Energy and Interactive Learning in Hebrew Program

The Hebrew Program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has grown tremendously over its early start years ago. In fall 2022, we will be offering a minor in Hebrew with classes in Modern Hebrew and Biblical Hebrew. Our modern Hebrew courses are taught by our Lea and Allen Orwitz Teaching Fellow in Modern Hebrew Revital Ganzi and our Biblical Hebrew courses are taught by Jack Love.

Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew has expanded with our first, third-year Hebrew classes beginning during the 2020-2021 academic year. Students in modern Hebrew learn to read, speak, write, and comprehend Hebrew while also receiving exposure to Israeli culture and society. All modern Hebrew courses incorporate cultural materials, media, and new technologies for language learning. In the upper levels, students take on projects to expand their Hebrew knowledge. In the past this has included making video tours of campus with a GoPro video camera, researching specific topics, and indulging in Israeli food. 

Biblical Hebrew
Our classes in Biblical Hebrew led by Jack Love forged on despite the limitations of the pandemic. We had an excellent returning population from the prior year and a new crop of beginning students. Our second year Biblical Hebrew students focused on collections of Biblical poetry. Students begin with selections from the three great prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and choose one from among the shorter prophetic books. Next, they read Psalms and Proverbs. True Biblical Hebrew was written without punctuation or vowels, and our students receive training on how they can read even the most ancient texts written in the older Hebrew alphabet on stelæs. The course concludes with students choosing whether to read texts in Biblical Aramaic or early Medieval Hebrew. Again and again Jack Love receives messages from our students telling him Biblical Hebrew remains the course that they recall as their best time in undergraduate study. For those who might be interested in jumping into our second year program next year, we have posted a six credit intensive beginning Hebrew course for this summer which covers the entire first year course in one summer session.