From antiquity to the present.
The Wake Forest University Jewish Studies minor emphasizes Jewish history, religion, thought, texts, literature, the arts, traditions, and their development within the context of diverse civilizations.
The program not only explores Jews and Judaism but also their relationship with other world civilizations in the realms of social sciences, humanities, and the arts.
Why Jewish Studies at Wake Forest?
Interdisciplinary approach, wide breadth of studies
Linking disparate fields of study that are usually examined separately, our minor exposes students to a wide range of disciplines and gives students the opportunity for synthesizing and critically reflecting on their course of study.
Tailor the Jewish Studies Minor to Your Research Interests
You may choose your own area of interest within the Jewish Studies Minor, for instance, you might like to focus on Jewish identities, Jews in the ancient world, Jewish literature, or the Nazi Holocaust.
After Graduation
Avenues often pursued by Jewish Studies minors include Social Welfare, Law, Medicine, Jewish Communal Administration, Education, the Rabbinate or Cantorate, and Masters and Ph.D. programs.
Welcome to Wake Forest University! We have a fantastic community here and can’t wait for you to be a part of it.
Prospective students can meet with Hillel & AEPi students, a representative from the Office of Jewish Life, which is within the Office of the Chaplain, and/or the Director of the Jewish Studies Program when they visit Wake Forest.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions hosts campus visits most days throughout the year. Please visit the Office of Admissions Schedule a Visit page to view your options for exploring Wake Forest’s campus and community. For more information, please visit our resources page.
Studies Abroad
The Jewish Studies Program offers study abroad opportunities led by Wake Forest University faculty members.
Center for Global Programs and Studies
Discover upcoming study abroad programs to Israel, Europe, and beyond.
Venice
Learn more about “Secular Cultures of the Jewish Diaspora.”
Minor Requirements
- A minimum of fifteen credit hours
- Courses must be from at least two departments
- At least three courses must be upper level (200 level or above).
- No more than six credit hours of Hebrew or some other Jewish language can be counted toward the minimum number of courses.
Please see the current director with any questions.
Courses That Apply to the Minor
| COM 339 | Practices of Citizenship * | 3 |
| ENG 364 | Advanced Studies in Literary Criticism * | 3 |
| ENG 371 | American Ethnic Literature * | 3 |
| ENG 377 | American Jewish Literature * | 3 |
| GER 212 | Introduction to German Short Fiction | 3 |
| GES 337 | National Identity Formation | 3 |
| GER 350 | German-Jewish Literature and Culture | 3 |
| GES 351 | German-Jewish Literature and Culture | 3 |
| HST 235 | The History of European Jewry from the Middle Ages to the Present | 3 |
| HST 236 | The Nazi Holocaust to 1941 (Rise of Nazism, Jewish Responses, Global Reaction) | 3 |
| HST 237 | The Nazi Holocaust from 1941 (War, Genocide, and Aftermath) | 3 |
| HST 239 | Jewish History in the Americas | 3 |
| HST 305 | Medieval & Early Modern Iberia | 3 |
| HST 310 | 20th Century Eastern Europe * | 3 |
| HST 312 | Jews, Greeks and Romans | 3 |
| HST 320 | Write and Record! Diaries and Memoirs of the Nazi Holocaust | 3 |
| HST 321 | Zionism, Palestine, and Israel in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| NLL 111 & NLL 112 | Elementary Hebrew and Elementary Hebrew | 6 |
| NLL 153 | Intermediate Hebrew | 3 |
| NLL 211 & NLL 212 | Hebrew Literature and Hebrew Literature II | 6 |
| NLL 311 | Aramaic | 3 |
| NLL 314 | Readings from the Rabbis | 3 |
| POL 242 | Topics in Comparative Politics (The Politics of Exile or The Politics of Exile and Diaspora) * | 3 |
| POL 259 | Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict | 3 |
| REL 113 | Introduction to Jewish Traditions | 3 |
| REL 308 | Sacred Scripture in the Traditions of Abraham | 3 |
| REL 310 | The Prophetic Literature | 3 |
| REL 312 | The Critical Study of the Pentateuch | 3 |
| REL 315 & REL 316 | Field Research in Biblical Archeology and Field Research in Biblical Archeology | 6 |
| REL 317 | Wisdom Literature * | 3 |
| REL 328 | Jewish-Christian Relations and the New Testament | 3 |
| REL 355 | Jewish Identities: Religion, Race, and Rights | 3 |
| REL 356 | Faces of Modern Judaism | 3 |
| REL 357 | Jews in the United States | 3 |
| SPA 331 | Medieval Spain: A Cultural and Literary Perspective * | 3 |
Our Faculty
Annalise Glauz-Todrank
Associate Professor
Department for the Study of Religions
Rosy Kandathil
Assistant Professor
Department for the Study of Religions
Jeffrey Lerner
Professor and Interim Director, Jewish Studies Program
Department of History
Leann Pace
Associate Teaching Professor
Department for the Study of Religions
Barry Trachtenberg
Professor & Rubin Presidential Chair of Jewish History
Department of History
Resources
Jewish Life at Wake Forest University
Learn about Hillel, Chabad, the Office of the Chaplain, and other Jewish programming at Wake Forest University.
ZSR Library Jewish Studies Resources
Information to support Jewish Studies research.
Events
Lecture with Professor Khaled A. Beydoun
An Evening with Saul Dreier, Founder of The Holocaust Survivor Ban
A Talk by Jane Hathaway
Book Discussion with Rosie Danan
Give to the Program
Make a gift that will create, educate, and inspire