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The MSt in Jewish Studies provides a broad approach to the study of Jewish history, culture and relations with other traditions from antiquity to modern times, combined with the study of Modern or Biblical Hebrew or Yiddish. The MSt is a degree in the Faculty of Oriental Studies. The course is intensive and is based on small classes, seminars and close faculty-student contact.
The
academic year runs from October to June and is divided into three academic terms:
Michaelmas (early October to early December), Hilary (mid-January to mid-March)
and Trinity (late April to end June), and two vacations. “Full terms”
are eight-week periods during which lectures are given. The 2010–2011 academic year will begin on 4 October 2010 and end on 24 June 2011.
MSt in Jewish Studies students are required to complete three terms of language study in the same language. A student may choose to study Modern Hebrew or Biblical Hebrew or Yiddish. In addition, a student must select four taught courses from a range of options each year. Teaching for the options takes place during Michaelmas (two options) and Hilary (two options) terms. These options, which vary from year to year, must be selected from those on offer (Read about the options offered in 2009-2010). Each student is required to submit a dissertation of not more than 15,000 words on an approved subject.
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The year I spent studying at the OCHJS was totally unforgettable and totally worthwhile. I indulged my senses with the fantastic Oxford townscape and pastoral countryside, made sincere and lasting friendships, and laid critical academic foundations for the Religious Studies PhD program I would begin immediately afterwards at Yale University.
My wife and I enjoyed living in a private flat on the well-manicured Yarnton Manor Estate, only a stone’s throw away from the handsome Manor House where most of my classes were held. The surrounding countryside with its many paths provided ample variety for our Sunday afternoon pedestrian excursions. We found several charming villages, not to mention Blenheim Palace, within walking distance of Yarnton. Oxford’s city-centre was easily reached by bicycle or minibus. London was easily reached by regular buses and trains from Oxford. Cultural and entertainment opportunities were plentiful.
The academic requirements of the MSt course prepared me for subsequent graduate-level work. Especially rewarding was the dissertation I composed towards the end of the year on the narrative strategies of the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus. The classes offered were well-suited to my interests in the literature and social history of Jews in the Second-Temple period. I found the MSt course itself to be highly customizable, with formal and informal opportunities to explore aspects of Judaism beyond the interests that brought me to Oxford and Yarnton. The unique Oxonian pedagogical model allowed for individual tutoring at every stage of the program, from course work to dissertation writing.
Oxford attracts a huge number of marvellous people, including students, teachers, and researchers. A handful of those I met, especially my peers on the MSt course, will be friends for life. Confident that the MSt will offer a worthwhile challenge and reward, I heartily recommend this program to any determined person interested in the academic study of Judaism.
Tyler Smith, Student 2008-2009