Carleton College

HEBR 101, 102, 103. Elementary Modern Hebrew Think beyond the Bible! Modern Hebrew is a vital language in several fields from international relations to the sciences. This sequence is for students with no previous knowledge of Hebrew or for students with some religious school background. Placement is determined by a written test and oral interview. We will continually integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Hebrew, incorporating popular Israeli music, radio, and films into level appropriate class activities and assignments. Term long projects include Karaoke in Hebrew and publishing in-class magazines in Hebrew on topics related to Israel, the Middle East, and Judaic Studies. 6 cr., ND, Fall,Winter,Spring—S. Bayadsy, S. Beckwith

HEBR 204. Intermediate Modern Hebrew In this course students will strengthen their command of modern conversational, literary and newspaper Hebrew. As in the elementary sequence, we will continually integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Hebrew. Popular Israeli music, broadcasts, internet sources, and films will complement the course’s goals. Class projects include a term long research paper on a topic related to Israel, the Middle East, or Judaic Studies. Students will create a poster in Hebrew to illustrate their research. They will discuss this with other Hebrew speakers on campus at a class poster session toward the end of the course. 6 cr., ND, Winter—S. Beckwith

HEBR 222. Discovering Literary Tel Aviv and Jerusalem This course delves into Israel’s two major cities, comparing their history and character. How are Tel Aviv’s founding Zionist ideals and the Middle Eastern realities that challenged them portrayed in Hebrew literature? Our literary and cultural studies engagement with Tel Aviv will prepare students for our similar exploration of Jerusalem with its much longer multicultural history. How have places in both cities inspired literary reflections on national identity and memory? How have Israeli authors reciprocally influenced people’s views of these urban spaces and their national resonance? This course is part of the OCS Winter Break program, which involves two linked classes in fall and winter terms; this class is the first class in the sequence. In translation. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Fall—S. Beckwith

HEBR 223. Faith and Fiction: Exploring Israeli National Identity This course is the second part of a two-term sequence begining with Hebrew 222. Israel research on-site in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem during winter break. It is anticipated that research projects will be shared in a public symposium at the end of the term. Prerequisite: Hebrew 222 or Religion 222. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Winter—S. Beckwith

HEBR 241. Israel in A. B. Yehoshua's Literature Since 1962 A.B. Yehoshua has been one of Israel’s most prolific, politically engaged, and internationally significant authors. A combination of Middle Eastern and Sephardic (medieval Spanish) Jewish family roots and a Western Zionist education has fueled provocative literary interpretations of the Jewish State’s historical origins and many internal fault lines. We will examine Yehoshua’s portrayals of Jewish ethnic and religious diversity and of Zionist national consciousness in medieval through modern Mediterranean and European contexts pre-1948. We will then view Israel’s domestic East/ West, Jewish/ Palestinian, and religious/ secular divides through an artistic lens of exceptional, debatable historical scope. In English translation. 6 cr., AL, RAD, Spring—S. Beckwith