Spertus | MAJPS | Jewish Studies

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"(Spertus programs) are instrumental in introducing me to outstanding scholars."
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Spertus Student
Financial & Mgmt. Consultant
Dallas, TX

Jewish Studies Degree Programs

Master of Arts in Jewish Professional Studies

Jewish Professional Proficiencies Component

Just as there is a core of Jewish knowledge, there is also a core of Jewish professional proficiencies. These will be studied in an integrated manner, through the use of classical Jewish sources in combination with contemporary social science and best practices from the world of business and nonprofit management. This sphere of training will combine the best of knowledge about working with people and organizations with consideration of the specific values and realities encountered in working in the Jewish world.

Course Descriptions

Transmitting Jewish Knowledge and Values in the Contemporary Jewish Context
In this course, current theories and best practices of informal education, adult learning, cultural studies, and marketing will be studied in order to inform the work of the Jewish professional in diverse settings. These theories, along with Jewish theories on life-long education and learning, will be utilized to develop practical approaches for bringing Jewish content to contemporary Jews. Students will be encouraged to utilize their current professional settings as case studies to analyze the content (Jewish texts, topics, film, art, music) of actual projects, programs, and activities.

Visioning, Planning, and Agenda Setting in a Rapidly Changing Jewish and General Society
In this course, students will develop skills of visioning and its translation into practice within contemporary Jewish settings. Classical Jewish examples of visioning (biblical world-view, prophecy, Zionism) will be studied to help students hone this skill. The central focus of this course will be acquiring the skill-sets of forming mission statements, developing visions for organizational life, and creating and implementing actual strategies and evaluations. Within the course structure, students will have practice developing these proficiencies.

Working with People
This course focuses on strategies and skills useful for working with individuals, families, and groups in contemporary Jewish life. Consensus building, teamwork, and working with staff are among the proficiencies to be developed. The elaboration of strategies and skills will be illuminated through the study of major contemporary social science approaches (cognitive psychology, humanistic psychology, social psychology, and social work) as well as through references to Jewish perspectives on this topic as reflected in biblical and rabbinic sources. The course will enable students to learn core skills and best practices as applicable to all spheres of Jewish professional life.

Shared Power:
Jewish Leadership and Lay-Professional Relations
This course focuses on the nature of Jewish leadership and the relationship between lay and professional leaders. Students will study the ways in which Jewish civilization throughout the ages—from biblical times until today—has dealt with models of power, leadership, and professional-lay relationships. The course will also draw upon contemporary general sources of modes of leadership in government, business and industry, and the nonprofit world. Jewish and general sources will be utilized to frame leadership strategies and skills for students to apply in their particular organizational framework.

Environment Setting and Group Dynamics in Jewish Communal Work
This course teaches skills for creating environments and facilitating group processes within the context of Jewish communal work. The study of the classical notion of kehilla and specific diverse Jewish communities throughout the ages will provide vivid examples of case studies in these proficiencies. The course will develop competencies in creating welcoming Jewish settings and “teachable moments” within the new realities of Jewish life (new family structures, declining affiliation, and the attractions of general culture, for example). Facilitating interaction between diverse Jews, reaching out to the unaffiliated, and working with the new constituencies that make up twenty-first century Jewish life will be central concerns.