Yiddish Courses for Fall 2024

Content for Fall 2024

For all meeting days and times please see the Online Schedule of Classes.

Yiddish 101A (4) Elementary Yiddish.  Tsaushu.
Instruction mode: ONLINE

The course offers an introduction to the language that has been spoken by Ashkenazic Jews for more than a millennium, and an opportunity to discover the rich world of Yiddish language and culture through literature, music, folklore, television, blogs, and even memes. Using the communicative approach, we will learn how to speak, read, listen, write, and think critically about the worlds of Yiddish past and present. 

Yiddish 104 (4) History of Yiddish Civilization.  Tsaushu.
Instruction mode: ONLINE

The course will examine key moments in the evolution of Yiddish civilization, from its ancient origins to its modern post-vernacular speech communities, while delving into significant themes, ideas, and events in Jewish history. We will trace the development of Yiddish culture and traditions, analyzing how changes in Jewish life have been reflected in Yiddish literature, folklore, press, visual art, music, and film. The material will be explored both chronologically and thematically, focusing on issues such as national identity, multiculturalism, violence, migration, and gender. Through engagement with primary texts in Yiddish, students will gain a critical understanding of Jewishness and Yiddishkeit, and the underlying assumptions that have shaped these concepts over the centuries.