Hebrew Courses: Middle East and North African Languages Program

Hebrew Courses

Our Hebrew program makes a distinction between the traditional Language Sequences (first-year, second-year, third-year) as well as Content Courses. Every quarter, we offer a mixture of Language and Content courses. You will find their descriptions below. Click here to see this year's course offerings.

It is highly recommended that students purchase: Multi Dictionary Bilingual Learners Dictionary in Hebrew and English by Edna Lauden and Liora Weinbach. It can be very helpful in understanding deeper and better Hebrew grammar principles and vocabulary. In classes beyond second year, students are required to purchase Hebrew stickers lettering or a silicon Hebrew keyboard overlay for their personal computer. Please search online for Hebrew stickers lettering or keyboard overlays that suit your computer model. Here are two examples (not necessarily better than others):

Keyboard-Stickers-Lettering
Silicon Keyboard Overlay (Suitable for Mac computers only)

LANGUAGE SEQUENCES

Language sequences are a series of courses (three consecutive quarters for each year) that build on knowledge learned in the previous quarter. Course content is based on work with a language textbook and some additional material that complements the cultural experience of current Israeli society and contains texts, clips and various presentations and exercises. The goal is to ensure that students have mastered most important grammar topics, have developed a broad vocabulary, have had a taste of the everyday of Israeli society and its culture. and are familiar with basic cultural and historical facts.

HEBREW I (HEBREW 111-1,2,3)

The three-quarter first-year course is designed to develop all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) weaving them all in our daily classes through a communicative-cultural approach. Classwork centers on learning new vocabulary and grammatical structures, as well as practice of conversational skills and introduction to cultural materials. We will learn basic and everyday expressions and grammar, read and write dialogues and short narratives, talk about ourselves and with each other, and watch and listen to audio and visual materials. A student's grade for this course will be based upon (1) active participation and attendance, (2) daily homework assignments and class projects, (3) quizzes and oral interviews, (4) participation in cultural events and personal work with a tutor, and (5) a final project.

Textbook
Hebrew from Scratch Part I (in Hebrew: Ivrit Min Ha-Hatchala Ha-Chadash Alef), Authors: Shlomit Chayat, Sarah Israeli, Hila Kobliner. Printed by: Akademon Press through Magnes Press, Hebrew University, Jerusalem 2012. ISBN-10: 9653501127. Please make sure to purchase the book with the yellow and blue; the edition with the yellow and green is outdated.

Prerequisites for Hebrew 111-1: none
Prerequisites for Hebrew 111-2: Hebrew 111-1
Prerequisites for Hebrew 111-3: Hebrew 111-2

HEBREW II (HEBREW 121-1,2,3)

The three-quarter second-year course is an intermediate level course in Hebrew and is built on the vocabulary and structures students learned in the previous year. In this course students will reinforce and expand their vocabulary and grammatical knowledge and will further develop their ability to read, write and converse in Hebrew. We will enrich and expand our knowledge of Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, and culture. Class projects will be more elaborated, creative and complex based on students’ ongoing experience and knowledge of Hebrew learning and given students’ higher ability in Hebrew. There will be individual and group presentations where students will be able to integrate their language skills in creative and meaningful manners. Some of the class projects and students’ presentations include presentations on art works, commercial contest, song presentations, and more. A student's grade for this course will be based upon (1) active participation and attendance, (2) daily homework assignments and class projects, (3) quizzes and oral interviews, (4) participation in cultural events and personal work with a tutor, and (5) a final project.

Prerequisites for Hebrew 121-1: Hebrew 111-3
Prerequisites for Hebrew 121-2: Hebrew 121-1
Prerequisites for Hebrew 121-3: Hebrew 121-2

HEBREW III (HEBREW 211)

In this course students will learn essential grammatical concepts and structures in Hebrew not introduced in the first two years of Hebrew instruction such as future tense, the conditional, the imperative, and several other important grammatical constructions that are used in newspaper articles and literary texts, as well as in spoken Hebrew. The structure of this class will be similar to other third year Hebrew classes in its thematic anchor around which the linguistic topics will be learned. This class’s theme is Leisure, Hobbies and Volunteering and the new grammatical concepts will be introduced via units that lend themselves to these new grammar structures. Like other third year Hebrew classes, the course materials will be in varied genres and media such as newspaper articles, blogs, short stories, poems, clips and TV shows, songs, and meetings with speakers on zoom. Specific topics to be discussed are: trips and traveling, pets in Israel and the volunteers and non-profit organizations that struggle to save stray animals, sport and leisure activities, food recipes and how to prepare these foods, entertainment, film and television series. The purpose of this course is to better equip students with the knowledge of grammatical features that are necessary to comprehend and discuss literary and cultural materials encountered in Hebrew 216 and Hebrew 245.

