, we will look at the different ways that different Jewish people throughout the country construct their identities, their heritage, and their religion. We will also examine the conflicts that have arisen among Jews because of these differences, as well as the unities that make Jews see themselves as one people.
IAH 207 Sec. 046: Literatures, Cultures, Identities: Monsters in Film and Literature, V. Weiss
Tu Thu 12:40-2:30
Explorations in how literature reflects, creates, and challenges cultural and individual identities. Approaches and materials from literature, philosophy, the arts, religion, and history. Selected themes and issues, variable by term.
MC 202 Sec. 005: Narratives of Trauma: Case Study: The Holocaust, A. Simon (4 credits)
Mon Wed 10:20-12:10pm
This class examines Holocaust history and representation, with a focus on the ways in which those representations discuss/reveal important issues relating to trauma and memory. We will examine immediate reactions to the Holocaust, written during the event, then move to postwar memoirs and oral testimonies and second generation and fictionalized depictions of the events that occurred. Our goal will be to become familiar with many genres of writing and a variety of potentials for dealing with similar life experiences. We will examine how different authors constructed their narratives and what trauma meant for each of those authors both during and after the Holocaust. We will analyze the ways that time and memory change narratives and the ways that distance from the events (temporally and physically) influence the kinds of stories people tell. Weaved together with this content will be an introduction to academic research. Students will be guided through all parts of the research process, from learning how to produce research questions, to writing thesis statements, to researching in the library and archives, to organizing an effective paper. The end result will be a 10-12 page research paper.
MC 202: Introduction to the Study of Public Affairs II, S. Garnett (4 credits)
Tu Th 10:20-12:10pm
This section of the course will focus on the city of Vilnius, 1920-1944, concentrating on both Jewish and Polish Communities through the eyes of its major writers, Chaim Grade, Abraham Sutzkever, and Czeslaw Miłosz, as well as other materials.
MC 332: Literature and Politics in a Comparative Perspective, S. Garnett (4 credits)
Tu Th 3:00-4:20pm
Comparative examination of literary representations of politics and political themes involving different national literatures, literary genres and/or other narrative forms. The focus of this course will be the writer and the state in Soviet Russia. We will read works by Isaac Babel, Yevgeny Zamyatin, and Mikhail Bulgakov, as well as other materials, focusing on how each writer encountered and represented the Soviet state.
REL 310: Judaism, L. Yares (3 credits)
Mon Tu Wed 12:40-2:00pm
Jewish life, thought, and institutions. Jewish calendar. Second Temple and Rabbinic periods. Talmud and Midrash. Jewish life in Europe and America. Hasidic, Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative movements. Anti-Semitism, Zionism, and the Holocaust. Current issues.
UGS 201 Sec. 740: Big Ideas Seminar, M. Shipley
Online, Synchronous
HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORTARY ANTISEMITISM. This seminar will afford students from across the university the opportunity to learn about the historical roots and contexts of contemporary antisemitism, to define antisemitism, and to identify key tropes in the history of antisemitism. Antisemitism is at historic levels in the United States, and we know some students have also experienced it on our campus. This course will help students recognize antisemitism and understand its historical roots. Class is primarily online asynchronous with attendance required at one of three in-person events. This course is restricted to First- and Second-year students, but overrides can be requested through course administrators by emailing (lucasaly@msu.edu and robi1233@msu.edu).