Israel Studies Minor

About the Minor

In 2024, the Helen Diller Institute established a minor in Israel studies at UC Berkeley. Sponsoring the Israel studies minor is a key part of the Institute’s vision to bring a rigorous academic lens to the study of Israel at an elite public university. The minor offers an institutionalized path to gaining an expertise in Israel studies. The minor reflects the rich and multidisciplinary nature of the academic field of Israel studies, intersecting the social sciences and humanities as well as law, business, science and technology. Moreover, it allows students in diverse disciplines — from liberal arts to engineering — to gain expertise in the study of Israel, complementing their primary fields of study.

Contact Us

For more information on the minor, please contact Dr. Rebecca Golbert, Executive Director, at rlgolbert@berkeley.edu; or Matthew Gordan, Assistant Director for Student Engagement and Programs, at mgordan@berkeley.edu.

Obtaining the Minor

Students must complete five upper-division classes (20 units), including:

  • Two core courses from a selection of classes in Legal Studies, Political Science, and History
  • Three electives from a broad range of fields, including Anthropology, Geography, Education, Economics, Architecture, Jewish Studies, Comparative Literature, and others. Hebrew and Arabic language courses also count towards fulfilling elective requirements.
  • All minors must be declared before the first day of instruction of their Expected Graduation Term (EGT).