HBRJD-UA 1 | 4 Credits
ELEMENTARY HEBREW I
M, W, F 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, Ganit Mayer
T, R, F 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, Rosalie Kamelhar
Active introduction to modern Hebrew as it is spoken and written in Israel today. Presents the essentials of Hebrew grammar, combining the oral-aural approach with formal grammatical concepts. Reinforces learning by reading of graded texts. Emphasizes the acquisition of idiomatic conversational vocabulary and language patterns.
HBRJD-UA 3 | 4 Credits
INTERMEDIATE HEBREW I
M, W, F 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM, Ganit Mayer
T, R, F 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM, Ilona Ben-Moshe
Open to students who have completed HBRJD-UA 2 or HBRJD-UA 5, or those who have been placed at this level through the placement examination. Builds on skills acquired in Elementary Hebrew I and II and develops a deepening command of all linguistic skills. Modern literary and expository texts are read to expand vocabulary and grammatical knowledge, with conversation and composition exercises built around the texts. Introduces selections from Israeli media. Addresses the relationship between classical and modern Hebrew.
HBRJD-UA 4 | 4 Credits
INTERMEDIATE HEBREW II
M,W 3:30 PM — 5:30 PM, Ganit Mayer
T, R, F 12:30 PM — 1:45 PM, Ilona Ben-Moshe
Continuation of HBRJD-UA 3. Open to students who have completed HBRJD-UA 3 or who have been placed at this level through the placement examination.
HBRJD-UA 23 | 4 Credits
THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
T, R 2:00 PM — 3:15 PM, Quinn David Daniels
The mission of this course is to approach the Hebrew Bible/Tanakh (a.k.a Old Testament) as a corpus of ancient compositions that can be treated as literary works—not as sacred texts with modern religious authority, nor as texts to be mined for historical information. When this is done, the student can encounter bright and vivid narrative ecosystems replete with complicated characters, rich plot lines, and harrowing ordeals. Over the course of the term, significant attention will be given to the messages and ideologies encoded in these stories, some of which addressed ancient socio-political conditions and others which sought to convey broader universal principles. Attention will also be given to the analysis of aesthetics, where we will take stock of the strategies of story-crafting: What narrative styles, details, and techniques were commonly used in the building of these narratives? What styles are not used at all? How do these compositional choices affect the reading experience? Finally, this course will give attention to what does—and does not—receive plot attention in these materials: What topics, themes, and character profiles take center stage? What voices might have been sidelined in antiquity, and how might such marginalizations affect character constructions within the world of the narrative? Finally, how does the reader's own social location affect the reading experience and interpretation? This course seeks to address these questions and more through a close reading of select biblical texts. Course meetings will involve reading these selections together and discussing the content at hand.
HBRJD-UA 73 | 4 Credits
ADVANCED HEBREW: ISRAELI COMMUNICATIONS MEDIA
T, R 3:30 PM — 4:45 PM, Ilona Ben-Moshe
An advanced language class that focuses on various aspects of Israeli society as they are portrayed in the Israeli media. It is based on the critical assertion, that the study of foreign language within its cultural context, significantly enhances the effectiveness of language acquisition and of the learning experience. The course will foster a deeper understanding of the various Hebrew language registers and their manifestation in different types of media and in different social contexts and genres. It will strengthen the participants’ proficiency in the five language skills. Students will be asked to engage in various activities such as class discussions, response papers and various class projects. A Grammar review will be made according to needs and in context.
HBRJD-UA 103 | 4 Credits
MODERN JEWISH HISTORY
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, Avinoam Patt
What does it mean to be a Jew in the modern world? The vexed question of Jewish identity emerged at the end of the eighteenth century in Europe and has dominated Jewish history throughout the modern period. This course will introduce students to the major social, cultural, religious, and political transformations that shaped the lives of World Jewry from the 17th century until the present.
HBRJD-UA 125 | 4 Credits
ANCIENT NEAR EASTERN MYTHOLOGY
M, W 2:00 PM – 3:15 PM, Daniel Fleming
The myths of the ancient Near East represent the earliest literary expressions of human thought. Students in this class read myths from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, Anatolia, and Israel, studying the myths themselves as literary works as well as exploring the ideas and broader issues that shaped them. These myths, including both extensive literary masterpieces such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and shorter work such as the Flight of Etana to Heaven, offer a window into the religious mentality of the ancient Near East, which in turn laid the foundation for many elements of modern Western culture.
