Hebrew College Online

Fall 2008 COURSES

Orientation to Online Study at Hebrew College
September 4–7
INTD 101
Note: Mandatory for new online students.

What does it take to become a successful online student? How does online study differ from classroom-based study? This short seminar will introduce students to all aspects of online study at Hebrew College. The course will cover hardware, software, Internet skills, course components and navigation, methods of interaction and virtual class discussion, scheduling and time considerations, library resources, and the Hebrew College help desk. Access to selected course(s) will become available once orientation is completed.

Hebrew Language Courses

Hebrew Self-Placement Test
Find out what level is right for you.

Mekhina (Preparation) for Hebrew Language
Levy
Noncredit only
HEBRW 010
Note: Offered online for both online and campus-based students. No prior knowledge of Hebrew is required.

This course is designed to serve as an introduction to Hebrew language study and to ensure that students with some prior Hebrew study experience begin Hebrew I at comparable levels. The Mekhina introduces the Hebrew alphabet and vowels, as well as verbs and syntax sufficient for conducting simple daily conversation. Students submit oral and written homework and take online quizzes. Weekly real-time class discussions are conducted by the instructor with small groups of students. The course covers the seven introductory units of Ivrit Min Hahatchala (Hebrew from Scratch), the textbook used by Hebrew College’s campus-based and online Hebrew language programs.

Hebrew I Online
Levy
4 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 110
Prerequisite: Hebrew Mekhina or placement test.

This course enables students to recognize and use fundamental structures of Hebrew grammar and morphology, and to acquire the necessary vocabulary for basic conversation and reading of modern and classical texts. All language skills are mastered through elementary syntactic and grammatical structures. Students will learn the basic verbs in the different common active verb groups and their conjugation in the present and past tense. Students will read and listen to stories and dialogues, and participate in guided class discussions. Based on topics introduced in the lessons, students will write their own dialogues and passages. All language skills are mastered through more advanced syntactic and grammatical structures.

Hebrew Ia Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 111A

This course covers the first half of Hebrew I, Lessons 1–7 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 1.

Hebrew Ib Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 111B

This course covers the second half of Hebrew I, Lessons 8–14 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 1.

Hebrew II Online
Levy
4 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 210

A continuation of Hebrew I Online, this course enables students to recognize and use additional structures of Hebrew grammar, morphology and vocabulary to read modern and classical texts, and to engage in conversation. Students will read and listen to stories and dialogues, and participate in guided class discussions. Based on topics introduced in the lessons, students will write their own dialogues and passages. All language skills are mastered through more advanced syntactic and grammatical structures. Students will learn the past tense of verb groups introduced in Hebrew I.

Hebrew IIa Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 211A

This course covers the first half of Hebrew II, Lessons 15–21 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 1.

Hebrew IIb Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 211B

This course covers the second half of Hebrew II, Lessons 22–28 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 1.

Hebrew III Online
Levy
4 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 310

Students will learn to recognize and use new and more complex structures of Hebrew grammar and morphology, such as combined sentences, and will acquire vocabulary for advanced reading of modern and classical texts, and for conversation. Lessons include readings of longer passages, dialogues and stories. Students will be given the opportunity to practice the new syntactic and grammatical structures. Based on topics introduced in the lessons, students will write short expository passages and deepen their mastery of spoken Hebrew through participation in open conversation.

Hebrew IIIa Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 311A

This course covers the first half of Hebrew III, Lessons 1–4 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 2.

Hebrew IIIb Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 311B

This course covers the second half of Hebrew III, Lessons 5–8 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 2.

Hebrew IV Online
Levy
4 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 410

This course is designed for intermediate students who have successfully mastered Hebrew reading, writing and speaking skills. Students will practice writing directed and complex sentences, as well as free composition. In weekly oral assignments and class discussions, only Hebrew is spoken. Through extensive readings, students will expand their vocabulary and increase their familiarity with grammatical patterns. Students will learn the future tense of basic verbs in the strong verb groups, as well as frequently used weak verbs.

Hebrew IVa Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 411A

This course covers the first half of Hebrew IV, Lessons 9–12 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 2.

Hebrew IVb Online
Levy
2 undergraduate credits or noncredit
HEBRW 411B

This course covers the second half of Hebrew IV, Lessons 13–16 of Ivrit Min Hahatchala, Vol. 2.

Bet Midrash for Jewish Educators
Potok
EDUC 725

See on-campus listings for course description.

Bible: Text and Context
Rodman
BIBLE 600
Required course pack

This course will examine various biblical passages from a wide variety of genres—law, narrative, hymns and oracles—and consider the process by which they obtained their current contextual forms. At the same time, the course will look at the compositional origins of these passages and attempt to identify how they may have been conceived for very different purposes than their current respective functions. Students will encounter the forces that shaped the way biblical writers composed their work and how later editors compiled, shaped, and ultimately reinterpreted their sources.

Early Childhood Institute: Jewish Symbols and Lifecycles
Rodenstein
EDUC 530

See on-campus listings for course description.

