Courses
Courses offered in the past four years. Courses offered currently are as noted.
HEBM 0101
Upcoming
Introduction Modern Hebrew I
Course Description
Introductory Modern Hebrew I
In this course students will become acquainted with the basic grammatical and formal concepts necessary for the comprehension of the Modern Hebrew language. We will focus on the fundamentals of reading, writing, listening, and speaking, with a particular emphasis placed on the acquisition of conversational ability. We will also make use of audiovisual, situational, and cultural exercises, and give attention to the elements of Classical form and style that provided a foundation for Modern Hebrew, which was revived as a vernacular in the late 19th century. No previous knowledge of Hebrew is required. 6 hrs.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0102
Intro Modern Hebrew II
Course Description
Introductory Modern Hebrew II
This course is an intensive continuation of Modern Hebrew 0101. Students will expand their knowledge of Hebrew grammar and vocabulary, will increase their proficiency in oral communication, and will study selections of both audio and visual media related to modern-day Israel. (HEBM 0101 or by permission) 10 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0103
Upcoming
Intro Modern Hebrew III
Course Description
Introductory Modern Hebrew III
This course is a continuation of Modern Hebrew 0102 which will be offered during winter term. Students will further develop their skills in written and oral communication, and will expand their knowledge of the cultures of modern Israel through both audio and visual media. (HEBM 0102 or equivalent) 5 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0201
Upcoming
Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
Course Description
Intermediate Modern Hebrew I
This course is a continuation of HEBM 0103. By engaging with topics about Israeli society and culture and by using authentic materials and different media, students will strengthen their intermediate level of communicative competence – reading, writing, listening, and speaking – and gain a deeper understanding of Israeli popular culture and politics. Topics will vary depending on students’ interest. (HEBM 0103 or placement test) 5 hrs. lect/disc
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0202
Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
Course Description
Intermediate Modern Hebrew II
This is the fifth in the sequence of Modern Hebrew courses that focus on the acquisition of reading, listening, writing, and speaking skills. This course will further increase the students' fluency in spoken Hebrew, as well as their facility in reading authentic texts dealing with both secular and religious Jewish cultures, the literature of modern-day Israel, Israeli history, and current events. By the end of the semester, students should attain the level of educated, non-native speakers of Modern Hebrew, in terms of knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, composition, and communicative competence. (HEBM 0201 or equivalent) 5 hrs. lect/disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0231
Zionism and "Roads Not Taken
Course Description
Zionism and the "Roads Not Taken" (1880-1948)
An Arab-Jewish binational state in Palestine was only one of the possible paths that the Zionist movement considered before taking the road that led to Israel’s 1948 establishment. Using various primary and secondary sources, we will critically engage with alternatives to the nation-state within the Zionist movement, unfolding key debates in its history. In the introductory units, we will position Zionism alongside other forms of Jewish nationalism, such as Simon Dubnow’s Diaspora Nationalism. We will then zoom in on post-World War I Zionism, discussing Imperial, anti-Imperial, pan-Asian, and binationalist-federalist alternatives to the Jewish nation-state program. In the concluding units, we will examine the processes by which these possibilities became marginalized, and the vision of a Jewish nation-state prevailed.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0234
Upcoming
Contemporary Israel
Course Description
Contemporary Israel: The Politics of Ethnic Difference
The course explores the politics of ethnic difference in Israel through a combined historical-sociological perspective, using diverse textual and visual materials. After tracing the origins of the ethnic categories of “Ashkenazi” (Western) and Mizrachi (Middle Eastern/North African) Jews, we examine the history of immigration to Israel in the 1950s, considering how ethnicity came to define class and geography. In subsequent units, we will deal with Mizrachi protest movements such as the Israeli 1970s “Black Panthers” and the more recent trend of Mizrachi intellectuals to reclaim the “Arab-Jew” identity, and in comparison, the Mizrachi traditional support of hawkish positions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the concluding units, we will utilize comparative tools to conceptualize this internal Jewish dynamic.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0237
Upcoming
Israel-Palestine Conflict
Course Description
The Origins of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
When did the Jewish-Arab conflict begin? This survey course considers several different moments of its birth, such as the 1880s first wave of Zionist immigrants to Palestine, the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1948 and 1967 war and the 1964 establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other landmark moments. Based on secondary literature and primary textual and visual materials, we will engage with these competing periodizations and analyze various Israeli and Palestinian historical narratives they embody, considering broader themes such as the relations between the historian’s identity and the production of historical narratives, and the dynamic between facts, narratives and ideologies. 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0238
Upcoming
Intercultural Jerusalem
Course Description
Intercultural Jerusalem (1850-Present)
The course approaches the history of modern Jerusalem through the lens of intercultural encounters. Based on primary historical sources and secondary literature, we will examine how the relations between Muslims, Christians, and Jews transformed as the city changed hands between the Ottomans, British, Jordanians, and Israelis. The introductory units will discuss the making of multi-cultural Jerusalem in the late Ottoman period and how, under British rule (1917-1948), its cosmopolitanism was abated by nationalism. We will then discuss its partition following the 1948 War and the emergence of “West Jerusalem” and “East Jerusalem.” Proceeding past 1967, we will examine if and to what extent Jerusalem became an integrated, united city under Israel sovereignty before concluding with a discussion of contemporary trends.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0258
Israeli Society Through Film
Course Description
Israeli Society Through Films
In this course we will examine Israeli culture, society, and history through Israeli cinema. We will view and discuss fiction films and documentaries that address, present and reflect such themes as national and personal aspects of life in Israel, the centrality of war and the ongoing conflict, the lives of Palestinians, experiences of Holocaust survivors, the changing status of the kibbutz, ethnic minorities, gender relations, LGBT issues, and varied religious communities. By analyzing films, we will trace and explore core values, shared beliefs, diverse ideologies, unique points of view, social processes, and social relations in past and present-day Israel. (formally HEBM 0250) 3 hrs. lect.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0269
Rite/Ritual in Israeli Society
Course Description
Rites and Rituals in Israeli Society
In this course we will use theory and case studies, from Israel and its neighbors, to explore a wide range of rituals. We will examine national goals achieved with the assistance of ceremonies, and society’s imprint on its members through life-cycle rituals. We will address similarities and differences in the ways specific rituals are performed, and the diverse meanings they may hold for groups and individuals in geographically proximate yet culturally distinct countries, and in the heterogeneous Israeli society. Our aim is to analyze cultural repertoires and social relations, as are represented, reproduced, and contested in ritualistic activities. (formerly HEBM/SOAN 0254) 3 hrs. lect
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0411
Translating Hebrew
Course Description
Translating Hebrew - Theory and Practice
In this course students at the advanced level of Hebrew will learn about the central themes of the theory and practice of translation. Special attention will be given to the particular issues emerging from the translation of Hebrew. Keeping in mind the theoretical background, we will translate Hebrew texts of various genres and periods. We will discuss the linguistic structure of these texts as well as their cultural background. 3 hrs. lect./disc.
Terms Taught
Requirements
HEBM 0500
Upcoming
Independent Project
Course Description
Independent Project
(Approval Required)
Terms Taught