Founded in 1981, the undergraduate Jewish Studies Program at Purdue provides students with the opportunity to become acquainted with the culture, language, literature, history, philosophy, and religious customs of the Jewish people from antiquity to the present.
Purdue offers both a major and a minor in Jewish Studies, with considerable flexibility to tailor the program to individual interests and goals. A range of extracurricular activities complements the academic curriculum.
Individuals wishing to major in Jewish Studies will take "Introduction to Jewish Studies" (JWST 330), four semesters of Hebrew language (HEBR 101, 102, 201, 202 [Modern Hebrew] or HEBR 121, 122, 221, 222 [Biblical Hebrew]), and 18 additional credits in Judaica.
Individuals wishing to minor in Jewish Studies will take "Introduction to Jewish Studies" (JWST 330) and 12 additional credits in Judaica. A minor in Jewish Studies accompanies any major.
The Jewish Studies Program:
- Offers undergraduate majors and minors in Jewish Studies
- Offers instruction in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew
- Awards the Jerome Frumkin Scholarship in Jewish Studies to an outstanding undergraduate in Jewish Studies
- Awards the Saul Lerner Graduate Student Teaching Award
- Awards Lotte Hirsch Travel Grants for graduate student Judaica research and conference participation
- Co-sponsors the Larry Axel Memorial Lectureship in Religion
- Sponsors the Ben and Louise Klatch Jewish Arts Series
Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies
On behalf of Purdue University’s Jewish Studies Program, Purdue University Press publishes Shofar: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Jewish Studies. Founded in 1981 and published triannually, Shofar presents original scholarly work and reviews a wide range of recent books on Jewish Studies.