Language Courses 2025–2026
Many language courses are listed with undergraduate-level numbers but can also be taken for credit by graduate students.
CLASSICAL HEBREW
BIBL 33900-34000 (= RLST 13900-14000) Introductory Biblical Hebrew I-II
Autumn, Winter
Jaeseok Heo
This is a two-quarter sequence designed to introduce students to the language of biblical Hebrew, with special emphasis on the fundamentals of its morphology, syntax, and vocabulary. The course follows a standard textbook supplemented by lectures, exercises, and oral drills aimed at refining the student’s grasp of grammatically sound interpretation and translation. At the conclusion of the two-quarter sequence students will be prepared to take a biblical Hebrew reading course in the spring quarter.
HEBR 10101-10102-10103 (= JWSC 22000-22100-22200). Elementary Classical Hebrew I-II-III.
Autumn, Winter, Spring
Aren Wilson-Wright
The purpose of this three-quarter sequence is to enable the student to acquire a knowledge of the vocabulary and grammar of Classical Hebrew sufficient to read prose texts with the occasional assistance of a dictionary. The first quarter focuses on the inflection of nouns and adjectives and begins the inflection of verbs. It includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms. The second quarter focuses on verb inflection and verbal sequences and includes written translation to and from Hebrew, oral exercises, and grammatical analysis of forms. The first half of the third quarter concludes the study of verb inflection and the second half is spent reading prose narrative texts with specific attention to the grammatical analysis of those texts.
HEBR 20104-20105-20106 (= JWSC 22300-22400-22500) Intermediate Classical Hebrew I-II-III.
Autumn, Winter, Spring M–F 8:30–9:20 am
Dennis Pardee
A continuation of Elementary Classical Hebrew (HEBR 10101-10102-10103 [JWSC 22000-22100-22200]). The first quarter consists of reviewing grammar, and of reading and analyzing further prose texts. The last two quarters are devoted to an introduction to Hebrew poetry with readings from Psalms, Proverbs, and the prophets.
MODERN HEBREW
HEBR 10501-10502-10503 (= JWSC 25000-25100-25200) Introductory Modern Hebrew I-II-III.
Autumn, Winter, Spring
Ari Almog
The beginner's course is the first of three sequential courses offered to students at the university. The course aims to introduce students to reading, writing and speaking Modern Hebrew. Toward that end all four-language skills are emphasized: comprehension of written and oral materials; reading of non-diacritical text; writing of directed sentences, paragraphs, and compositions; speaking. You will learn the Hebrew root pattern system, and by the end of the year you will have mastered the five (active) basic verb conjugations in both the past and present tenses (as well as simple future). This grammatical knowledge is complemented by an 800+ word vocabulary, which is presented with an eye toward the major syntactic structures, including the proper use of prepositions. At the end of the year, you will conduct short conversations in Hebrew; read materials designed to this level and write short compositions.
HEBR 20501-20502-20503 (= JWSC 25300-25400-25500) Intermediate Modern Hebrew I-II-III.
Autumn, Winter, Spring
Staff
The course, which builds upon Introductory Modern Hebrew (HEBR 10501-10502-10503), focuses on the acquisition of proficiency and communicative skills in Modern Hebrew. The purpose of this class is to expand and strengthen beginners' Hebrew skills so that they become more self-assured, communicative, and versatile when they listen to, read, speak, and write Hebrew. It emphasizes both communicative and cultural themes and focuses on developing a rich and active vocabulary in several language domains.
HEBR 30501-30502-30503 (= JWSC 25600-25700-25800) Advanced Modern Hebrew I-II-III.
Autumn, Winter, Spring
Ari Almog
HEBR 15001-15002 Elementary Modern Hebrew in Jerusalem (study abroad)
HEBR 15003-15004 Intermediate Modern Hebrew in Jerusalem (study abroad)
HEBR 15005-15006 Advanced Modern Hebrew in Jerusalem (study abroad)
YIDDISH
YDDH 10100-10200-10300 (= JWSC 20300-20400-20500) Elementary Yiddish I-II-III
Autumn/Winter/Spring
Jessica Kirzane
The goal of this sequence is to develop proficiency in Yiddish reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Touchstones of global Yiddish culture are also introduced through song, film, and contemporary Yiddish websites.
YDDH 21004 (= JWSC 21025) Advanced Yiddish: Reading Academic Yiddish Texts
Winter
Jessica Kirzane
What is the language of Yiddish scholarship? Today, we find Yiddish studies largely in English, Polish, German, and Hebrew—and only rarely in Yiddish itself. But it was only a few short decades ago that Yiddish Studies scholarship was regularly produced in Yiddish, both simply because it was the shared language of its scholarly community and as a defiant activist sensibility that Yiddish could and should remain a language of scholarly inquiry. Through this course, students will read articles from late 20th century Yiddish academic journals such as YIVO Bleter, Yidishe Shprakh, Kheshbn, Leket, and Oksforder Yidish, exploring how academic language activists used Yiddish to express and circulate their research in addition to using it as a language for reading and research. Students will write short response essays and will try their hand at writing their own academically-oriented scholarship in Yiddish. Ultimately, students will be encouraged to produce proposals to give talks in Yiddish about their own scholarship, either for the Farbindungen conference or the Symposium for Yiddish Studies in Germany (Dusseldorf), two contemporary conferences in which presentations in Yiddish are encouraged.
PQ: Students must have completed intermediate Yiddish or its equivalent to take this course and are encouraged to speak with the instructor if they are unsure about placement.