2. NEED FOR THE DEGREE-MAJOR PROGRAM
This creative use of the campus and its virtual spaces can
provide an unprecedented opportunity to enter the world of
Jewish scholarship for many students: those who have limited
access to a college campus; who are isolated from centers
of Jewish learning; who live far from the CSU campuses with
strong Jewish Studies curriculum; who work full time and more;
who are raising a family; who are disabled and find travel
arduous. For many in the Jewish community, including new immigrants,
access to serious scholarship in Jewish Studies has been limited.
Many now teach in Jewish educational programs or work in communal
service agencies and yet have not had a strong background
in the history, text, or scholarship of the Jewish tradition.
Our program will strongly encourage community leadership and
participation.
There are no other programs in the CSU that offer a major
in Jewish Studies. California State University, Northridge
has an option in Jewish Studies under the Religious Studies
B.A. Rather than planning for this growth competitively, the
consortium campuses are united in our determination to collaborate.
This program will be innovative in three major areas. First,
we will be offering the first undergraduate major in Jewish
Studies in the University of California or California State
University systems. Second, we will be offering an innovative
and collaborative program among the CSU programs, which are
interdisciplinary in nature. Third, we will be drawing on
the emerging technologies of the Internet and the CODEC system
to expand the number and the breadth of classes for our majors.
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