The Jewish Studies Program at Duke University originated in the 1940s and was formerly established in 1972. The Program sponsors a wide variety of cultural events. The main energies of the Program are dedicated to offering a rich range of interdisciplinary courses covering the ancient period to the modern era. These courses include language, literature, history, and culture. Undergraduates may choose elective courses, or earn a certificate in Jewish Studies. Graduate degrees, both the MA and Ph.D., are offered through the Graduate Program in Religion.
Mission Statement
The interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Jewish Studies challenges undergraduate students at Duke University to acquaint themselves with the diverse range of Jewish societies as they have developed over the past 3300 years and to engage the intellectual problems of mastering so complex a set of cultures and civilizations, ranging from the world of the Bible and ancient Near East to modernity in the West and the Middle East. As such, the Certificate Program in Jewish Studies is integral to Duke University’s vision of a superior liberal education by providing its students with unmatched opportunities for intellectual growth, development of high ethical standards, preparation for membership in the learned professions, participation in an intellectual environment built on a commitment to free and open inquiry, deep appreciation for the range of human difference and potential, discovery of the values attached to the obligations and rewards of citizenship, and heightened awareness of a meaningful commitment to a life of leadership based on learning, freedom, and truth. The Certificate Program in Jewish Studies therefore aims to engage the mind, elevate the spirit, and stimulate the best effort of all of its participants, faculty, students, and staff alike.
Program Goals
Required to select six carefully distributed offerings from a rich array of lecture courses, seminars, and individually tailored research projects presented by diverse departments, students are challenged to synthesize conceptual knowledge and methodological skills in three distinct areas spanning the humanities and social sciences: language and literature, both classical and modern Hebrew; cultural history, both secular and religious; and socio-political history, both premodern and modern, in the West and in Israel. The abilities to integrate factual knowledge derived from diverse disciplines, to discern with the help of theoretical frameworks the continuities and discontinuities over time in a single culture or civilization, and to understand patterns of adjustment to new circumstances are among the most vital goals of higher education. To read primary and secondary sources critically, to analyze material artifacts, to write clearly and forcefully, to master the art and science of comparative studies, to appreciate the dynamics of cultural hybridity and exchange, and to understand the supreme value of dispassionate understanding as opposed to passing partisan value-judgments are no less vital to the educational mission of the Certificate Program in Jewish Studies.
Learning Objectives
In keeping with the overall mission statement and specific program goals of this Certificate program, students will
- develop their critical awareness of the complexity of Jewish societies and cultures over the ages;
- discover the power of critical, inter-disciplinary scholarship to fathom the circumstances and motives shaping Jewish life in the past and in contemporary times; and
- discern the irreducibility of Judaism, or any other religious tradition, to any one single essence.
Indicators or Outcomes of Goals/Learning Objectives
Tracking student course selection to assure the fulfillment of proper distribution requirements (e.g., the gateway and capstone courses, and not more than three courses offered by the Department of Religion) during advisement sessions is the major barometer indicating whether the necessary, if not sufficient, conditions for realizing the Certificate Program’s educational goals are being met.
Assessment Plan
In collaboration with Director and Associate Director of the Duke Center for Jewish Studies, the Director of Undergraduate Studies will prepare an annual report to be delivered to the Center’s Executive Committee that outlines the number of students enrolled in the Certificate Program, discusses the configurations of their course selection, and recommends modifications and improvements to the course offerings. In this annual cycle of evaluation, the Director of Undergraduate Studies will rely on several measures of achievement, including
- course evaluations;
- enrollment data supplied by the Registrar; and
- an informal exit interview, based on a questionnaire completed by students prior to graduation, in which students indicate the extent to which they have mastered the three goals outlined above under "Learning Objectives"