Center Information
The Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies promotes academic study of Jewish culture, history, and politics for all students at the University of Florida. The Center’s curriculum encourages critical thinking, textual analysis, research, oral argumentation, and writing. The Center has scholarship opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, as well as study abroad opportunities.
Website
CONTACT
Center Email | Director Email | 352.392.9247
P.O. Box 118020
1120 Turlington Hall
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-8020
Map
Curriculum
Courses
AML 4685 Race and Ethnicity 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics examine issues, movements, forms, or themes related to race and ethnicity in American literature. Topics may include Pacific Rim cultures in America, Chicano-Latino literature, the Black Arts Movement, constructing Native America, border-crossing and migration, post-war Jewish fiction, literature and the psychology of prejudice, comparative representations of racial and ethnic experience, representing whiteness, literatures of assimilation and multi-racial identities. Refer to the department website for offered topics.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of ENC or CRW or AML or ENG or ENL.
ANT 3241 Anthropology of Religion 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Cross-cultural survey of beliefs and practices dealing with the supernatural, magic, and religion. Conceptualization of the supernatural. Sacred specialists, their function, and social position. Theories of comparative religion in light of anthropological data.
Prerequisite: ANT 2000 or ANT 2140 or sophomore standing or higher.
CPO 3403 Politics of the Middle East 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Focuses on key political and social processes in the modern Middle East. Addresses variable themes in comparative politics such as nationalism, state formation, women and politics, religious resurgence, feminism, and law.
Prerequisite: CPO 2001.
CPO 4000 Selected Studies in Comparative Politics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics in comparative politics; precise course content will be announced in advance.
Prerequisite: CPO 2001.
CPO 4727 Judaism and Politics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines how Jews govern themselves (often referred to as communal governance) and how Jews relate to the political system where they live. Explores the development of the Jewish political tradition in the Biblical period, the Middle Ages, the early modern period and the modern era.
Prerequisite: POS 2041.
ENG 4135 National Cinemas 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics study of the films of historically important national cinemas, such as American, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of ENC or CRW or AML or ENG or ENL.
EUH 3033 History of the Holocaust 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Origins of anti-Semitism in central Europe and the execution of the Holocaust by Nazi Germany. Examines the ideology of the Nazi leaders and the role of the SS, Army, Police, and ordinary citizens in perpetrating genocide.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of an AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, LAH, or WOH course.
EUH 3670 Jewish History from 711 to 1492 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Surveys major historical developments in medieval Jewish society under Islam and western Christendom. Examines the interaction of Jews with the majority culture, political structure and economy, as well as changing cultural trends.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of an AFH, AMH, ASH, EUH, LAH, or WOH course.
EUH 3671 Jewish History from 1492-1750 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Surveys major trends in Jewish society from the f15th to the 18th century, focusing on community structures and interfaith relations.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of history.
EUH 3672 Modern European Jewish History 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Major events and themes of the Jews in Europe from 1650-1945.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of history.
HBR 1130 Beginning Modern Hebrew 1 5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Beginning Hebrew covers four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For those with no prior exposure to the language.
HBR 1131 Beginning Modern Hebrew 2 5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues beginning Hebrew, covering four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: HBR 1130 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 2220 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 1 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Intermediate Hebrew study covers four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with new vocabulary and grammar.
Prerequisite: HBR 1131 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 2221 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 2 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues intermediate Hebrew covering four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: HBR 2220 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 3410 Advanced Modern Hebrew 1 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Advanced study of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with attention to more complex structures.
Prerequisite: HBR 2220 or HBR 2133 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
Attributes: General Education - International
HBR 3411 Advanced Modern Hebrew 2 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues advanced study of Hebrew language, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with particular attention to more complex structures. Emphasizes project-based learning through real-world applications of Hebrew, focusing on cultural, professional, and academic contexts.
Prerequisite: HBR 3410 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
Attributes: General Education - International
HBR 4905 Individual Work 1-5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Individual work on an approved topic.
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
HBR 4930 Special Topics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Proseminar of variable content providing an opportunity for in-depth study of special topics in Israeli literature, history, or culture.
Prerequisite: Minimum 15 credits earned in enrollment, test, or transfer credit.
HBT 3223 Identity and Dissent in the Hebrew Short Story 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Traces the tension between the individual and the collective in Zionist/Israeli society over the last 100-plus years as illustrated in Hebrew short fiction.
Prerequisite: Minimum 15 credits earned in enrollment, test, or transfer credit.
