|
HOME
FACULTY
COURSES
MAJOR
LINKS
Department Head:
Tamara M. Green
Division Head:
Rivka
Friedman
Department Secretary:
Millie Arias
|
WELCOME
TO THE DIVISION OF HEBREW AND HEBRAIC STUDIES
Mission, Goals and
Objectives
The study
of the Hebrew Language unlocks linguistic and literary treasures unique in
the annals of world culture. The Hebrew language as spoken today preserves
and perpetuates remains of the world’s most ancient written
languages, themselves long extinct, even as it now coins new terms for
expressing the most advanced scientific and philosophical concepts. Having
been written and spoken during its long history in both
the East and the West, Hebrew embodies the riches of both cultures.
In a language echoing the memories of historical man’s earliest
thoughts, Hebrew literature today gives voice to the profound themes and
questions which engage and challenge the imagination of modern people.
The
Hebrew Division of Hunter College offers a comprehensive series of courses
covering the major areas of ancient and modern Hebraic studies. The
diversified course of study of the Hebrew program fully integrates
linguistic, literary, and cultural approaches. Language courses are
designed to develop proficiency in spoken and written Israeli Hebrew, and
to prepare students for advanced readings in the classics of Biblical,
rabbinic, and modern Hebrew literature and thought. A full sequence of
courses in Biblical literature draws freely from the wealth of
archaeological finds and written texts recovered from the ancient Near
East, so as to illuminate the unique contributions of the Hebrew Bible to
religion and culture in general, and promote the understanding of the
Hebraic and Judaic factor in Western civilization. Offerings in post-Biblical
and modern Hebrew literature are designed to stress the Biblical and
Talmudic legacy in language, style, and motif and to cultivate a critical
appreciation of Hebraic and Judaic literature and thought through the ages,
against the background of world civilization.
Hunter’s
program in Hebraic Studies is among the most extensive undergraduate
programs in the United
States. The Hebrew Program at Hunter is
predicated on a broad-based historical and philosophical approach to Hebrew
culture, and combines professional and academic training which complement
each other through a comprehensive series of course offerings. The designed
interdependence of our offerings in ancient and modern Hebraic Studies is a
critical outgrowth of the broad relevance of Hebraic Studies to the liberal
arts in general and to the humanities in particular. The wide variety of
course offerings enables students to concentrate their attention on one
major period, or to strive for overall proficiency, or to aim for both
objectives simultaneously.
The
professional goals of the program not only aim at such fields as teaching,
library science, publishing, community leadership and diplomatic and trade
exchanges, but also at more scholarly in-depth work for the highly
qualified students who pursue graduate work and research.
Brief History and Present Status
The
Hebrew Division at Hunter College was founded by the renowned Hebrew poet
and scholar, Professor Israel Efros, in 1941. It
was conceived as an academic discipline in the humanities, covering the
language, literature and culture of the Jewish people from Biblical times
to modern Israel.
It rapidly developed as one of the largest programs in Hebraic Studies in
the country. about 1,000 students have been
graduated from Hunter over the past six decades as Hebrew majors,
contributing significantly to such areas of Jewish education, Hebraic
scholarship, Jewish social and community work, the rabbinate, and Jewish
leadership. It is noteworthy that the Hunter Hebrew Program has produced an
unusually high percentage of the instructors who have staffed the New York City high
schools and suburban programs in Hebrew over the years, as well as a
significant number of professors of Hebraic Studies, who received their
Hebrew education in our Program.
Student Profile
About 700
students register for Hebrew and Hebraic Studies courses annually,
including about 25 majors and 45 who minor in Hebraic studies. Some of the Hebrew majors plan to pursue
a teaching career in Hebrew language and literature; therefore, they are
eager to meet the specific requirements for New York State, New York
City, and private school certification.
The majority of our majors, however, go on to graduate programs in
either ancient or modern Hebraic Studies.
The
Hebrew Division maintains close ties with various Hebrew High Schools in
the Metropolitan area, such as Flatbush
Hebrew High
School and Ramaz Hebrew High School.
Students from these institutions often pursue their undergraduate studies
at Hunter College, occasionally starting
during their senior year in high school. In addition, we have always
attracted transfer students from other neighboring institutions offering
less comprehensive or less intensive Hebrew programs. Further, students enrolled in the CUNY
B.A. Program have also opted to pursue their area of concentration in
Hebraic Studies at the Hebrew Division of Hunter College.
In
addition to the Hebrew Division’s annual awards - the Pinhas F. Memorial Student-Aide Award, the Harry
Blumberg Memorial award for excellence in Hebraic Studies, The Betty Cohn
Memorial Award for Excellence in Hebraic Studies for Mature Women Students,
and the Ann Bass Schneider Scholarship Award in Hebrew and Jewish Social
Studies - students in the Hebrew Division of Hunter College are eligible
for induction into the National Scholastic Honor society for Hebraic
Studies, Eta Beta Rho,
Alpha Chapter.
The
Hebrew Division is located in Hunter
West Building,
room 1322. Telephone: 212-772-5107.
|
