Hebrew

I have been teaching Modern Hebrew language for about seven years, in various levels from Elementary to advanced and in various schools around the country. My instruction of language is somewhat different in relation to contemporary methodology. While embracing "language in context" and the strive for "communicative competency" in agreement with the ACTFL guidelines, my teaching places emphasis on thorough instruction of Hebrew grammar and development of sensitivity towards Hebrew's systematic qualities. That includes a limited and practical exploration into Hebrew and English linguistics, which students usually find fascinating. By the end of my second year course, students do not only master the material and beyond, but also have a strong ground for future and independent learning of the language.

Literature

My teaching of literature over the years developed two centers of gravity: Jewish writing and close readings. I started with teaching introductory writing class in Comparative Literature, focusing on Elements of Fiction. As my own research begun to develop towards Jewish writing, in my last years of graduate instruction I taught my writing courses under the theme of "Crisis and Identity in Modern Jewish Fiction." Reading and discussing various Jewish writers - Kafka, Singer, Roth, Below, Berkowitz, Appelfeld - the course examines the personal and social conflicts these writers confronted, as Jews but also as people, in face of shifting circumstances. In 2012-2013 I am teaching two courses at Bucknell. In the Fall I am teaching Jewish-American Literature, which surveys this body of text from the late 19th century to the present, from Abraham Cahan and Henry Roth to Dara Horn and Art Spiegelman.  In the Spring I will teach "Hebrew Bible and Modern Literature," which explores the use and presence of the Bible in contemporary culture, mainly Hebrew/Israeli and American writing. Authors discussed may include Oz, Agnon, Bialik, Melville, and Steinbeck.