Schusterman Program in Judaic and Israel Studies

Alan T. Levenson, Director
455 W. Lindsey, Room 403A
Norman, Oklahoma 73019
Phone: (405) 325-6508
FAX: (405) 325-6521
judaicstudies@ou.edu
Website: http://judaicstudies.ou.edu

General Information

The Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies at OU offers an exceptionally wide variety of courses, including Jewish history in all periods and places, Hebrew Language and Literature at all levels, the Bible and Its Interpretation, Israel Studies, the Holocaust/Genocide, Jewish Literature in translation, as well as anthropological, sociological, and political perspectives on the Jewish experience.

Judaic Studies explores the history and culture of the Jewish people over a period of four millennia in the Land of Israel and in the Diaspora (Dispersion) through the tools of the humanities and the social sciences. The field began as an academic discipline in Europe during the nineteenth century and developed within universities and research centers the world over during the twentieth and twenty-first. Israel Studies is a much more recent field dedicated to interpreting the culture, politics and society of the modern State of Israel.

Scholarships & Facilities

Scholarships and Awards

Schusterman Center Study in Israel Scholarship 

Scholarships are offered for semester-long study abroad programs in Israel; and for those wishing to study in Israel during the summer. The scholarships are open to full-time University of Oklahoma undergraduate and graduate students during the period for which application is made. Students must have completed a minimum of 15 hours of college coursework. Priority will be given to graduate students concentrating in Jewish History and undergraduate students who have officially declared a major or a minor in Judaic Studies or a minor in Hebrew. Applicants must have maintained a 3.0 GPA in Jewish History, Judaic Studies or Hebrew courses and a 2.5 GPA overall.

Schusterman Center Domestic Scholarships

The Schusterman Center awards merit-based scholarships each academic year:

Esther Rose Shnier Scholarship 

The Schusterman Center annually offers two Shnier Scholarships. The scholarships are open to any individual who, having completed at least 30 credit hours of college coursework, is a full-time, regularly enrolled student of the University of Oklahoma during the period in which application is made, and who has officially declared a major or minor in Judaic Studies and/or a minor in Hebrew. Applicants must have maintained a 3.0 grade average on a scale of 4.0 in Judaic Studies/Hebrew courses. The number of completed hours in the major or minors will also be taken into consideration by the selection committee. Any eligible, deserving undergraduate student is qualified for either an initial award or a subsequent award if, in the opinion of the selection committee, the student is making satisfactory progress toward graduation and the student needs supplemental financial assistance. Applicants will be chosen chiefly on college performance with financial need assuming a secondary role.

Rosalyn Price Scholarship

The Price Memorial Scholarship is open to any individual who is a full-time, regularly enrolled student of the University of Oklahoma majoring in Judaic Studies. Applicants must have maintained a 2.8 grade point average on a scale of 4.0. The overall grade point average may also be taken into consideration by the selection committee as well as the number of completed hours in the major. Any eligible, deserving undergraduate or graduate student is qualified for either an initial award or a subsequent award if, in the opinion of the selection committee, the student is making satisfactory progress toward graduation.

Zarrow Family Scholarship

The Zarrow Scholarship is open to any individual who, having completed at least three Judaic Studies and/or Hebrew courses, is a full-time, regularly enrolled undergraduate or graduate student of the University of Oklahoma during the period in which application is made. Preference will be given to declared majors or minors in Judaic Studies or minors in Hebrew. Applicants must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average in the minor on a scale of 4.0. The overall grade point average may also be taken into consideration by the selection committee as well as the number of completed hours in the major and/or minors. Any eligible, deserving undergraduate or graduate student is qualified for either an initial award or a subsequent award if, in the opinion of the selection committee, the student is making satisfactory progress toward graduation.

Norman Stillman Prize for Excellence in Judaic Studies

Established in 2016 in honor of the Schusterman Center's founding director, the Norman Stillman Prize for Excellence in Judaic Studies is awarded annually to an outstanding undergraduate or graduate student scholar at the University of Oklahoma. Prospective winners are nominated by our faculty and the awardees selected by committee.

Film Library, videos and recordings

The Schusterman Center has a large collection of DVDs, including recorded lectures. Please contact the departmental office for individual availability. The Schusterman Center for Judaic and Israel Studies also offers a variety of recorded lectures, available on their YouTube channel

Undergraduate Study

Bachelor of Arts

The Bachelor of Arts in Judaic Studies provides students with: a solid grounding in the history and culture of one of the seminal components of modern civilization; in-depth familiarity with one of the most significant countries of the Middle East; and proficiency in the language of present-day Israel and of Jewish historical creativity.

Minor

The Judaic & Israel Studies Minor allows for each student to select what interests them. Students can mix and match from three focus areas: Israel: Ancient and Modern, European Jewry: Medieval to the Holocaust Bible, Jewish Culture & Literature.

Hebrew Language Minor is offered through the Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics.

Graduate Study

Students who wish to pursue a master’s or doctoral degree may select a Judaic/Israel History major field through the Department of History's graduate programs.

Core Faculty

Last Name First/Middle Name Middle init. OU Service start Title(s), date(s) appointed Degrees Earned, Schools, Dates Completed
Grinberg Ronnie A 2015 ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, 2015; ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN JUDAIC AND ISRAEL STUDIES PhD, Northwestern Univ, 2010; MA, Northwestern Univ, 2004; BA, Barnard College-Columbia Univ, 2001
Kritz Ori 2004 PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS, 2015; PROFESSOR IN JUDAIC AND ISRAEL STUDIES, 2017; HEAD OF THE HEBREW PROGRAM PhD, Columbia Univ, 1993; MPhil, Columbia Univ, 1990; MA, Tel-Aviv Univ, 1986; BA, Tel-Aviv Univ, 1981
Levenson Alan T 2008 PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, 2008; SCHUSTERMAN-JOSEY CHAIR IN JUDAIC HISTORY, 2015; DIRECTOR, SCHUSTERMAN CENTER OF JUDAIC AND ISRAEL STUDIES, 2015 PhD, Ohio State uNiv, 1990; MS, Brown Univ, 1982; BA, Brown Univ, 1982
Schapkow Carsten 2005 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, 2012; ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN JUDAIC AND ISRAEL STUDIES; L.R. BRAMMER JR PRESIDENTIAL PROFESSOR, 2018 PhD, Freie Universität Berlin, 2000; MA, Freie Universität Berlin, 1995
Seidelman Rhona 2015 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, 2021; SCHUSTERMAN CHAIR IN MODERN ISRAEL STUDIES PhD, Ben-Gurion Univ of Negev, 2009; MA, Hebrew Univ of Jerusalem, 2001; BA, Hebrew Univ of Jerusalem, 1998
Shepkaru Shmuel 1997 ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF HISTORY, 2005; SCHUSTERMAN PROFESSOR OF JEWISH RELIGIOUS AND INTELLECTUAL HISTORY, 2015; ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN JUDAIC AND ISRAEL STUDIES PhD, New York Univ, 1997; MA, New York Univ, 1993; BA, Haifa Univ, 1985