Hebrew
Program of Study
Requirements for the minor (18 units total):
Four required courses (12 units):
- JwsS 90: Bible History and Literature (3 units)
- JwsS 108: Jewish Sacred Texts from Talmud to Kabbalah (3 units)
- JwsS 124: The Jews in Europe, 1880 to the Present (3 units)
- JwsS 153: Jewish Traditions (3 units)
Two electives (6 units) chosen from:
- JwsS 10A/B: Elementary Hebrew (3 units each)
- JwsS 15A/B: Intermediate Hebrew (3 units each)
- JwsS 102A/B: Advanced Hebrew (3 units each)
- JwsS 111C: Ancient History--Near East (3 units)
- JwsS 122: Holocaust Literature (3 units)
- JwsS 138: The Middle East to Modern Times (3 units)
- JwsS 144: Government and Politics in the Middle East (3 units)
- or any 180 course related to Jewish Studies taken in various departments or programs, or such other courses as the Coordinator may approve.
Course Descriptions
- JwsS 10A, B
Elementary Hebrew. Basic structure of the language in the context of culture.
Prerequisite to 10B: 10A or equivalent.
Year course.
3 units each. - JwsS 15 A, B
Intermediate Hebrew. Developing speaking skills.
Prerequisite: 10A, B or equivalent.
Year course.
3 units each. - JwsS 90
Bible History and Literature. The Bible in context of its history, literary sources, and as a reflection of Jewish and Christian traditions. Motifs and themes in light of their original audience, historic usage, and contemporary development. 3 units. - JwsS 102 A, B
Advanced Hebrew. Readings, grammar, discussion, and composition.
Prerequisite: 12 units of college-level Hebrew or equivalent.
Year course.
3 units each. - JwsS 108
Jewish Sacred Texts: From Talmud to Kabbalah. Jewish sacred texts from the Talmudic period (200 BCE - 500 CE) to the development and elaboration of the Kabbalah. Theological and legal development of Midrash, Mishna, and Gemara. Primary sources in translation and the "Talmudic method." Jewish mysticism and symbols of the Zohar.
3 units. - JwsS 111C
Ancient History-Near East.Great river civilizations (Nile, Tigris-Euphrates, and Indus) from 3500 BCE to the Roman Conquest, including the empires of the Hittites, Assyrians, and Persians, and the Hebrews. Emphasis on politics, culture, religion, and contributions to Greek, Roman, and Christian developments.
3 units. - JwsS 123
World Literature: The Holocaust. Works of fiction, poetry, and autobiography, in translation, which deal with the destruction of European Jewry during World War II.
3 units. - JwsS 124
The Jews in Europe, 1880 to the Present. European Jews from the Russian pogroms of 1880 to the present. Jewish life and thought within the framework of modern European history.
3 units. - JwsS 138
The Middle East to Modern Times. History of the Arab Empires and the Middle East to modern times.
3 units. - JwsS 144
Government and Politics in the Middle East. Governmental and political patterns in the "Moslem belt" from the Atlantic to Afghanistan, including Israel; and the role of the area in world politics.
3 units. - JwsS 153
Jewish Traditions. Tradition, law, ceremony, people, and expressions of Judaism from the Biblical period to the present.
3 units.
For more information, please contact:
Katzen, Rina
Hebrew Lecturer
Clark Hall 420H
408-924-3685
care of: dfl@sjsu.edu
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