Jewish Studies minors at UWM examine the culture and religion of the Jewish people through language, history, arts, media, politics, and literature. 

The Jewish Studies program prepares students for work in a multicultural world with a skill set that includes the ability to analyze texts and weigh different interpretations, present persuasive arguments in writing and speech, and appreciate different backgrounds and viewpoints. Jewish Studies alumni have found careers in social welfare, Jewish organization administration, government, business administration, journalism, the arts, education, and other fields. Further graduate study has led others to careers in religious leadership as rabbis or cantors.

Jewish Studies minors can further their education by participating in UWM’s Study Abroad opportunities in Israel. Majors and minors studying in Israel are eligible for travel awards from the Stahl Center for Jewish Studies. The Stahl Center for Jewish Studies also offers other scholarships and awards to outstanding Jewish Studies majors and minors, including a scholarship for majors that helps students in their final semesters, so they can progress to graduation more easily.

A minor in Jewish Studies may be of particular interest to students earning a certificate in Middle Eastern and North African Studies, Cultures and Communities, and/or Comparative Ethnic Studies, or a major in Religious Studies.

Both the major and minor can be completed fully online for students who need coursework that fits their schedules.

Requirements

The minor requires completion of a minimum of 18 credits, at least 9 of which must be taken at the 300 level or above in residence at UWM, in courses approved for the major (see list below). Other courses may be counted towards the minor with approval of the coordinator. The College requires that students earn a GPA of at least 2.0 on all credits for the minor attempted at UWM. In addition, students must earn a GPA of 2.0 on all minor credits attempted, including any transfer work.

Select 18 credits from the following:

HEBREW 101First Semester Hebrew4
HEBREW 102Second Semester Hebrew4
HEBREW 201Third-Semester Hebrew4
HEBREW 202Fourth-Semester Hebrew4
HIST 282The Modern Middle East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries3
HIST 363Germany: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship3
HIST 364The Holocaust: Anti-Semitism & the Fate of Jewish People in Europe, 1933-453
JEWISH 100Introduction to Judaism3
JEWISH 101Jewish Culture in America: History, Literature, Film3
JEWISH 230Bible Stories3
JEWISH 231Introduction to the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible3
JEWISH 235The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Bible3
JEWISH 261Representing the Holocaust in Words and Images3
JEWISH/POL SCI 328The Arab-Israeli Conflict3
JEWISH 331Topics in Biblical Literature:3
JEWISH 332Women in the Bible3
JEWISH/FILMSTD 350Global Jewish Film and Television:3
JEWISH/HIST 358The Jews of Modern Europe: History and Culture3
JEWISH 368Jewish and Christian Responses to the Holocaust3
JEWISH/HIST 379Introduction to Jewish History3
JEWISH 699Advanced Independent Study1-3