Hebrew III: Language and Culture (211-0-1)
Instructors
Hanna Tzuker Seltzer
847/467-5684
Crowe 5-159
Office Hours: Mondays/Wednesdays 3:30 - 4:30 or by appt.
Hanna Tzuker Seltzer was born and raised in Jerusalem, where she also studied Film and Television. Her short narrative film was aired on Israeli TV and was awarded the Snunit Prize for emerging Israeli filmmakers. Prior to her PhD studies at the University of California Berkeley, she graduated summa cum laude from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, earning her BA in Hebrew Literature with Designated Emphasis in Creative Writing. Hanna also holds a certificate in teaching Hebrew as a Second Language from the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University, where she taught in the Summer Ulpan. She has also taught at the Milah Ulpan in Jerusalem. During her doctoral studies at UC Berkeley (Ph.D., 2017, Jewish Studies), she taught courses in modern Hebrew language and Jewish Studies, earning UC Berkeley’s Outstanding Graduate Instructor Award. Hanna also studied Yiddish and examined its complex connection to Israeli history, literature, and culture.
Meeting Info
Kresge 4531 MENA Seminar Rm: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
Hebrew 211 is given in the Fall quarter and is meant for students who completed Hebrew 121-3 or students who wish to expand their Hebrew knowledge and strengthen their grammar foundations. The purpose of this course is to serve as a bridge between Hebrew second year and the advanced classes of Hebrew about literature and culture (Hebrew 216) or about Israeli media (Hebrew 245). In this class students will learn the future tense forms, the imperative and the conditional forms, advanced connectors (such as לכן, מפני ש..., בגלל), impersonal phrases with infinitive forms, more prepositions, the condensed form of possessive. Students will also expand their cultural proficiency by learning and practicing various everyday experiences like going to the doctor, buying clothes or electronics in the store, preparing for a trip, going to a concert, volunteering, or taking care of pets. The class will be built around the topic of leisure and hobbies, and the grammatical structures will be introduced and practiced through the various sub-topics we will learn about such as trips, favorite tv shows, movies and music, students' hobbies, and more. Class will consist of interactive exercises for the high intermediate learner, texts and visual materials in a level-appropriate difficulty with more information on Israeli daily life and reality and listening in the form of songs and clips in Hebrew.
Hebrew 211 is a quarter-long class, planned to take place during the Fall out of the assumption that students who finished the second year in the previous spring will be able to expand their Hebrew knowledge and skills so they will be better equipped to take more advanced classes in the 200 level (Hebrew 216, 245) that are given in the following winter and spring quarters. For students who placed out of Hebrew due to their previous experience with Hebrew, this class can be helpful in reviewing forms and vocabulary they learned long ago, and in practicing active usage of the language (through class discussions, presentations, etc.) so they will be able to transition smoothly to the more advanced Hebrew classes.
Registration Requirements
Hebrew 121-3, or permission of the instructor.
Learning Objectives
After completing Hebrew 211, students will have an overview of more advanced grammar concepts (in comparison to what they have learnt in the first two years of Hebrew) that are essential to successfully deal with more advanced texts and visual materials Hebrew 216 and 245 composed of. Students will have enough vocabulary to speak about their hobbies, their volunteering projects, and their hopes, desires, and aspirations. Students will be able to recommend places or cultural experiences such as movies, concerts, plays and exhibitions they attended, and they will be able to function in real-life situations such as sitting in a restaurant (from ordering food to paying the bill), visiting the doctor's office, and more. Additionally, Students will be able to express their opinions about dilemmas such as stray dogs and cats in Israel, public transportation, and more.
At the end of the quarter, students will be able to transition more smoothly into third year classes (Hebrew 216, 245) and deal more successfully with literary texts, articles, and visual materials that comprise these classes.
Teaching Method
The lessons will involve reading and discussion of texts and dialogues, as well as watching clips and segments of episodes from TV shows. The advanced grammatical subjects will be weaved into topics of leisure and hobbies that lend themselves to these subjects. Students will prepare presentations where they will make use of the learnt materials to talk about their hobbies or to research cultural topics. The learning will involve several hands-on projects like cooking, touring the campus and guiding classmates how to get to places on campus, and more.
Evaluation Method
A student's grade for this course will be based upon (1) Participation, homework and preparedness for class; (2) Attendance in two cultural events; (3) Attendance; (4) Quizzes given throughout the quarter; (5) Oral presentations in class; and (6) Final Project (may vary: presentation / essay / oral interview, etc.)
Class Materials (Required)
Segments from various Hebrew textbooks (to be provided by Prof. Hanna Tzuker Seltzer) as well as articles from Israeli newspapers, clips and segments of Israeli movies and TV series, blogs, and more. All materials will be determined by Prof. Hanna Tzuker Seltzer and be provided by her or be accessible via the Canvas class site.
Class Notes
This class is taught in Hebrew. Homework assignments and occasional presentations are an integral part of class in order to maximize students' successful learning.