The making of the new Jewish studies minor at Kansas University dates back further than S. Daniel Breslauer.

“The need for a Jewish studies minor was already discussed when I joined the faculty of the religious studies department back in 1978,” said Breslauer, professor of religious studies who will supervise the new minor at KU. “More than a decade ago a behest to the university for the enhancement of Jewish studies initiated the formation of a committee on Jewish studies and the use of funds for curriculum materials and occasional guest lectures to support Jewish studies.”

Recent funding of the Hebrew program and a push for more discussion by Carl Strikwerda, professor of American studies and history and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, moved the process along.

Study-abroad opportunities in Israel sparked interest in the minor, Breslauer said. A growing recognition of the significance and importance of Jewish studies across several disciplines including American studies, English, history, religion and sociology also contributed to the creation of the minor.

Students’ inquiries

Although no one has officially applied for the minor, students have shown interest.

“There have been several inquiries by students about the minor,” Breslauer said. “Both the ongoing program in the teaching of Hebrew and newly begun program in Biblical Hebrew have attracted attention among students.”

Strikwerda said it simply took some re-prioritizing for the minor to finally become a reality.

“We were just ready to finally do it,” Strikwerda said. “It was a committee of people who were busy with a lot of other things that were willing to put them aside to work on this.”

Strong enrollments in Hebrew were an indication of potential interest in the minor, Strikwerda said. Interest in studying abroad in Israel was also an indicator.

“The main thing is that Jewish studies is really a major part of western cultures and the studies of humanities and society so we think it deserves a much bigger place at the university,” Strikwerda said.

Development of minor

The actual process for creating a minor is a complicated one. Breslauer identified four steps that the task force took during its planning.

First, the committee identified the need. Breslauer said the committee concluded that having an academic achievement in Jewish studies as a part of a student’s education would further the student’s academic and career goals.

Then the committee evaluated the university’s resources.

“Clearly KU’s strong program in Israeli Hebrew was one good source as were its connections with academic institutions in the state of Israel,” Breslauer said.

The committee also contacted other departments, including American studies, anthropology, art history, English, history, linguistics, philosophy, religious studies and sociology. Other related fields contacted were German and exile studies to find out how they could support the minor.

Requirements were then determined. Students wishing to graduate with a minor in Jewish studies must complete 18 credit hours of course work, including 12 hours in courses numbered 300 or above.

Students must complete the equivalent of the second year of Hebrew or Yiddish. They must then earn 15 credits in the minor course work from at least three different departments. The departments include American studies, English, history, religious studies and sociology. Finally, students must complete at least three credits of independent research.

New courses to be offered as part of the minor include two English courses, “Jewish American Literature and Culture” and “Literature and Theory of the Holocaust,” and the Jewish studies research course.

Finally, the minor made its way through committees before receiving approval from the Board of Regents and Provost David Shulenburger. Cheryl Lester, associate professor of English, drafted the proposal.

Major plans

Strikwerda said he hoped the minor could perhaps expand into a major or a graduate field of study.

The new Jewish studies minor is the only minor the religious studies department offers, said Tim Miller, chair of religious studies.

“It’s simply going to expand our horizons,” Miller said. “We’ve had courses on Jewish studies in the past, but they have been limited.”

The size of the department  about 40 undergraduate students and nine full-time faculty  limits its opportunity to offer higher-level specialized courses, he said. Miller said he saw further expansion to other minors  such as a minor in Roman Catholicism  as a possibility.

“Then again,” he said, “that all hangs on money. Other minors in other great religious traditions are possible. I can see us expanding to Roman Catholicism in a couple of years.”