The school participates in a variety of programs in cooperation with the University of Southern California and with departments of religion of other universities and theological schools.


Programs Offered

Doctoral Programs

Doctor of Hebrew Letters - limited to rabbinical alumni of HUC-JIR, or a comparable rabbinical seminary. All requirements of the D.H.L. degree are generally completed within 7 years from the date of the candidate's matriculation in the program. Requirements for the D.H.L. conform to the requirements for this degree at the Cincinnati School.

Doctor of Hebrew Studies - is open to qualified candidates who are to demonstrate an advanced level of Hebrew language competency. Sixty credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree or its equivalent are required. Candidates who hold a Master of Arts in Religion, Judaic Studies or related fields, or its equivalent, may, upon successful petition, transfer up to 28 units of credit toward the D.H.S.

Graduate students of the College-Institute who are pursuing the Doctor of Hebrew Studies degree may be required to take graduate work in the School of Religion or other schools or departments at the University of Southern California.

For the D.H.S. Degree, examinations in the candidate's program may be required. Either the major or the minors must involve extensive use of Hebrew sources. Candidates must submit a dissertation reflecting ability to do advanced and independent research.

A member of the graduate committee will be assigned to chair the candidate's guidance committee. The candidate and chairperson will meet to outline the complete course of study, procedure, dates, deadlines and requirements, with periodic meetings to follow; the guidance chairperson will keep the graduate committee informed of the candidate's progress.

Candidates for the D.H.S. Degree are required to submit an acceptable dissertation proposal to the Committee on Graduate Study only after successful completion of all course work for the 60 credit hours. The dissertation must be approved by the guidance committee before the candidate will be admitted to the final oral examination in the major field. Two copies of the dissertation are to be presented to the registrar. After the dissertation has been approved, the candidate shall stand for examination in the major subject.

All requirements for the D.H.S. Degree are normally completed within seven years from the date of the formal approval of the candidate's program by the graduate committee. After the expiration date, the candidate may petition the graduate committee for an extension.

Master of Arts Program

Master of Arts in Judaic Studies - The M.A.J.S. program offers advanced academic training in Bible, Rabbinical Literature, History, Jewish Thought, Gender Studies, and Modern Hebrew Literature. It is designed for individuals who seek to enhance their work in Jewish communal and professional life, and for those who seek preparation for a doctoral program in Judaic Studies or Religion.

Completion of the degree requires 36 credits, of which 20 must be completed at HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. A thesis is expected of all candidates for the degree. In some cases, a student may petitions to add 9 units of course work in lieu of the Master's project. The program is normally completed in two years.


Course Offerings

Please consult the course bulletins distributed prior to each semester for a list of available courses during that academic year, since not all courses listed below are offered each year.

In addition to courses of the type listed below, students in the Graduate School may enroll in the 500 level courses in the Rabbinical School. Some of the 600-level courses may be offered for independent study.

Hebrew Literature 611
Brenner's final novel, Schechol Vechishalon (Breakdown and Bereavement), read primarily from a literary point of view, but with attention to the social implications of the work.

Hebrew Literature 613
The novels and short stories of Agnon with specific reference to figurative language.

Hebrew Literature 614
Eight major essays reflecting various phases of 19^th and 20^th century Jewish life.

Contemporary Fiction of Jewish Reference 615
Issues in 20^th century Jewish life reflected in fiction, primarily short fiction, by Jews and non-Jews.

Contemporary Poetry of Jewish Reference 616
Issues in 20^th century Jewish life reflected in poems by Jews and non-Jews.

Comparative Scripture in Monotheistic Religions JS 619
A historical, literary, and theological comparative examination of the Hebrew Bible, New Testament and the Qur'an.

Jews in Transition 620
A socio-psychological approach to the transition of East European Jews to western (primarily American) society.

Social Reality and Halachah 623
The relationship between social reality and Halacha as reflected in rabbinical responsa of the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Emancipation Era 624
The major ideational and structural changes in Jewish life during the period of the Emancipation in Europe.

Intellectual History of Zionism 625
Development of the Zionist idea beginning with classical Jewish religious thought, with emphasis on how the idea of Zion was transmuted into a modern ideology expressed in several distinct forms.

Seminar in Jewish Ethics 626
A theoretical analysis of the sources and structure of Jewish ethics and the application of these sources to areas of contemporary moral concern.

Seminar on Spinoza and Mendelssohn 627
Spinoza's Theological Political Tractate and Mendelssohn's Jerusalem in the light of the dissolution of traditional European Jewish society.

American Judaism: Ideologies and Institutions JS 633
Viewing American Judaism in historical and comparative perspective; examining its diverse expressions as folk practice, denominational movement, ideological system, secular organization, religious education, elite revival, and popular culture.

Talmudic Law 639A
Selected legal passages of the Babylonian Talmud examined in terms of talmudic methodology and the rabbinical juristic approach to various phenomena of individual and social behavior.

Constructing Modern Jewish Identities JS 640
This course will explore the construction of modern Jewish identities as a central theme in a variety of analytic perspectives developed for the study of ethnic and national identities. It will focus on how modern Jewish self-definition is embedded within other self-psychology.

Talmudic Aggada 643
Hidden treasures of the rabbinical tradition interpreted in terms of present-day Jewish experience.

Interdisciplinary Study of the Jewish Woman 647
Seminar and independent study.

The History of Jewish Culture in Eastern Europe JS 653
This seminar will explore the social, cultural, political, and religious life of Jews in the largest and most dynamic Jewish community in the world until the Second World War.

The Synagogue in Jewish History JS 656
A social, religious, and architectural history of the synagogue--the central institution of Jewish life-- charting its evolution through two thousand years of Jewish communal experience in the Near East, Europe, and America.

Writing the Jewish Past: The Emergence of Modern Jewish Historiography JS 657
An analysis of the creation of Jewish historical scholarship, from its roots in Renaissance Italy to contemporary debates about the meaning and practice of Jewish history.

Issues in German-Jewish History JS 658
This course introduces students to the methodological and ideological debates within German-Jewish history by focusing on central themes in the literature, including emancipation, liberalism, culture, and identity.

Religious Themes of the Rabbinical Period 671A/671B
Discussion of the treatment of purity in tannaitic sources.

Jewish-Muslim Polemics 675
Private and public disputation in the polemical literature of the Middle Ages.

Directed Research 700E
Research methods and bibliography. (Required of all doctoral candidates.)

Directed Research 800E
Fields: Aramaic, Bible, Commentaries, Hebrew Language and Literature, Jewish History, Philosophy, Theology, Midrash, Rabbinical Hebrew, Talmud.

Dissertation 900E
(Required of all candidates for graduate degrees involving thesis or dissertation.)


Resources

Frances-Henry Library
HUC-Skirball Museum
Tartak Learning Center
Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health
The Experiment in Congregational Education
VRC - Virtual Resource Center on Sexual Orientation Issues in Congregations and the Jewish Community


Faculty and Administration

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