Introduction to the Study of Talmud
Cohn
Gateway; 4 credits
RAB 520
Syllabus [PDF]

Students in this course will learn the skills of analyzing a variety of Talmudic texts, aggadic and halakhic. How are Talmudic sugyot (thematic units of a talmudic tractate) constructed? What are the recurring technical terms of a talmudic "discussion"? Students will learn basic talmudic terminology, including a glossary of Hebrew and Aramaic terms and concepts, and how to use dictionaries, concordances and other reference tools to decipher and understand a talmudic sugya. This course also includes selections from the commentaries of Rashi and the Tosaphot, with an examination of their interpretive concerns and methods. Students will be required to record selections from the talmudic texts in order to improve skills in reading rabbinic Hebrew.

The Place of Nature in the Bible
E. Bernstein
INTD 107
Required course pack; Syllabus [PDF]

In light of climate change and a host of environmental problems, many are turning to religious traditions in search of a spiritual and ethical framework by which to view the natural world and address these and other related issues. This course addresses such questions as: What is our place in nature—are we lords, servants, stewards, co-creatures? What is the meaning of “dominion” (Genesis 1:28)? Does human “sin” yield environmental consequences? Does the Bible offer an inherent ecological theology? If so, why are many Jews unaware of it? By closely reading selections of biblical texts, including the Creation stories, Noah, other tales from Genesis, Job, Song of Songs, Psalms and Prophets, students will determine how asking new questions of the text can reveal new readings.

back to top

Spring 2009 COURSES

Orientation to Online Study at Hebrew College
January 29–February 1
INTD 101
Note: Mandatory for new online students.

See fall listings for complete course description.

Hebrew Language Courses

Hebrew Self-Placement Test
Find out what level is right for you.

Mekhina (Preparation) for Hebrew Language
Levy
Noncredit only
HEBRW 010
Note: Offered online for both online and campus-based students. No prior knowledge of Hebrew is required.

See fall listings for complete course description.

Hebrew I–IV Online
Levy

See fall listings for complete course descriptions and course numbers.

Genres and Themes of Biblical Literature
Rodman
Gateway; 4 credits
BIBLE 502

Students will read extended selections in Hebrew from the major biblical genres, including narrative, law, prophecy, Psalms and wisdom literature. Particular attention is paid to a thorough understanding of the Hebrew text and to the linguistic and literary characteristics of the different genres.

Early Childhood Institute: Creating a Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum for Early Childhood Jewish Education
Brody
EDUC 502

See on-campus listings for course description.

Special Education for Jewish Settings
Miller-Jacobs and Sokol
EDUC 551

An introduction to the field of Jewish special education, drawing on a variety of sources. The course will provide students with a foundation in the field of special education, including history, laws, "best practices" for students with special needs and the impact of disabilities on the individual and family members. Traditional and contemporary responses to special education within the Jewish community will also be discussed.

The Land and State of Israel in Jewish Education
Shapiro
EDUC 620

Jewish education, while celebrating and embracing the Land and State of Israel (Eretz Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael), has often been in a quandary in searching for these subjects’ meaningful place across the curriculum. Exhilarating and memorable Israel experiences are often followed by struggles to reconnect, to sustain relationships and to integrate Israel into Jewish life. In this course, students will consider the ideational and practical challenges of developing an enduring place for Israel in Jewish education as they consider the role of Israel in traditional Judaism, Hebrew literature, Zionism, Jewish thought, educational discourse, curricula and teaching approaches. In addition, students will reflect on their relationships to Israel and the tensions that emerge as these relationships are expressed in educational practice. Finally, students will develop a plan to authentically connect Israel and Israel experience to other dimensions of Jewish life.

Jewish History and Memory: Rabbinic and Medieval Periods
Adelman
Framework
HIST 536

This course represents the second in a three-course sequence designed to orient the student to the ebb and flow, major transitions and defining moments in Jewish history. Postbiblical Judaism, which begins with questions of interpretation and survival, develops strategies to preserve the past and to creatively respond to the present. Rabbinic literature and the institutions fostered by rabbinic Judaism developed and thrived during the middle ages. Concentrating on major historical events and developments from the rabbinic period until the end of the middle ages in the seventeenth century, students will consider how the themes of Jewish identity, belonging, spirituality and memory have undergone profound changes. Students will explore how the past has been recalled, studied and understood by scholars, Jewish religious leaders, Jewish communities and individuals throughout history. To appreciate the dynamics of historical narrative, readings draw upon primary historical documents (in translation) and critical historical scholarship.

Maimonides, Spinoza and Mendelssohn
Breuer
JTHT 525

The greatest Jewish thinkers, like the great thinkers of other religious traditions, distinguished themselves by their ability to reexamine and reinterpret received ideas and texts in profound and far-reaching ways. For medieval and modern Jews, this feature of religious life was a means of rendering ancient traditions meaningful to societies and cultural contexts far removed from their biblical and rabbinic origins. All three of these philosophers were deeply influenced by the intellectual traditions prevailing in their own countries as they developed approaches to Judaism and Jewish life consistent with these contexts. Through careful reading of selections from Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed, Spinoza's Theologico-Political Treatise and Mendelssohn's Jerusalem, this course will examine the ways in which these outstanding Jews read and interpreted classical Jewish texts.

back to top

Online Course Listings 2008–2009