Biblical Hebrew MIN
Program Purpose
The undergraduate Hebrew minor program develops appreciation for the Hebrew Bible and competence to read prose with a high degree of comprehension and poetry with an intermediate degree of comprehension. The program is designed to provide students with habits of study that they may enjoy a life-long exploration of the Hebrew Bible. The program is calculated (together with the Ancient Near Eastern Studies major) to prepare students for further study in graduate programs and other career options. Biblical Hebrew students gain a heightened sensitivity of their own scriptural tradition, and an awareness of the contributions of ancient prophets, the formation, transmission, and textual analysis of the Hebrew Bible. Biblical Hebrew serves as a facilitator for the learning of Qumran, Mishnaic, Medieval, and Modern Hebrew. It provides a foundation for the learning of related Semitic languages (Babylonian, Assyrian [Akkadian], Arabic, Ethiopic, Aramaic, Ugaritic, Phoenician) and dialects of the Jewish dispersion that have Hebrew roots (Judaeo-Greek, Judaeo-Arabic, Judaeo-Persian, Ladino, Yiddish, Judaeo-Aramaic). The Hebrew section seeks to retain faculty who are examples of faith, intellect, and character and who instill in students the desire to pursue lifelong learning in professional and religious aspects of life.
Curricular Structure
In addition to the required and elective courses offered as part of the Biblical Hebrew minor, students have the opportunity to enrich their study of Biblical Hebrew by means of the following:
1. Special Intensive Hebrew Option study abroad at the Jerusalem Center:Offered during the spring/summer semester, students will study Hebrew with native Israeli instructors in Jerusalem. Courses include Israeli Civilization and a conversation course, in addition to the regular JC courses. The program also provides the students with tools to read and translate the Hebrew Bible and on-site training encourages them to appreciate the world of the Bible in a new light.
2. ForeignLanguage Student Residence: Offered during the fall and winter semesters, students live in strictly Hebrew-speaking dorms with a native, or highly proficient, language facilitator. (Designed chiefly for Modern Hebrew students).
3. Ancient Studies Club: BYU professors provide lectures on the Hebrew Bible and related studies on a periodic basis during Fall and Winter semesters. Topics are derived from the current research of professors and are intended to be of interest to students of the ancient Near East.
4. Student Journal Studia Antiqua: The Journal of the Student Society for Ancient Studies provides students with a twofold opportunity: (a) to research, write, and publish articles pertaining to the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East; and (b) to serve as editors for the journal.
5. Guest lectures: Periodically prominent scholars are invited to campus to speak to students and faculty, permitting interaction and networking between students and scholars.
Learning Outcomes
Biblical Translation
Read and translate Biblical historical narrative texts with limited use of a lexicon. (Direct 1; Indirect 1, 2, 3)
Analyze and categorize the verbal system: pa'al, piel, hiphil, hophal, niphal, pual, and hithpael. (Direct 1, 2; Indirect 1, 2, 3)
Comprehend Biblical Hebrew grammatical concepts based on standard first year grammars. (Direct 1, 2; Indirect 1, 2, 3)
Evidence of Learning
Direct Measures
1. End of program mandatory examination (Hebrew 432R). (Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
2. End of program mandatory grammar exam (Hebrew 432R). (Outcomes 2, 3)
Indirect Measures
1. Oral interview with Hebrew 432R instructor. (Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
2. Exit questionnaire listing selected learning outcomes. (Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
3. Tracking the placement of students in graduate programs connected with the study of the Hebrew Bible. (Outcomes 1, 2, 3)
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
In addition to frequent, informal communications, the faculty of each language section meet regularly under the direction of the Hebrew section head. Curriculum review is a regular item on the agenda of meetings at both the section and department level. The teacher development committee, which sponsors teacher development presentations and coordinates the peer review of teaching, also addresses issues related to curricular objectives and assessment. Curriculum review takes place on an ongoing basis. Curriculum change proposals developed at the section level are submitted for review and approval at the department level by the curriculum committee and the department chair, and are then forwarded each Fall Semester to the college and university curriculum committees for final approval and inclusion in the catalog. An internal review of the Hebrew program was recently concluded, involving a committee of two students and three faculty members. We constantly seek to improve inputs to program assessment and to make the process more systematic.