Undergraduate Programs

Come to learn the language of the Hebrew Bible and of sleepless Tel Aviv nights! One of the oldest languages in the world, for several centuries Hebrew was used only as a literary tool until it was revived as a national Jewish language in the late 19th century. Today, Hebrew is the official language of Israel and is studied and spoken by Jews and non-Jews all around the world. Used in everyday life, songs, films, and on the Internet, Hebrew has never been so young!

This course is meant as an introduction to Modern Hebrew and its unique features. Emphasis will be placed on developing the skills necessary for reading, writing, and speaking. You will initially learn the alphabet, how to write and read in both the print and the cursive styles, the phonetics and correct pronunciation, and then basic vocabulary and grammar constructions. By the completion of your first semester of Hebrew, you will be able to perform a variety of communication tasks (such as, introducing yourself and others and providing personal information about provenance, place of residence, work, studies; ordering food, asking for directions, inquiring about the price, and more). The course will cover the textbook Hebrew from Scratch vol. 1 through Lesson 3, and will be supplemented by additional written, audio, and video materials in Hebrew.

NB: This course is intended for students with no previous instruction in the language and for those who have had some unsystematic exposure to it. Students from all backgrounds are welcome!  If you have had some previous exposure to Hebrew you may be eligible to take the continuing beginner level, HEB 102, that will be offered in the spring. Please contact the instructor for being administered a placement test; this will ensure that you are placed at the right level.

Location

Morey Room 502 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Welcome to your second year of modern Hebrew! By completion of this first semester of Hebrew at the intermediate level, you will expand speech interaction in free and authentic informal Hebrew in a variety of everyday situations. Your understanding and use of grammar constructions (particularly of the verb system) will be enhanced and your vocabulary dramatically increased. You will also develop reading skills enabling you to approach texts written in a higher and more formal style than the one used in speaking and be able to effectively use a Hebrew-English-Hebrew dictionary. The course will finish covering the first volume of the textbook Hebrew from Scratch and start covering the second one. A continuation of HEB 103 (HEB 104 - Intermediate Hebrew II) will be offered in the spring.

NB: This course continues the introduction to modern Hebrew begun in Elementary Modern Hebrew I and II (HEB 101-102). Students with some previous knowledge of Hebrew who seek to begin their Hebrew instruction at this level are required to take a placement test. The test is to be taken prior to registration or at the latest on the first day of classes.

Location

Online Room 1 (ASE) (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Examination of the texts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament for Christians) in their religious, historical, and literary contexts. In this course, students will learn the history of the Ancient Israelite people from their origins down through the post-Exilic period. Study of the texts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) enable us to explore what we can know about Ancient Israelite society and culture, the rise and fall of Israel as a nation-state, religious and theological debates about the role of God in shaping history and the problem of suffering, as well as the writing of the biblical texts and the development of the canon.

Location

Dewey Room 2110E (MWF 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

This course will explore the history and contemporary manifestations of Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Europe and the USA. We will consider the complex racial, colonialist, and theological roots of discrimination against Muslim and Jewish peoples and compare how and why such ideological discourse is developed in particular historical contexts with a special emphasis on the contemporary period. 

Location

Lechase Room 160 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This course will examine texts written by Jewish, Muslim, and Christian mystics in different historical and geographic locales. We will begin by developing an understanding of mysticism within each Abrahamic religion before focusing on the mystical expressions of practitioners in testimonies and poetry. One of the main questions that we will explore will be the nature of the relationship between the mystic, their purported experience, and their textual report (i.e. the memoir). The role of gender in mysticism will be foregrounded, whether via texts written by women, by men “thinking with” women, or men that imagine themselves as “feminine.”

Location

Wegmans Room 1005 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This is a proficiency-oriented course, in which you will continue to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills through the use of Hebrew newspapers, Israeli news broadcasts and movies, Hebrew literature - including a graphic novel! - and Israeli songs, with contextual review of relevant grammar structures. Upon completion of this course, you will have acquired the skills necessary to: 1) read and comprehend Hebrew newspapers, and texts in modern Hebrew prose and poetry; 2) listen to and comprehend Israeli news broadcasts and movies; 3) discuss issues pertaining to Israeli society and culture on the basis of the materials examined; 4) expand your vocabulary to include technical terminology, master complex semantic and syntactical constructions, and further develop your communication skills. We will spend most of the semester reading and discussing a selection of texts by contemporary Israeli writers and poets, including the graphic novel Ha-Nekhes by acclaimed author Rutu Modan, and a selection of articles taken from Israeli newspapers and on-line news sites. The course work will be complemented by watching Israeli movies and listening to Israeli songs. Homework will consist of preparing the pre-assigned materials in order to be able to actively read and discuss them in class, in Hebrew. Additional written assignments on the readings and movies will include answering comprehension questions in Hebrew, and complete relevant grammar and vocabulary exercises.

NB: This is a fifth-semester course completing the modern Hebrew language curriculum at the School of Arts, Sciences and Engineering. Completion of HEB 104 or equivalent proficiency is a prerequisite.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 304 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This seminar will examine the representation of Orthodox Jews by American Jews on both page and screen. This course should equip you to understand—historically and critically—the core factors in this contemporary culture war such as (gender, religious authority, political affiliation) as well as to empathetically appreciate current concern over acculturation, Americanization, and Jewish continuity.

Location

Lechase Room 104 (R 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

This course will provide a non-partisan introduction to the conflict between these two national movements. Discussion will focus on an examination of historical documents, in addition to understanding of how it plays out in literature and film.

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Registration for Independent Study courses needs to be completed thru the instructions for online independent study registration.