Program in Judaic Studies

Faculty

Federica Francesconi, Ph.D.
Director of the Judaic Studies and Assistant Professor in the Department of History

Instructors
Arthur Brenner, Ph.D.
Lucia Finotto, Ph.D.
Rabbi Nomi Manon
Stacy Veeder, Ph.D.
Keren Zilberberg, M.A.

Affiliated Faculty
Victor Asal, Ph.D.
Rockefeller College, Department of the Public Administration and Political Science
Robert J. Gluck, M.H.L., M.S.W., M.F.A.
Department of Music
Patrick Nold, Ph.D.
Department of History
Edward L. Schwarzschild, Ph.D.
Department of English      
Sharona R. Wachs, M.A., M.L.S.
University Libraries    

The Department of History's Program in Judaic Studies offers a variety of courses about Judaism and Jewish history in their diverse cultural expressions from antiquity to the present. We are scholars, teachers, and students aimed at exploring the fundamentals of Judaic studies as an interdisciplinary academic field with a variety of methodologies. The Program offers minors in Judaic Studies and in Hebrew Studies, and many courses in the Program are cross-listed with other departments.

Careers
Judaic Studies is a broad-based liberal arts discipline leading to a variety of careers. Many students with a solid background of Judaic Studies courses pursue careers in law, diplomacy, history, medicine, journalism, business, social welfare, Jewish communal administration, or education, often after appropriate graduate training.

Special Programs or Opportunities
The State University system has arrangements with the University of Haifa, the Hebrew University, Ben-Gurion University, Tel Aviv University, and Bar-Ilan University for students who desire to spend a semester or an academic year studying in Israel; credits toward the minor in Judaic Studies will be awarded for suitable courses. This program is administered from the Albany campus and is available to students, regardless of major.

Several scholarships, student practicums, and opportunities for experiential learning are available.