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Syllabus THE RISE OF MODERN YIDDISH LITERATURE - 18871
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Last update 09-03-2017
HU Credits: 4

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: yiddish

Semester: 2nd Semester

Teaching Languages: Yiddish

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Prof. David G. Roskies

Coordinator Email: David.Roskies@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Mondays 12:00-14:00

Teaching Staff:
Prof David Roskies

Course/Module description:
The rise of modern Yiddish literature on the basis of the Eastern European vernacular, speech genres that were current among the folk and new linguistic ideologies; the dialectical play of Western and native forms of self-expression in Yiddish prose, poetry and melodrama; the impact of new aesthetic movements

Course/Module aims:
This is the first of a 2-part survey course on the history of modern Yiddish literature, required of all students in the Inter-University MA Program in Yiddish Studies. As such its aim is threefold: (1) a chronological-generic survey of the years 1800-1914; (2) basic facility in reading modern Yiddish poetry, prose and drama; (3) an introduction to the relevant Yiddish literary scholarship;

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
(1) negotiate the most difficult Yiddish literary texts with the aid of a dictionary;
(2) recognize the stylistic and formal trends of 19th- and early 20th-century Yiddish writing and its major character typology;
(3) situate their own work within current trends in Yiddish scholarship;

Attendance requirements(%):
Attendance is compulsory; 1 oral presentation (10%); 1 midterm assignment 5-8 pp. long (30%); a take-home final exam (60%)

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: The course in conducted seminar-style; in each class there is a frontal lecture, discussion of the assigned readings and a 5-minute oral presentations from one of the students

Course/Module Content:
The main genres of the Yiddish folk song; the Maskilic Song; the Hasidic Fairytale; The Maskilic Comedy; the Mendele Persona; the Bildungsroman; the mock-epic novel; between Peretz and Sholem Aleichem; critical realism; the monologue; the dangling man, the noble savage, the Symbolist tale; the Impressionist novella

Required Reading:
All the primary sources are contained in a carefully edited course packet that the students purchased the first week of class. This course packet is designed to serve them through the entire course of their studies in the field of Yiddish.

Additional Reading Material:

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 60 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 30 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 10 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %

Additional information:
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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