Global Arc

This course, which is taught entirely in Hebrew, traces the history of the modern state of Israel. The course will survey the history of the early Zionist movement, the settlement in Palestine, the war of 1948, the wars of 1967 and 1973, and the peacemaking process. Also, issues regarding identity and pop-culture will be evaluated. The goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the modern state of Israel by means of examining Hebrew texts, Israeli cinema, and Israeli music.

For students with a solid grounding in Modern Hebrew. Develop proficiency in speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Special attention to mastering complex grammatical structures, different registers, idiomatic expressions, and overall fluency. Enhance understanding of Israeli arts and letters by examining the manifold ways in which Biblical texts echo in contemporary Israeli cultural productions. Through texts, films, television serie and programs, popular songs, music videos and other contemporary media contents, become aware of the ongoing and constant dialogue between contemporary Israel and Biblical texts.

This course, taught in Hebrew, traces modern Hebrew literature from the 1930's until today. Discussion in class will focus on the language and themes of this literature. The goal of the course is to give students an understanding of the development of Modern Hebrew literature of the 20th and 21st centuries, while exposing the students to the historical issues that concerned the writers of Modern Hebrew literature at the time of their writing. All texts will be in Modern Hebrew, which will not only strengthen the students' grasp of Hebrew in general but will also expose students to the various styles of literary Hebrew.

The course - taught in Hebrew - traces themes in Modern Hebrew literature and cinema. Discussion in class will focus on the themes and language of Israeli authors and on the representation of these themes in Israeli films. Topics covered in the course include Holocaust, immigration, Israeli-Palestinian interactions, Jerusalem, and others. As all course materials will be in Modern Hebrew, the course will not only strengthen the students' grasp of the language in general, but it will also introduce the students to the particular Hebrew vocabulary related to the societal issues that are represented and examined in Israeli literature and cinema.

"Literary Hebrew: Biblical and Modern, Poetry and Prose" (HEB 320) - taught entirely in Hebrew - focuses on the higher registers of the Hebrew language. The course will consider Biblical Hebrew and Religious Hebrew, Modern Hebrew Poetry and Prose, and Academic Modern Hebrew. The goal is to compel students to interact with texts that contain literary Hebrew (both ancient and modern) in order to help students attain a more thorough grasp of the language from a grammatical, syntactic, and stylistic viewpoint as well as a historical perspective.

The course "Israeli Media: News, Podcasts, Sitcoms, and More" (HEB 330) - taught entirely in Hebrew - focuses on various forms of Israeli media available through the internet. Discussion in class will focus on news outlets, on various shows and sitcoms, and on other forms of media (Podcasts, Vlogs, Social Media). The goal of the course is to compel students to interact with the Hebrew language (style and grammar) that is used today in Israeli media. Topics covered in the course will focus on current events, day-to-day issues and concerns of Israelis, and forms of entertainment.

An advanced Language and Culture course designed to develop proficiency in all skills of the language, and cultural issues, through class discussions of authentic materials, both text and other media. The objective of the course is to investigate the way playwrights and filmmakers engage and deal with the main socio-cultural rifts in Israel. Students will research, explore, and write on the topics of their choice.

An advanced language and culture course in Hebrew. Students will develop further proficiency in all skills through discussions, oral presentations of authentic materials and media. The objective is to investigate how playwrights and filmmakers deal with socio-cultural issues of coexistence. In addition to reading the plays, students will watch the DVDs with the performances from the unique bilingual theater in Jaffa. Lab work will be also assigned.

This course uses various forms of Israeli media, including television shows, web sites, blogs, and newspapers, to explore the ethical and moral dimensions of contemporary debates on cultural pluralism in Israel and tensions in Israeli society. Topics include relations between Jews and Arabs, rifts between Orthodox and secular Jews, and the challenges of accommodating and integrating into a single society immigrants who come from diverse backgrounds and lack a common immigrant experience. The course is intended for advanced speakers of Hebrew.

Israeli music is multi-faceted and complex. Israel represents an extreme case of a society of immigrants and refugees grouped together under pressures and traumas. This course explores how music, the most social and active of the arts, has acted as a powerful social and psychological agent.