Biblical Hebrew Language and Literature Minor

Program Director: Brian Schultz, Ph.D.

Overview

The minor in Biblical Hebrew Language and Literature prepares a student to read the Hebrew Bible for pleasure and personal use, as well as for future advanced work in biblical Hebrew and biblical studies. The program uses a new, efficient paradigm based on second-language research, and builds the proper foundation for attaining fluent reading in the language that bypasses the need for translation.

Program Student Learning Outcomes

1. Develop intermediate level mastery of biblical Hebrew evidenced by
   • Internalization of most commonly used vocabulary in the Hebrew Bible
   • Proficiency with basic morphology and syntax of biblical Hebrew
2. Develop the skills necessary for fluent reading
   • Develop students' phonological loop so that they will be able to understand a biblical Hebrew text when read aloud at the normal rate of speech
   • Be able to answer orally in (biblical) Hebrew simple questions about a given text in biblical Hebrew
3. Develop the skills necessary for exegesis
   • Be able to identify and discuss the basics of discourse analysis in biblical Hebrew
   • Be able to identify and discuss the basic characteristics of biblical Hebrew poetry
   • Be proficient at using reference tools for biblical Hebrew 
   • Be able to offer various stylistic alternatives in biblical Hebrew that an author could have used, and contrast them to the one extant in the biblical text, and explain the exegetical significance of the author's choice
   • Be able to synthesize a biblical Hebrew text in writing in biblical Hebrew