HBT 3233 Israeli History and the Contemporary Novel 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Studies Israeli history through the lens of the contemporary novel.
Prerequisite: Minimum 15 credits earned in enrollment, test, or transfer credit.
JST 2841 Women and Politics in Israel 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Analyzes women's roles both as political agents and as objects of political policies and movements. Examines Israeli female politicians and judges as political actors, and as both subjects and objects of state policy.
JST 3845 Israelis and Palestinians 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Discussion of Israeli-Palestinian interactions with a focus on the way collective identities are shaped by the conflict. Historically outlines development of the conflict from the beginning of the Zionist immigration to Palestine to present day and includes thematic analysis of its sociological dynamics.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or higher.
JST 3930 Special Topics in Jewish Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics in Jewish thought, history, literature, and culture as represented in classified Jewish texts, Jewish law, Jewish ethics, folklore, Hasidism, and Holocaust literature.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of a JST or EUH or ASH or REL or AFA or LIT or EUS or FRT or GET or HBR or RUS or LAS or CPO or POS or PHI course.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
JST 4905 Individual Work in Jewish Studies 1-3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
For advanced students who desire supplemental reading or research under guidance.
JST 4936 Colloquium in Jewish Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Colloquium in Jewish studies designed to enhance knowledge of the development and significance of Jewish civilization.
Prerequisite: REL 2600 or the equivalent and junior standing or higher and instructor permission.
JST 4940 Internship in Jewish Studies 1-6 Credits
Grading Scheme: S/U
Preapproved internship with Jewish communal, educational, or service institutions. Only 3 credits can count toward a Jewish Studies major or minor.
Prerequisite: REL 2600 or the equivalent, junior/senior standing and instructor permission.
JST 4970 Senior Honors Thesis 1-3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Directed research leading to submission of an honors thesis. Work completed under the supervision of a Jewish studies faculty member. Students can register for one semester (3 credits) or two (1 and 2 credits respectively). Required for magna or summa cum laude designation.
LIT 3173 Jewish Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics in the Jewish literary experience, from the biblical narrative and classical tales to Yiddish and Hebrew literature, the modern European novel, and American Jewish fiction.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
MUH 3621 Jewish Art Music in Western Culture 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Cultural history of western art music inspired by Jewish subjects, Biblical and non-Biblical, composed by both Jewish and non-Jewish composers, and a survey of Jewish performing musicians from the Renaissance to the present. (N)
Prerequisite: written instructor permission.
Attributes: General Education - International
POS 4291 Religion and Politics in the United States 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Investigates the role of religious institutions, values and communities in contemporary American political life. (WR)
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2104 Environmental Ethics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores competing secular and religious views regarding human impacts on and moral responsibilities toward nature and of the key thinkers and social movements in contention over them. (WR)
Attributes: Satisfies 2000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2210 Hebrew Scriptures 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
History, literature, and beliefs of the Israelites from the Biblical text in the light of modern scholarship.
REL 2388 Indigenous Religions of the Americas 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
This course introduces the student to the historical and contemporary religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Explores how these roots are evident throughout western religious traditions today. (H)(WR).
Attributes: General Education - Humanities, Satisfies 4000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2600 Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Multidisciplinary approach to the Jewish experience from its Biblical origins to modern times.
REL 3213 Hebrew Bible as Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Intensive introduction to the literary study of the Hebrew Bible within the context of ancient Near Eastern literature and history.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 3291 Gender and the Hebrew Bible 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Critical examination of the literary representation and historical realities of gender and sexuality in ancient Israel through close readings of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 3321 Early Judaism and Christianity 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines the Jewish-Christian encounter. The historical interaction between Judaism and Christianity, including how each group symbolized the other, and the practical implications of the representations.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
Attributes: General Education - International, Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 3938 Special Topics in Religion 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Special topics in religion.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 4092 Ethics, Utopias, and Dystopias 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines relationships between ethics and utopias in literature, religious communities, and millenarian movements.
Prerequisite: instructor permission.
Attributes: Satisfies 2000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 4209 Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Jewish Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores the varieties of literature that arose within Judaism from 250 BCE to 220 CE, including selections from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the OT Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
REL 4221 The Pentateuch 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
In-depth study of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in light of modern biblical scholarship.
Prerequisite: instructor permission.
REL 4936 Special Topics in Religious Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Advanced study for those with proper preparation of selected topics involving one or more religious traditions.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
HBR 1130 Beginning Modern Hebrew 1 5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Beginning Hebrew covers four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For those with no prior exposure to the language.
