Undergraduate Bulletin
Spring 2025
HBW: Hebrew
HBW 101: Intensive Elementary Hebrew
An intensive course covering the elementary Hebrew program in one semester, satisfying the language requirement. This course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of the language.
DEC: S3
SBC:
LANG
6 credits
HBW 111: Elementary Hebrew I
An introduction to modern Hebrew as currently spoken and written in Israel, stressing pronunciation, speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. The course is designed for students who have no prior knowledge of the language. A student who has had two or more years of Hebrew in high school (or who has otherwise acquired an equivalent proficiency) may not take HBW 111 without written permission from the supervisor of the course.
3 credits
HBW 112: Elementary Hebrew II
An introduction to modern Hebrew as currently spoken and written in Israel, stressing pronunciation, speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing.
Prerequisite: HBW 111
DEC: S3
SBC:
LANG
3 credits
HBW 211: Intermediate Hebrew I
Intermediate courses in conversation, composition, and the reading of texts in modern Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBW 112
3 credits
HBW 212: Intermediate Hebrew II
Intermediate courses in conversation, composition, and the reading of texts in modern Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBW 211
3 credits
HBW 311: Advanced Hebrew I
A course in the active use of spoken and written Hebrew. Readings of classics in the Hebrew language. Discussion is conducted mainly in Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBW 212
3 credits
HBW 312: Advanced Hebrew II
Readings in modern Hebrew authors. Oral and written reports. Discussion is conducted mainly in Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBW 311
3 credits
HBW 405: Studies in Hebrew Literature
May be repeated as the topic changes.
Prerequisite: HBW 311 or 312
DEC: S3
SBC:
HFA+
3 credits
HBW 415: The History of the Hebrew Language
Readings and discussion (in Hebrew) of selections from Biblical, post-Biblical, and modern literature; lectures and discussion (in English) on the changes of sentence structure, meaning, sound, and style from one period to another. Particular attention is given to classicism, innovation, and restructuring in the rise of modern Hebrew.
Prerequisite: HBW 311
DEC: S3
SBC:
HFA+
3 credits
HBW 447: Directed Readings in Hebrew
Intensive study of a particular author, period, or genre of Hebrew literature in the original under close faculty supervision. May be repeated.
Prerequisite: Permission of director
DEC: S3
SBC:
EXP+
1-4 credits
HBW 475: Undergraduate Teaching Practicum I
Work with a faculty member as an assistant in one of the faculty member's regularly scheduled classes. The student is required to attend all the classes, do all the regularly assigned work, and meet with the faculty member at regularly scheduled times to discuss the intellectual and pedagogical matters relating to the course. Students may not serve as teaching assistants in the same course twice.
Prerequisites: U3 or U4 standing; permission of instructor
SBC: EXP+
3 credits, S/U grading
HBW 476: Undergraduate Teaching Practicum II
Work with a faculty member as an assistant in one of the faculty member's regularly scheduled classes. The student is required to attend all the classes, do all the regularly assigned work, and meet with the faculty member at regularly scheduled times to discuss the intellectual and pedagogical matters relating to the course. In HBW 476, students assume greater responsibility in such areas as leading discussions and analyzing results of tests that have already been graded. Students may not serve as teaching assistants in the same course twice.
Prerequisites: HBW 475; permission of instructor
SBC: EXP+
3 credits, S/U grading
JDH: Judaic Studies:Humanities
JDH 261: The Bible as Literature
A literary approach to the Bible that explores the characteristic principles of the Bible's narrative and poetic art. This course is offered as both EGL 261 and JDH 261.
Prerequisite: WRT 102 or equivalent
DEC: B
SBC:
HUM
3 credits
JDH 390: Humanities Topics in Judaic Studies
An examination of a selected topic in Judaic studies within the humanities area. May be repeated as the topic changes.
Prerequisite: JDS/HIS 225 or 226 or JDH/RLS 230
DEC: G
SBC:
HFA+
3 credits
JDH 447: Readings in Judaic Studies
Qualified juniors and seniors may read independently in the areas of Jewish religion, philosophy, and literature in an approved program under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
1-6 credits
JDS: Judaic Studies:Social and Behavioral Sciences
JDS 225: Jewish History from Antiquity to the Middle Ages
Jewish history and the development of Judaism from Ancient Israel until the close of the Middle Ages (ca. 1000 B.C.E.- ca. 1492 C.E.). The course begins with the epic tales of the Hebrew Bible, examines the varieties of Judaism which arose under Greece and Rome, explores the "parting of the ways" between Judaism and Christianity, and ends with the rise and fall of Jewish settlements in the Muslim Middle East and across Christian Europe. This course is offered as both HIS 225 and JDS 225.
3 credits
JDS 226: Modern Jewish History: Dilemmas of Difference
An examination of the emergence of modern forms of Judaism from 1492 until the present day, covering Jewish life through the Reformation, French Revolution, the emergence of democracy, two World Wars, Holocaust, and the establishment of the State of Israel, tracing the shift both in centers of life and in the ideas that furnished those centers. This course is offered as both HIS 226 and JDS 226.
3 credits
JDS 241: Nazi Genocide and the Holocaust
The rise of modern anti-Semitism since the late 18th century and its political application in Nazi Germany. Topics include the destruction process, ghetto life, resistance, foreign response, and the war crimes trials. This course is offered as both HIS 241 and JDS 241.
DEC: I
SBC:
GLO
3 credits
JDS 356: Zionism, Israel, and the Middle East
This course explores one of the more divisive events of the twentieth century: the establishment of the State of Israel. Beginning with the origins of the Zionist movement and its activities in nineteenth-century Europe and the Middle East, the course then moves to explore the establishment of the state in 1948 and subsequent Israeli politics and society, with an eye to its relationship with neighboring Arab states, the Palestinians, and Jews around the world. This course is offered as both HIS 356 and JDS 356.
Prerequisite: U3 or U4 standing; 1 D.E.C. F or SBS course
3 credits
JDS 447: Readings in Judaic Studies
Qualified juniors and seniors may read independently in the areas of Jewish history, culture, and society, in an approved program under the supervision of a faculty member. May be repeated.
Prerequisites: Two JDS courses, or one course each in JDS and JDH; permission of director
1-6 credits
