Undergraduate Courses

Explore ideas that shape culture, ethics and community

Jewish Thought courses invite you to think about how people make meaning, how traditions evolve and how ideas travel across time and place. You will study questions that connect religion, politics, ethics and identity while building strong skills in writing, analysis and interpretation. Hebrew language courses help you build practical skills in speaking, reading and understanding Modern Hebrew.

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Before registering, remember that room locations and course details may change. Always check the official  Class Schedules for the most up to date information.

How to register for classes

If you are new to UB, you will register after completing the orientation process. Current students can register on HUB during their enrollment appointment.

Learn more about registering for classes

What you can study

Courses in the Department of Jewish Thought cover a wide range of ideas and questions. While classes change each semester, students often explore topics such as:

  • Ethics and political thought
  • Scripture and interpretation
  • Jewish and Christian relations
  • Justice, law and society
  • American Jewish experience
  • Religion in global and historical contexts
  • Modern revolutions and contemporary ideas
  • World religions and comparative traditions

To see what is offered this semester, visit the course catalog. It is the official and most accurate source for course descriptions, requirements and policies.

Browse the undergraduate course catalog

Sample courses

Below are examples of the kinds of courses you might take in the Department of Jewish Thought. Actual offerings vary each term, so always confirm details in the Undergraduate Course Catalog.

  • Foundations of Jewish history and tradition: Courses that introduce Judaism as a living tradition through texts, communities and key ideas from the ancient world to today.
  • Ethics, politics and society: Classes that examine how Jewish thinkers and communities have shaped debates about justice, law and moral responsibility.
  • Religion, culture and interpretation: Courses that explore how religions evolve, interact and influence each other across time.
  • Violence, memory and identity: Classes that study how societies remember events such as the Holocaust and antisemitism across history, using literature, testimony and film.
  • Global religious traditions: Courses that introduce major world religions and their ideas about humanity, nature and community.
  • Contemporary thought and the more than human world: Classes that connect Jewish Thought with ecology, modern philosophy and new ways of understanding place and identity.
  • Hebrew language study: Introductory and intermediate Modern Hebrew courses that build reading, writing, speaking and cultural understanding.

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