HBR 1131 Beginning Modern Hebrew 2 5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues beginning Hebrew, covering four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: HBR 1130 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 1300 Yiddish Language and Culture I 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Focuses on reading, writing, listening, speaking and grammar, with special emphasis on Yiddish history and culture.
HBR 1301 Yiddish Language and Culture II 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continuation of HBR 1300. Focuses on reading, writing, listening, speaking, and grammar, with special emphasis on Yiddish history and culture.
Prerequisite: HBR 1300.
HBR 2220 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 1 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Intermediate Hebrew study covers four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with new vocabulary and grammar.
Prerequisite: HBR 1131 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 2221 Intermediate Modern Hebrew 2 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues intermediate Hebrew covering four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: HBR 2220 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
HBR 3410 Advanced Modern Hebrew 1 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Advanced study of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing with attention to more complex structures.
Prerequisite: HBR 2220 or HBR 2133 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
Attributes: General Education - International
HBR 3411 Advanced Modern Hebrew 2 4 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Continues advanced study of Hebrew language, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills, with particular attention to more complex structures. Emphasizes project-based learning through real-world applications of Hebrew, focusing on cultural, professional, and academic contexts.
Prerequisite: HBR 3410 with minimum grade of C or S, or the equivalent.
Attributes: General Education - International
HBR 3440 Translation in Israeli Media 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores One of the Most Popular and Fast Developing Areas of Study in Communications and Translation Studies Today: Media and Translation. Focuses on Israeli Context. Areas of Study Include Topics From Subtitling and Captioning to Translating Websites and Television Commercials.
Prerequisite: HBR 3410 or equivalent.
HBR 4905 Individual Work 1-5 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Individual work on an approved topic.
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
HBR 4930 Special Topics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Proseminar of variable content providing an opportunity for in-depth study of special topics in Israeli literature, history, or culture.
Prerequisite: Minimum 15 credits earned in enrollment, test, or transfer credit.
HBR 4956 Overseas Studies 1-15 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Provides a mechanism by which coursework taken as part of an approved study abroad program can be recorded on the UF transcript and counted toward graduation.
Prerequisite: undergraduate advisor permission.
HBT 3100 Introduction to Israeli Culture 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Presentation and analysis of some key facets of Israeli culture. Topics include Jewish vs. Zionist (and Israeli non-Jewish) identities, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli-American relations, gender, and function of art in Israeli society.
Prerequisite: HBR 1130 or sophomore standing.
HBT 3115 Harry Potter and the Holocaust 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores trauma, genocide, and, specifically, the Jewish Holocaust through the lens of children’s literature, using historical and literary approaches.
HBT 3130 The Merchant of Venice in Translation 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Highlights the Central European detour that Shakespearean reception (translation, adaptation, performance, publication and critical response) and the play, The Merchant of Venice, underwent in German, Hebrew, and Yiddish, in various locations, media and critical references.
HBT 3201 Biblical Love Poetry 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Reviews the principles and functions of Biblical verse, contextualizes some of the poems, offers various religious and lay interpretations, and teaches various choice verses in the original Biblical Hebrew.
HBT 3233 Israeli History and the Contemporary Novel 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Studies Israeli history through the lens of the contemporary novel.
Prerequisite: Minimum 15 credits earned in enrollment, test, or transfer credit.
HBT 3235 Holocaust Novels 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Reviews the historical and political functions of the Novel as a genre; surveys a number of Holocaust Novels that address several Holocaust related topics: Jewish Ghetto, survivors and refugees, the post-Holocaust experience, and the historical memories of Jews and non-Jews.
HMW 4200 Readings in Modern Hebrew Literature 1 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Readings in modern Hebrew novels, short fiction and poetry. While the study of literature is emphasized, some language work is presented to help with reading comprehension. Texts and instruction are in Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBR 3411 or equivalent.
HMW 4201 Readings in Modern Hebrew Literature 2 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Readings in modern Hebrew texts, including recently published stories and poems. Class is instructed in Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HMW 4200 or equivalent.
JST 2841 Women and Politics in Israel 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Analyzes women's roles both as political agents and as objects of political policies and movements. Examines Israeli female politicians and judges as political actors, and as both subjects and objects of state policy.
JST 2930 Special Topics in Jewish Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Selected topics in the study of Jewish civilization.
JST 3821 Israeli Society 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Introduces major themes in dynamics of contemporary Israeli society. Juxtaposition of the different subjective points of view and motivations of the various actors involved.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or higher.
