Welcome to Jewish Studies

In January of 2009, Rice launched the Program in Jewish Studies.  The program has over ten affiliated faculty members from the humanities and social sciences, who are offering courses on all levels, ranging from introductory courses for students with no or little background to advanced seminars.  We also offer an interdisciplinary minor in Jewish Studies.

The program regularly organizes lectures and conferences on a broad array of topics related to Jewish Studies.  Lectures are given both on and off the Rice campus and are open to all students, faculty and the community.  We are also engaged with several local institutions in Houston.

Thank you for your interest in our new Program in Jewish Studies, and please be in touch.

Matthias Henze,
Director of Program in Jewish Studies

Recent News

Postdoc Melissa Weininger Teaching a Course at JCC of Houston

Jewish Studies postdoc Dr. Melissa Weininger will be teaching a course at the Houston JCC titled "The Book was Better: Jewish Literature from Page to Screen."  The course will be held on Monday nights from March 19 through April 16 from 7:00 to 8:30. To read the course description and learn more about the JCC, please visit our Events page.

Program Director Matthias Henze Delivering Talk for Tolle Lege Series

Dr. Matthias Henze will be giving a lecture, "Jewish Apocalypticism in Late First Century Israel: Reading Second Baruch in Context," on January 31 as part of the Tolle Lege Series.  The event is open to the public and will be held in the Kyle Morrow Room on the third floor of Fondren Library.

First Graduate Level Jewish Studies Course Offered

Dr. Mark Kulstad, Professor of Philosophy, and Dr. Gregory Kaplan, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, will be offering "Spinoza's Philosophy" (RELI 376/PHIL 590) in the spring of 2012, which will be the first graduate level course offering in Jewish Studies. The class will involve close readings of two major texts by Spinoza and focus on the issues in the writings that still resonate today, especially Spinoza's secular Jewish identity and his defense of monism.