Hebrew

Bruchim Haba’im! Welcome to Modern Hebrew at Carleton

Think beyond the Bible! Modern Hebrew is a language of vital importance in fields that range from religion and history to international relations, computer science, business, and medicine. Especially if you like patterns and logic you’ll love how Hebrew works and like a Rubik’s cube, is fun to figure out, with many different cultural and historical reveals!

Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people, but students of all backgrounds take our four term Hebrew sequence, as well as weekly Hebrew supplements to some of our Israeli literature and film classes that are taught in English.

If our first level, Hebrew 101, is the right placement for you, you may have some knowledge of Hebrew already or you may never have seen the letters. Since our emphasis is on reading and writing as Israelis do, we are all on the same footing in a few days. Throughout our four courses we work with Israeli print and electronic media, TV, radio programs, and films. Term-long features include a pop music Karaoke in Hebrew project in our 102 class. Groups of students choose an Israeli pop song and they practice singing it exactly as the artists do. This is such a fun way to work on pronunciation and understanding – each group member contributes to explaining their song’s meaning and its cultural background in individual presentations at the end of term, followed by a collective karaoke-style performance! 

In Hebrew 103, groups of students become Israeli publishing firms and after deciding on a focus for a magazine on Israel, they write short essays in Hebrew for it and for other developing magazines in class. Our attention in intermediate Hebrew 204 is more individual, as each student writes a research paper, creates a poster, and gives a talk on the topic they’ve explored. Hebrew “trailer,” or weekly vocabulary and discussion strengthening classes often accompany courses I also teach in English, such as Israeli Society in Israeli Cinema, in the Cinema and Media Studies (CAMS) department.

Many Carleton students have advanced their Hebrew language skills in Israel with support from a Jonathan Paradise Israel Experience Scholarship. Students can study in a university or kibbutz ulpan (Hebrew program), and they can combine this with interning or volunteering in a nearby school, museum, or business. Hebrew and Middle East Studies programs at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and at the University of Haifa have been popular choices for Paradise Scholarship recipients, as have interning or volunteering at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, and the Hand in Hand Arab and Jewish bicultural school.