INTRODUCTION TO YIDDISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to the Yiddish language and the culture of Eastern European Jewry. The objectives of the course are twofold. The first is linguistic. Students should be able to read and write basic Yiddish and understand the fundamentals of Yiddish grammar. The second important objective of this course is to offer students an introduction to the richness of Yiddish culture of the past two centuries. This component of the course will include lectures and readings in English, films (documentary and dramatic), poetry, short fiction along with folk tales in English translation and the singing of Yiddish folk songs.