The Committee on Instruction passed last week a proposal to institute a new multi-disciplinary Jewish studies minor in the fall.
The six-course minor will include three required courses from the Asian studies program and the religion department and allow students to take three others from the history, government and comparative literature departments chosen in consultation with an advisor.
The required courses include Religion 6, Introduction to Judaism, one of two Hebrew literature courses in the Asian studies department and a third course in either religion or Hebrew literature.
The idea for a Jewish studies minor emerged out of the formation of the Jewish Faculty and Staff Association more than one year ago, said the Association's coordinator Andrew Friedland, an environmental studies professor.
The Association then formed a steering committee that developed the proposal submitted to the COI last week.
"Our goal is to [encourage] those students interested in pursuing the minor to do so. There's been interest in this for a while," said Russian Professor Barry Scherr, chair of the steering committee.
"We also want to look for gaps in offerings. That's probably a longer process. We hope to get one or two more courses that would build up this aspect of Jewish studies," he said.
Scherr said he advises students wishing to minor in Jewish studies to have a working knowledge of the Hebrew language - Hebrew 3 or the equivalent.
A new minor is usually approved by its department before the proposal is submitted to the COI, but because Jewish studies incorporates more than one department the proposal went directly to the COI.
"This situation is unique because it is a group of people interested in a subject who are putting together a minor," Friedland said.
