Instructor: Galia Franco, Department of Religious Studies, College of Letters and Science
Description: Why Learn Hebrew? While English translations are remarkably good, studying the bible in the original tongue will enable students to understand the original meaning of words. Students will be able to see how translators often chose English translations that were based on their philosophies and the thought of their times. Studying Biblical Hebrew is the easiest way to start learning other Semitic languages, an interest for historians and other scholars who seek an understanding of the beginning of civilization.
Format: The class will meet for one hour each week for ten weeks. Hebrew alphabet will be acquired through writing and pronunciation of words and sentences followed by Grammar, including roots and stems. Students will read aloud from the text and translate. We will learn to recognize common words in the text and read them without the vowels, as they appear in the text. Grading: The course grade will be based on a Quiz on letters and vowels (30%); Open- book translation of a chapter (50%); and Reading aloud, 5-7 verses (20%).
About the Instructor: Galia Franco is a native speaker of Hebrew. She has been teaching Hebrew for 14 years and the last two as a lecturer of Modern Hebrew at UC Davis, first and second year Hebrew.