JST 3845 Israelis and Palestinians 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Discussion of Israeli-Palestinian interactions with a focus on the way collective identities are shaped by the conflict. Historically outlines development of the conflict from the beginning of the Zionist immigration to Palestine to present day and includes thematic analysis of its sociological dynamics.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing or higher.
JST 3930 Special Topics in Jewish Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics in Jewish thought, history, literature, and culture as represented in classified Jewish texts, Jewish law, Jewish ethics, folklore, Hasidism, and Holocaust literature.
Prerequisite: 3 credits of a JST or EUH or ASH or REL or AFA or LIT or EUS or FRT or GET or HBR or RUS or LAS or CPO or POS or PHI course.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
JST 4905 Individual Work in Jewish Studies 1-3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
For advanced students who desire supplemental reading or research under guidance.
JST 4936 Colloquium in Jewish Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Colloquium in Jewish studies designed to enhance knowledge of the development and significance of Jewish civilization.
Prerequisite: REL 2600 or the equivalent and junior standing or higher and instructor permission.
JST 4940 Internship in Jewish Studies 1-6 Credits
Grading Scheme: S/U
Preapproved internship with Jewish communal, educational, or service institutions. Only 3 credits can count toward a Jewish Studies major or minor.
Prerequisite: REL 2600 or the equivalent, junior/senior standing and instructor permission.
JST 4970 Senior Honors Thesis 1-3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Directed research leading to submission of an honors thesis. Work completed under the supervision of a Jewish studies faculty member. Students can register for one semester (3 credits) or two (1 and 2 credits respectively). Required for magna or summa cum laude designation.
LIT 3173 Jewish Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Variable topics in the Jewish literary experience, from the biblical narrative and classical tales to Yiddish and Hebrew literature, the modern European novel, and American Jewish fiction.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
MUH 3621 Jewish Art Music in Western Culture 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Cultural history of western art music inspired by Jewish subjects, Biblical and non-Biblical, composed by both Jewish and non-Jewish composers, and a survey of Jewish performing musicians from the Renaissance to the present. (N)
Prerequisite: written instructor permission.
Attributes: General Education - International
POS 4291 Religion and Politics in the United States 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Investigates the role of religious institutions, values and communities in contemporary American political life. (WR)
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2104 Environmental Ethics 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores competing secular and religious views regarding human impacts on and moral responsibilities toward nature and of the key thinkers and social movements in contention over them. (WR)
Attributes: Satisfies 2000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2210 Hebrew Scriptures 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
History, literature, and beliefs of the Israelites from the Biblical text in the light of modern scholarship.
REL 2388 Indigenous Religions of the Americas 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
This course introduces the student to the historical and contemporary religious beliefs and practices of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. Explores how these roots are evident throughout western religious traditions today. (H)(WR).
Attributes: General Education - Humanities, Satisfies 4000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 2600 Jews, Judaism, and Jewishness 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Multidisciplinary approach to the Jewish experience from its Biblical origins to modern times.
REL 3213 Hebrew Bible as Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Intensive introduction to the literary study of the Hebrew Bible within the context of ancient Near Eastern literature and history.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 3291 Gender and the Hebrew Bible 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Critical examination of the literary representation and historical realities of gender and sexuality in ancient Israel through close readings of selected texts from the Hebrew Bible.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 3321 Early Judaism and Christianity 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines the Jewish-Christian encounter. The historical interaction between Judaism and Christianity, including how each group symbolized the other, and the practical implications of the representations.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
Attributes: General Education - International, Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 3938 Special Topics in Religion 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Special topics in religion.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
REL 4092 Ethics, Utopias, and Dystopias 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Examines relationships between ethics and utopias in literature, religious communities, and millenarian movements.
Prerequisite: instructor permission.
Attributes: Satisfies 2000 Words of Writing Requirement
REL 4209 Dead Sea Scrolls and Early Jewish Literature 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Explores the varieties of literature that arose within Judaism from 250 BCE to 220 CE, including selections from the Dead Sea Scrolls, the OT Pseudepigrapha, Philo, and Josephus.
Prerequisite: refer to the department.
REL 4221 The Pentateuch 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
In-depth study of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) in light of modern biblical scholarship.
Prerequisite: instructor permission.
REL 4936 Special Topics in Religious Studies 3 Credits
Grading Scheme: Letter Grade
Advanced study for those with proper preparation of selected topics involving one or more religious traditions.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or higher.
Attributes: Satisfies 6000 Words of Writing Requirement