Course Material
Course Reader / PDF materials on the class’s canvas site

Prerequisites for Hebrew 211: Hebrew 121-3

CONTENT COURSES

Content Courses in Hebrew are based on the rationale that people learn a second language more fully when they they engage with the cultural sphere where the language lives and is used in every aspect of life, from the mundane to the high and artistic. In Content Courses, the thematic content - topics that students find interesting and relevant - provides the materials (mostly authentic language texts and visual materials) around which listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities are created. Content Courses are self-contained and do not need to be taken in a sequence. (A content course starts in the beginning of the quarter and ends at the end of that quarter.)

TOPICS IN HEBREW LITERATURE (Hebrew 216-1,2,3)

These courses will revolve around themes that are universal yet manifests themselves in specific ways in Israeli society and culture. The courses are interdisciplinary; materials selected will be from different genres and periods and will examine the diverse sectors and cultures (sometimes challenging the very definition) of what we call “Israeli Culture”. We will deepen and enrich our cultural knowledge and our understanding of the connection between Hebrew language and Israeli culture(s). We will read short stories and poems, listen to songs, analyze movies, video clips and TV series. We will discuss these materials in class and will use the diverse language expressions, structures and vocabulary we encounter to expand our knowledge and understanding of Hebrew language and culture. The courses and course materials will be in Hebrew. Course requirements include readings, written responses and short essays, group discussions/projects, and at least one presentation throughout the quarter, as well as a final presentation/project at the end of the quarter. Grades will be based on (l) weekly short compositions, exercises, and/or group projects, (2) presentations, (3) final projects/presentations.
Note: Hebrew 216-1,2,3 is not a course sequence-the numbers 1,2,3 merely indicate in which quarter a course is being taught.

Course Material
Course Reader / PDF materials on the class’s canvas site

Prerequisites for Hebrew 216-1,2,3: Hebrew 211 or consent from the instructor. Can be repeated with different topics.

CURRENT EVENTS IN ISRAEL: ISRAELI SOCIETY THROUGH ONLINE NEWS MEDIA (Hebrew 245)

This course engages students in learning about the importance of the Israeli press and how it reports current events and cultural topics for its diverse citizens. In depth explorations of a variety of news topics will help students build a comprehensive vocabulary, explore the specialized language of Media in Hebrew, as well as begin to understand and respect alternative topics, ideas and diversity of views as expressed in the media sources. Students will be introduced to the many online newspapers in Israel and will learn to analyze the main page’s structure, the varied terms and pictures, as well as to decipher the audience to whom the newspaper cater. Israel's press and broadcasters are many and varied, reflecting differences in language, political viewpoint and religious outlook. They play an important role in political, social and cultural life and in the way news and public opinion are disseminated and shared.

Course Material
Course Reader / PDF materials on the class’s canvas site

Prerequisites for Hebrew 245: Hebrew 211 or consent from the instructor. Can be repeated with different topics.

ADVANCED TOPICS IN HEBREW LITERATURE (Hebrew 316-1,2,3)

These are advanced Hebrew courses in which students will read and analyze more complex literary and cultiural texts. The source material will be literary and cinematic, across different genres and periods and will examine the diverse sectors and cultures of what we call “Israeli Culture”. We will discuss these materials in class and will use the diverse language expressions, structures and vocabulary we encounter to expand our knowledge and understanding of Hebrew language and culture. The courses and course materials will be in Hebrew. Course requirements include readings, written responses and short essays, group discussions/projects, and at least one presentation throughout the quarter, as well as a final presentation/project at the end of the quarter. Grades will be based on (l) short compositions and position papers, and/or group projects, (2) short oral presentations, (3) final projects/presentations.
Note: Hebrew 316-1,2,3 is not a course sequence-the numbers 1,2,3 merely indicate in which quarter a course is being taught.

Course Material
Course Reader / PDF materials on the class’s canvas site

Prerequisites for Hebrew 316-1,2,3: At least two courses in Hebrew on the 200-level or consent from the instructor. Can be repeated with different topics.

For more information on any of our Hebrew courses, contact hanna.seltzer@northwestern.edu