Jewish Studies Spring 2026
Spring Online Seminar Courses | Make your selection by December 19, 2025
Dear Jewish Studies Students:
This spring, meet online with colleagues from across North America and beyond for two exciting weekly courses.
Taught by two of our acclaimed faculty members, these courses navigate the complexities of Jewish identity, experience, and community to explore common themes of group and individual belonging. Learn with peers from a wide range of backgrounds and experience to expand your understanding of these ideas that remain at the center of contemporary issues. These courses fulfill core requirements for both Master’s and Doctoral-level students.
Registration is now open. If you have questions or would like to discuss your choice of winter courses, please email me at dfarah@spertus.edu.
Sincerely,
Dr. Daniella Farah
Assistant Director of Jewish Studies
Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership
Please note that the preferred registration deadline is December 19, and the final registration deadline is January 8.
Spring 2026 | Weekly Online Courses | February-April 2026
The Wandering Jew?: Jewish Migration and Displacement in Modern Europe
Taught by Dr. Natalie Belsky
3 quarter-hour credits
Fulfills MAJS Core (Modern Jewish Experiences) or Elective | DSJS Elective | DHL Core (Jewish Community: Historical and Sociological Developments) or Elective Core Reading Course
8 Sessions | Meets Mondays from 6 to 8:30 PM CT via Zoom
February 16 and 23 | March 9, 16, 23, and 30 | April 6, and final session Thursday, April 16
Over the course of the last two centuries, Jewish individuals and communities experienced a great deal of dislocation and displacement. Millions left their homes, often not by choice, and had to rebuild their homes and communities elsewhere. This course will examine the different types of displacement and dislocation experienced by European Jews since 1800, the trajectories of Jewish migration, the experiences of relocation, rebuilding, adaptation and assimilation in their new homes, and the cultural responses to migration and displacement. One of the aims of the course is to reveal the ways in which Jewish migration and displacement transformed Jewish communities, Jewish practice, and Jewish self-understanding. We will also discuss to what extent the history of Jewish migration is distinctive. What makes this a “Jewish” issue? Does it make sense to study Jewish migrants as a separate community?
Who is a Jew?
Taught by Dr. David N. Gottlieb
3 quarter-hour credits
Fulfills MAJS 2nd Level Core or Elective | DSJS Core (Who is a Jew?) | DHL Elective Core Reading Course
8 Sessions | Meets Wednesdays from 6 to 8:30 PM CT via Zoom
February 18 and 25 | March 4, 11, 18, and 25 (Break for Pesach) | April 15 and 22
This course will explore the nature of Jewish identity through changing definitions of belonging (whether one wants to or not), affiliation (in its increasingly diverse forms), and inheritance (in political, cultural, and genetic terms). Through texts ranging from the biblical era to the present day, and from legal documents to population studies, students will gain a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the many answers to the question, “Who Is a Jew?”
Course registration for Spring 2026 courses is now open.
Course Registration Details
Course registration is for current Spertus Institute Jewish Studies students. Please review course details before completing your registration.
Before registering for courses, students must be admitted to one of Spertus Institute’s Jewish Studies graduate programs — or be accepted as a non-degree student who meets prerequisite requirements and wishes to enroll in courses for credit. If you are interested in applying to become a Spertus Jewish Studies graduate student, please contact Amie Barrish at abarrish@spertus.edu.
December 19, 2025 — Preferred Registration Deadline
January 8, 2026 — Final Registration Deadline
Course Payment
Spertus students must be in good standing to be eligible to register. This means:
- GPA is 2.7 or above.
- Financial account does not have an overdue balance.
Students who do not meet the financial criteria will need to pay down their overdue balance prior to registering for courses.
Course Costs
For MA in Jewish Studies (MAJS) Students
$400 per quarter-hour credit ($1200 per 3qh course)
For DS in Jewish Studies (DSJS) and Doctor of Hebrew Letters (DHL) Students
$475 per quarter-hour credit ($1425 per 3qh course)
A non-refundable $25 fee is charged on all course registration forms.
Refund policies vary by course format. Please review the specific policy listed on your course registration form.
Course auditing can be arranged on a select basis with approval from your advisor. Audited course tuition is $350 per 3qh course.
Questions
For questions relating to Jewish Studies courses or registration, including which course to register for next, please contact Dr. Daniella Farah at dfarah@spertus.edu.