Hebrew III: Topics in Hebrew Literature (216-0-1)

Instructors

Hanna Tzuker Seltzer
847/467-5684
Crowe 5-159

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-335: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM

Overview of class

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, and she saw many victories and downfalls before her eyes. She is the subject of writing for poets and storytellers, Jews and non-Jews alike, and she is often the setting for many films and TV series that were produced in Israel. Jerusalem is immensely diverse, encompassing ultra-orthodox Jews next to secular Jews, Ashkenazi Jews and Sephardi ones, Arabs and Jews. In this class we will get a glimpse of these sectors as they are portrayed in literary and visual art. We will learn of Jerusalem's ancient and modern history and how this history affects the current intricacies of this unique city. We will read poems by Yehuda Amichai (the poet who lived and died in Jerusalem and wrote about and to Jerusalem throughout his entire life) and a poetry slam by the artist Yonatan Blumenfeld about Jerusalem. We will watch clips from a dance project by the dancer and choreographer Miriam Engel that brings to life love stories that took place in Jerusalem, and we will learn about the complex relationship between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem, the volatile situations and the unique projects of social organizations that strive to promote understanding and co-existence.

Registration Requirements

Hebrew 121-3 or instructor's consent.
This class is intended for students who completed 2 years of Hebrew language learning at Northwestern (or the equivalent) and to students who placed out of the first two years Hebrew learning requirement at Northwestern. The class level is equal to Hebrew third year.

Learning Objectives

Students will improve their speaking and writing skills in Hebrew, and they will learn new grammar structures introduced throughout the course by analyzing the texts for literary and grammatically features. Class discussions will be used as a platform to enhance Hebrew speaking and to instill confidence in using new forms through interview Jerusalemites, practicing writing through forming questions.
In the course students will work on the following linguistic and cultural objectives:
… identify structures you learned in the past and integrate the grammar knowledge you have acquired throughout your journey learning Hebrew into developing a higher level of reading comprehensibility;
… use 400-500 new words both from written or spoken sources and practice these words through interactive exercises in class and as homework;
… developed strategies to help you locate the main ideas, read comprehensively, to understand and assess a variety of input sources: original texts from websites of various social organizations, tables and maps, graphs, and pictures, literary sources;
…. Develop your ability to analyze artistic and literary works, such as poetry slam, dance, a short story, in Hebrew.
… to summarize and present key details of historical and current news events in your own words (written and oral) including voicing critical remarks.

Teaching Method

This is an interactive, reading and discussion-based class which requires daily guided work as well as independent research. The course material is presented online in a multisensory way through texts, pictures, graphics, audio and video sequences.

Evaluation Method

Students will be evaluated on their class participation, preparation for class (completion of assignments given at the end of classes as a basis to the next class), presentations, and final project (in lieu of final exam).

Class Materials (Required)

The materials will be provided by the instructor.

Class Notes

The materials and discussions will be in Hebrew, and the level of the course is intermediate high to advanced love (on the ACTFL scale).

Class Attributes

Literature and Arts Foundational Discipline
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: REASON: Pre-registration is not allowed for this class. Please try again during regular registration. Prerequisite: HEBREW 121‐3 or permission of the instructor.