Global Arc

Introductory course develops skills of reading, speaking, comprehension, and writing through various techniques, with an emphasis on a solid grammatical basis and awareness of idiomatic usage of the language. Teaching materials include ones developed in Israel. Five classes. No credit is given for HEB 101 unless followed by HEB 102.

A continuation of 101, with emphasis on the development of all skills. The course will expose students to contemporary Israeli culture by using authentic material such as films, TV series, newspaper articles, and Web-based material. Class activities include role-playing, drills, group discussion, and oral presentations. Five classes.

Expansion of reading, oral, aural, and written skills, as well as coverage of more advanced grammar. Students will be gradually introduced to contemporary Israeli prose and poetry. Maximum participation by students is encouraged through discussion of readings and films. Five classes.

A continuation of 105, covering remainder of grammar. Further explores contemporary Israeli prose, poetry, and more complex essays from textbooks and photocopied material. Five classes.

This course, which is taught entirely in Hebrew, evaluates the main themes of Israeli cinema. The course will present various issues that concern Israelis today (e.g., immigration, multiculturalism, identity, Israeli-Palestinian/Arab conflict, Holocaust, Jerusalem). The goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the issues that concern Israel today by means of examining trends in Israeli cinema from the earliest films until today.

For advanced students, this course seeks to improve further the active command of written and spoken Hebrew through work with a variety of literary texts, styles, and artistic expressions, including film. Topics are selected to explore fundamental issues of Israeli culture and society. Prerequisite: 107 or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes.

Continuation of 301. Growing emphasis on individual and small group work. Students prepare final project of their choosing in consultation with instructor. Prerequisite: 301 or instructor's permission. Two 90-minute classes.

For students with solid grounding in Modern Hebrew. Develop proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Master complex grammatical structures, registers, idiomatic expressions, and fluency. Enhance socio-cultural understanding of Israel via virtual tour. Through texts, films, TV series, songs, and so on, become aware of relations/tensions between center and periphery, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, and other contrasting interests. Speak Hebrew with structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate in most conversations on practical, social and political topics, and to navigate knowledgeably cultural checkpoints.

Achieve a strong command of Modern Hebrew for the purpose of using it for research. Improve reading and writing skills through the reading of academic articles in Hebrew in various fields. During the first half of the semester we will read articles on the revival of the Hebrew language and its place in the family of Semitic languages; in the second half of the semester we will read articles from a variety of academic fields (e.g., literary criticism, comparative religion, political science, history of the Middle East). Emphasis will be placed on grammar and syntax, on writing, and also on conversational skills.

This course consists of a survey of the Hebrew language from Biblical Hebrew to Modern Hebrew. The course will evaluate Biblical Hebrew, Rabbinic Hebrew, Hebrew of the Haskalah, Hebrew of Ben Yehuda, and the Hebrew of today. The course will examine Modern Hebrew as an amalgamation of the previous stages of Hebrew that preceded the emergence of Hebrew as a spoken language in the 19th century. The course will be conducted entirely in Hebrew and will strengthen the students' listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will also gain a greater grasp of literary Modern Hebrew because it is heavily based on earlier forms of Hebrew.