Introduction to Classical Hebrew II

CLAS 218-01

Old Main 002

Macalester College

Spring 2005

Instructor: Nanette Goldman   e-mail:goldman@macalester.edu
Office: Old Main 407
Phone: 651-696-6659
Office Hours: Monday 9:30-10:30 Tuesday 1:00-2:00 and by appointment.

Preceptor: Johanna Shreve
e-mail:jshreve@macalester.edu
Phone: 651-695-1733
Office Hours: Sunday 9:00-10:30, Wednesday 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lower level Kagin

Course Description: This is the second half of a 30 week intensive study of classical Hebrew grammar and vocabulary which will give you the skills necessary to decipher ancient Hebrew texts. Your primary objectives this semester will be twofold: 1) you will complete the grammar survey, including the Joseph adaptation, 2) you will begin working with selections from the Hebrew bible, translating Biblical texts and learning to use the research tools: critical apparatus, lexicon and commentaries. In addition, you will be introduced to matters of text transmission, interpretation and organization. The oral component of the Hebrew language will receive continued attention. Recitation drills, aural comprehension exercises, simple conversational practice, an interactive computer program, songs and games will reinforce visual acquisition of the language.

The second year Hebrew courses (Intermediate Hebrew) survey the Hebrew language from antiquity to modernity. In Intermediate Hebrew, building on the first year grammar fundamentals, you will trace the development of the language through close examination of extended passages. You will read selections from Biblical prose, poetry, Qumranic (Dead Sea Scrolls) Hebrew, the Rabbinic corpus and finish the year by working in the Hebrew spoken in Israel today. Satisfactory completion of the 2-year sequence fulfills the Macalester foreign language requirement.