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Berman Center for

Jewish Studies

Jewish Studies Minor

Jodi and student crafting at Jewish center event

Why Jewish Studies at Lehigh?

The minor in Jewish studies offers students the opportunity to explore the history, literature, religion, and social institutions of the Jewish people from antiquity to the present. It is open to all Lehigh students in good academic standing.

  • The program is designed to be of interest to students with diverse interests and fields of concentration.
  • The study of Jewish society and culture can enhance one's understanding of transnational society and culture.
  • Students of psychology and sociology will find that Jewish Studies contributes to their understanding of such issues as prejudice and anti-Semitism, assimilation, and religious-cultural pluralism.
  • The study of Jewish religion and philosophy brings one face to face with such problems as religious faith and doubt, moral responsibility, evil and human suffering.
  • Studying Judaism introduces the student of literature to a broad sample of diverse literary forms and themes from diverse periods and cultural settings.

Declare a Jewish Studies Minor

Students who wish to declare a jewish studies minor should complete the Minor Declaration Form.

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Course Requirements

  • A minimum of sixteen credit hours is required. A maximum of eight credit hours of Hebrew may be counted towards the minor. 
  • Students may declare a minor as early as the end of their freshman year. It is not necessary to complete the required credits before filling out the docusign minor declaration form or minor drop form. 
  • Students should coordinate their minor program with Professor Jodi Eichler-Levine, Director of the Berman Center, joe315@lehigh.edu, or Maria Ioannidou, the Minor Coordinator, in 31 Williams Hall, Suite 180 mai321@lehigh.edu.

You can read the full details of the Jewish studies minor, and see descriptions of all Jewish Studies courses, in Lehigh University Catalog.

A selection of recently offered courses: 

JST 070: Antisemitism Past and Present

JST 081: Jewish Mysticism

JST 111:   Jewish Scriptures/Old Testament

JST 138: Sex, Gender, Jews

JST 154:  The Holocaust: History and Meaning

JST 156: Judaism and Comic Books

JST 161: Globalization in the Ancient Mediterranean