SYLLABUS 1OT504: Hebrew II RTS-Jackson 2 credits January 3-21, 2011 (9:00-12:00) Dr. Daniel Timmer [email protected] Teaching Assistants: Justin Richardson ([email protected]), Matthew Elliott ([email protected]) A. COURSE DESCRIPTION A continuation of Hebrew 1 (OT 502), an introduction to the language of Biblical Hebrew, including basic grammar, syntax and vocabulary. Prerequisites include Hebrew 1 (OT 502) or the passing of the Hebrew language competency exam. B. COURSE OBJECTIVES This course is designed to be the second course of a two part study of the Hebrew language. Our goal is to master the fundamentals of biblical Hebrew grammar (textbook) and to apply those skills to the art of translating the biblical text (workbook). After the successful completion of Hebrew 1 and 2, students will be able to: 1. Translate into English all Hebrew words that occur in the Old Testament 70 times or more. 2. Locate all Hebrew words that occur 69 times or less in the Hebrew Bible in any one of the three standard lexicons used in this class and identified in the bibliography of this syllabus. 3. Analyze (parse) Hebrew words in the categories of (1) parts of speech (noun, verb, etc.) and (2) word inflection (masculine, feminine, singular, plural, etc.). 4. Given the first three objectives listed above, with the use of a standard lexicon and occasional reference to the grammar text, the student will be able to translate Hebrew verses (sentences) from the Old Testament into modern and idiomatic English. C. REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS *The grammar and workbook must be brought to class every day. Supplemental materials are available to students at www.basicsofbiblicalhebrew.com. Pratico, Gary D. and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Grammar, 2nd edition. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2007. Pratico, Gary D. and Miles V. Van Pelt. Basics of Biblical Hebrew: Workbook, 2nd edition. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2007. Van Pelt, Miles V. and Gary D. Pratico. Charts of Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2008. Recommended Van Pelt, Miles V. and Gary D. Pratico. The Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2003. Van Pelt, Miles V. and Gary D. Pratico. Old Testament Hebrew Vocabulary Cards. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2004. Van Pelt, Miles V., and Gary D. Pratico. Basics of Biblical Hebrew Vocabulary Audio. Read by2 D. C. Timmer, RTS-Jackson, 2011 Jonathan T. Pennington. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006. Pratico, Gary D. and Miles V. Van Pelt. Pratico. Zondervan Get an A! Study Guides: Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 2005. Biblia Sacra (Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia with Greek New Testament). American Bible Society. D. COURSE ASSIGNMENTS The emphasis in this class is on student performance. Students must come prepared to class each day ready to participate in the instructional process. This means that all of the assigned reading from the grammar and all of the assigned homework from the workbook must be completed by the beginning of the class period for which it is assigned (see schedule below). Failure to comply will inhibit acceptable performance and impede the benefit of the classroom experience for other students. 1. Homework. There will be daily assignments from your workbook (see schedule below). Each day, individuals will be selected to answer questions from the homework or grammar lesson. Weekly quizzes (see below) are derived primarily from the homework assigned in the workbook. Additionally, there will be regular assignments for memorizing Bible verses in Hebrew. Both homework and verse memorization will be evaluated during the weekly quizzes. 2. Quizzes. There will be a quiz each day of class (except when major exams are scheduled). These quizzes will focus on the information learned during the previous day. However, due to the very nature of learning a language, quizzes are, in essence, cumulative. Students scoring below 80% on a given quiz will be required to attend scheduled tutoring sessions. There are no make-up quizzes, but the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Total quiz scores constitute 80% of the semester grade. 3. Tests. There will be one cumulative exam at the end of the semester, worth 20% of the semester grade. E. MISCELLANEOUS 1. The grading scale for the course is as follows. 95-100% A 90-94% A- 86-89% B+ 83-85% B 80-82 B- 0-79% F Cheating or plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance with the Student Handbook. Since cheating and plagiarism are tantamount to theft, either may result in a failing mark for the assignment concerned, a failing mark for the course, or dismissal from the Seminary. 2. Attendance and Late Assignments. Language acquisition can be a difficult task and requires constant vigilance in the beginning stages. Students are required to be ready and in their seats by 8:55 am. Students are also required to sit as close to the front of the classroom as possible with no empty seats remaining. The grammar and workbook must be brought to class every day. 3. In order to ensure full participation, any student with a disability requiring special accommodations (voice recording, special equipment, reading or writing needs) is encouraged to contact the professor before the beginning of the course. 4. Apart from special circumstances, you are kindly requested to not use laptop computers in class. In all cases, please turn off and refrain from using PDAs, iPods, cell phones, and the like. 5. This syllabus is intended to represent accurately the learning objectives, instructional format, and other information so that students are able to appraise the course. However, the instructor3 D. C. Timmer, RTS-Jackson, 2011 reserves the right to modify any part of this syllabus during the semester in light of events or circumstances which may present themselves during the semester. F. COURSE SCHEDULE Dates (9:00-12:00) Topic/Activity January 3 Winter break exam, BBH 24 January 4 Quiz, BBH 25 January 5 Quiz, BBH 26 January 6 Quiz, BBH 27 January 7 Quiz, BBH 28 January 10 Quiz, BBH 29 January 11 Quiz, BBH 30 January 12 Quiz, BBH 31 January 13 Quiz, BBH 32 January 14 Quiz, BBH 33 January 17 Quiz, BBH 34 January 18 Quiz, BBH 35 January 19 Quiz, review January 20 BBH 36, review January 21 Final