F
or more than forty years, HUC-JIR and the University of
Southern California have shared a mutually beneficial
partnership, which began in 1970 with HUC-JIR’s strategic
move downtown to be adjacent to USC’s campus. Ever since,
these two institutions have bonded in a unique programmatic
and academic partnership that has enabled HUC-JIR to thrive
as an innovative center for teaching, research, professional
development, and community engagement within the USC
learning community.
“
HUC-JIR’s partnership with USC shapes the Jack H. Skirball
Campus in fundamental ways. As institutions of higher learn-
ing, we share a core mission of academic inquiry, and we
complement one another in ways that enrich us both in that
grand endeavor. Additionally, this shared mission advances
HUC-JIR’s unique role as the intellectual and academic cen-
ter of Reform Judaism, which has staked its identity on the
claim that rigorous analysis and religious commitment cross-
fertilize and deepen one another,”
says Dr. Joshua Holo, Dean.
HUC-JIR’s Louchheim School of Judaic
Studies
serves as USC’s Jewish Studies program
in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.
Courses are taught by HUC-JIR’s distinguished faculty
to about 650 USC undergraduate students annually
on both the HUC-JIR and USC campuses. The Louch-
heim School offers minors in Judaic Studies and
Jewish-American Studies, as well as a major in Reli-
gion with an emphasis in Judaic Studies.
“
The Louchheim School’s partnership with USC promotes the
fact that Jewish studies should be a vital part of every univer-
sity setting,”
explains Dr. Leah Hochman, Director of the
Louchheim School.
“
This relationship maximizes the resources
of both schools. It provides opportunities for undergraduate
students to take advantage of the top-notch faculty of the
College-Institute.”
Furthermore, the Louchheim School shares
close relationships with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute,
the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in Ameri-
can Life, the Middle East Studies Program, USC’s Office of
Religious Life, USC Hillel, and Chabad at USC.”
“
Reform Judaism
magazine’s college issue ranked USC 11th in
private schools in terms of its Jewish student population, esti-
mated at 1,900 people, or 12 percent of the student body,” adds
Dr. Hochman. “The potential to educate the next generation of
Jewish students, as well as non-Jewish and international stu-
dents who will become leaders in all walks of life is incredible.”
50
A Unique Partnership:
HUC-JIR/Jack H.
Dr. C. L. Max Nikias, President of the University
of Southern California (right), receives the
honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree
from Rabbi David Ellenson and Dr. Joshua Holo,
Dean, HUC-JIR/Jack H. Skirball Campus/Los
Angeles.
A Sampling of Louchheim School Judaic Studies Courses Offered to USC Undergraduates:
Ancient Literature:
Magic in the Ancient World; Biblical Protagonists
Comparative Religious Studies:
Reading Scripture: the Qu’ran, New Testament,
and Hebrew Bible in Dialogue
World History:
The Holocaust;
Zionism, Israel, and the Modern World
American Studies:
Judaism as an American Religion;
Jews in American Popular Culture
Social Issues:
Sex and Judaism;
Language, Community, Identity
Judaism:
Introduction to Judaism
Survey:
Introduction to Jewish History;
Jewish Identity in Literature
Intercultural Studies
Blacks and Jews: Conflicts and Alliances;
Mixed Matches: Intermarriage in the 20th Century
Hebrew Language
