Department of Religious Studies
Department of Religious Studies
Jessica Andruss headshot

Jessica Andruss

Assistant Professor, Mellon Fellow, Institute of the Humanities and Global Cultures
jha9s@virginia.edu
434-924-6714

Education

  • AB, Kenyon College
  • MA, University of California Santa Barbara
  • MA, The Ohio State University
  • PhD, University of Chicago

Research

I study medieval Jewish and Islamic cultural and intellectual history, and the connections between Jewish and Muslim communities in the Mediterranean and Middle East. My research focuses on texts written by Jews in Arabic, from works of religious philosophy to translations and commentaries on the Hebrew Bible. Through this literature, I explore the ways that medieval Jews advanced biblical scholarship, adapted the rabbinic tradition, and engaged Islamic discourse and the wider Arabic culture.

Teaching

  • Jerusalem (RELG 2820)
  • Jewish-Muslim Relations (RELI / RELJ 2024)
  • Medieval Jewish Thought (RELJ 3100)
  • Prophecy in Islam and Judaism (RELI / RELJ 3559)
  • Jewish Bible Commentaries (RELJ 5559)
  • Memoirs of Jews from Arab Lands (COLA 1500)
  • Islamic Studies Seminar: Sermons, Storytelling and Popular Preaching (RELI 5540)