Jewish Ethics (BA and MA)

The program in Jewish Ethics provides students with a fundamental toolbox for understanding Jewish ethical thought and its application to contemporary issues. Through rigorous coursework in Jewish philosophy, law, and social thought, students will hone their critical thinking and advanced writing skills while applying Jewish ethical principles to historic and contemporary topics.

Learning Outcomes

By graduation, students should be able to…

  1. Articulate and apply different ethical frameworks within Jewish thought, such as deontological, feminist, and virtue ethics.
  2. Contextualize Jewish ethics within the broader framework of Jewish thought
  3. Analyze and discuss contemporary ethical issues through a Jewish lens, including topics such as social justice, environmental ethics, bioethics, and economic justice.
  4. Understand the relationship between Jewish law (halakha) and ethics, and how ethical considerations can inform legal decisions.
  5. Explore the intersection of Jewish ethics and social thought, including topics such as Jewish communal values, social responsibility, and Jewish political life.

Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements

30 credits distributed as follow:

  • 3 credits (1 course) in foundations of Jewish Ethics
  • 6 credits (2 courses) in Ethics & Jewish Philosophy/Thought
  • 6 credits (2 courses) in Jewish texts in the field of Ethics (Bible, Talmud, Midrash, etc.)
  • 9 credits (3 courses) in Ethics electives
  • 3 credits (1 course) in general/secular ethical theory, philosophical ethics, practical ethics, introduction to ethics, or religious ethics taken at Columbia University or Barnard College
  • 3 credits (1 course) senior seminar, thesis, or an upper-level Ethics course

Master of Arts Admission Requirements

An undergraduate degree with a major in Jewish Studies, Religious Studies, Ethics, or its equivalent is beneficial but not required.

Master of Arts Degree Requirements

Courses

In addition to prerequisite courses, students are required to complete 30 graduate credits as follows:

  • One course (3 credits) MDS 5102: Classics of the Jewish Tradition
  • Ethics in Jewish Tradition and Community: a theory-based course on the history and methods of Jewish ethics (3 credits)
  • Moral Theories: a theory-based course surveying ethics and/or moral philosophy, (3 credits) Two electives in Jewish ethical theory chosen from the following (6 credits):
    • Narrative Ethics: including but not limited to midrash, Aggadah, and biblical literature o Philosophical Ethics: considering the philosophical elements of Jewish ethics o Halakhah and Ethics: addressing the role of halakhah in Jewish ethics o Feminist Jewish Ethics: engaging feminist theory, feminist ethics, and gender studies o Comparative Religious Ethics: comparing Jewish ethics with Christian, Muslim, and other religious ethics
  • Three electives in applied Jewish ethics from the fields below (9 credits):
    • Bioethics o Legal ethics o Environmental ethics o Business ethics
  • Two Jewish Studies electives, chosen in consultation with an advisor (6 credits)

Master’s Degree Program Capstone

Depending on their career trajectory, students may choose, in consultation with the M.A. advisor, a master’s thesis, capstone, or experiential learning experience fulfilled through an internship with a partner organization.