HBRJD-UA 131 | 4 credits
DEAD SEA SCROLLS: JUDAISM & CHRISTIANITY
T, R 9:30 AM – 10:45 AM, Lawrence H. Schiffman
The course will explore the most important archeological discovery of the 20th century as a guide to understanding the importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls for biblical studies, the history of early Judaism and Christianity. Reading and discussion of English translations of the major texts.
HBRJD-UA 177 | 4 credits
TOPICS IN JUDAIC STUDIES: AMERICAN JEWISH POLITICS AND IDENTITY
T, R 9:30 AM – 10:45 PM, Sandra Fox
Looking at Jewish communities, texts, and ideologies across history, this course investigates the nexus of Jewish politics. Examining the Hebrew bible, Jewish political notions of the Haskalah, the birth of Zionism, territorialism, and Bundism, Jewish socialists, American Jews on the right and the left, the spectrum of Israeli politics and more, this class will consider how different Jewish identities - based on ethnicity, geography, and religiosity - have influenced the varying politics of Jewish people around the world. As a class, we’ll endeavor to answer whether there is a thing that can be identified as a specifically “Jewish politics,” considering the myriad ways that Jews are shaped not only by their own texts, religious rituals, and communal practices, but by their broader communities and contexts.
HBRJD-UA 428 | 4 credits
CREATING A GOOD SOCIETY: CHRISTIAN AND JEWISH PERSPECTIVES
M 11:00 AM – 1:45 PM, Michah Gottlieb
This course explores Christian and Jewish responses to the problem: How does one create a good society? Central questions to be explored include: How do we create social harmony? How do we maximize individual’s ability to actualize themselves? How do we balance communal goods with respect for the individual? Should priority be given to freedom, equality, or happiness and what is the relationship of these three? What role should religion and nationalism play in government? Thinkers to be studied include: Maimonides, Hobbes, Locke, Mandeville, Rousseau, Wollstonecraft, Mendelssohn, Tocqueville. The course will combine book and experiential learning. Having first taken the course: Living a Good Life: Greek and Jewish Perspectives is highly desirable.
HBRJD-UA 644 | 4 credits
YIDDISH LITERATURE AND TRANSLATION
M, W 9:30 AM — 10:45 AM, Gennady Estraikh
Introduction to the literary and cultural activity of modern Yiddish-speaking Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, and the United States from 1890 to 1950. Focuses on the distinct role that Yiddish played in modern Jewish culture during the first half of the 20th century, when the language was the vernacular of the majority of world Jewry. Examines how ?Yiddish modernism? took shape in different places and spheres of activity during a period of extraordinary upheaval.
HBRJD-UA 784 | 4 credits
READINGS IN TALMUD (IN HEBREW)
T 6:45 PM — 8:25 PM, Lawrence H Schiffman
Study of the Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Jerusalem Talmud, Peah chapter I, dealing with a variety of ethical commandments. Selected commentaries will be read. Comparisons with the Tosefta and Babylonian Talmud will be made. Both modern and traditional interpretations will be explored.
HBRJD-UA 965 | 4 credits
TOPICS IN JEWISH LITERATURE AND CULTURE
T 4:55 PM — 7:35 PM, Tafat Hacohen Bick
This course will examine conflicts regarding the place of religion in the public sphere within the Jewish and Israeli context, through close readings of pivotal moments in modern Hebrew literature and culture. How did modern Hebrew literature evolve from the end of the 19th century until the present? What role did questions of religion and secularism play? We will begin by examining the literary formation of the ‘new Jew’ in the writings of the revival period, such as Berdichevsky and Bialik, followed by the concept of “the navigation of the Diaspora” and the construction of binaries such as strength and weakness, health and sickness. We will further explore the works of prominent authors, including S.Y. Agnon, Pinchas Sadeh, and Yona Wallach. Finally, we will apply a critical lens to the rise of contemporary religious-Zionist Literature and film in light of current social and political changes in Israel. (Knowledge of Hebrew is not required - all texts are presented in English).