Modern Hebrew MIN
Program Purpose
The Modern Hebrew minor is designed to assist students in acquiring the ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in spoken Modern Israeli Hebrew. The minor curriculum also builds students' understanding of Modern Hebrew's historical and cultural context, its Biblical roots, and its usage in Israel and around the world. The program includes Modern Hebrew grammar courses up to a intermediate-highlevel, conversation courses at various levels of proficiency, media, culture, and literature courses. Elective credits also include Biblical Hebrew course options and courses offered exclusively as part of the Special Intensive Hebrew Option at the Jerusalem Center. Students who obtain the Hebrew minor are often focused on Middle East Studies, Ancient Near Eastern Studies, or Linguistics. They most often plan to pursue further linguistic or area studies at the graduate level, to pursue work with the State Department or various government agencies, to live/work in Israel in various fields, or to refer to their Hebrew knowledge in their personal study of the Hebrew Bible.
Co-Curricular Activities
In addition to the required and elective courses offered as part of the Modern Hebrew minor, students have the opportunity to enrich their study of Modern Hebrew via the following:
1. Intensive Hebrew study abroad in Israel: Offered during the spring/summer semester, students will study Hebrew with native Israeli instructors in Israel. As well as continuing their study of the language, students will study Israeli culture and history. They will acquire a deeper understanding of Israeli society and its cultural values and complexities.
2. Foreign Language Student Residence: Offered during the fall and winter semesters, students live in strictly Hebrew-speaking dorms with either a native or a highly proficient language facilitator.
3. BYU Hebrew Club: Activities throughout the academic year include an Israeli culture night, a Shabbat dinner, a Passover seder, Rosh Hashanah, Hannukah, and Purim celebrations, Israeli film nights, a Hebrew recitation competition, Hebrew Bible study groups, various lectures, and a special Yom Kippur fireside.
Learning Outcomes
Speaking
Speak Modern Hebrew in a culturally appropriate way, in varied settings, at the intermediate- high level. (Direct 2, Indirect 1, 2)
Read and comprehend texts in Modern Hebrew at the intermediate-high level, including newspapers and Modern Hebrew literature. (Direct 3, Indirect 1)
Evidence of Learning
Direct Measures
1. End of program oral proficiency interview, conducted at the end of Hebrew 301 assessing student ability to communicate in Modern Hebrew at the intermediate-high level. (Outcome 1)
2. End of program written exam, conducted at the end of Hebrew 301, including a reading comprehension test. (Outcome 2, 3)
Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement
In addition to frequent, informal communications, the faculty 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.