Biblical Hebrew / Classical Syriac / Latin / Coptic / Ancient Greek – Language Courses Fall semester 2022
Jerusalem, Israel
DURATION
3 up to 4 Months
LANGUAGES
English, Latin,
PACE
Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
STUDY FORMAT
Distance Learning, On-Campus
* open enrollment
Key Summary
Introduction
This fall we will be offering the following ancient language courses at our Jerusalem Campus, and/or Online as indicated under course descriptions:
- Latin (Levels I, II, & III)
- Ancient Greek (All Levels)
- Biblical Hebrew (Levels I, II & IV)
- Classical Syriac (Level I)
- Coptic (Level I)
For On-Campus courses, students are divided into groups of no more than 20 individuals. For Online courses, students are divided into groups of no more than 12 individuals. All courses are taught using the Polis Method, which is based on total language immersion from the very first class. This allows students to learn more naturally and faster compared to the traditional grammar-translated method. Students will advance an entire level in one semester and receive a Certificate of Completion from the Polis Institute.
The Polis Method of Second Language Acquisition
The Polis Institute employs a unique method of language learning – the Polis Method, which is primarily based on total immersion in the target language, but also adapts other principles such as Dynamic Language Development (DLD). Our method enables students to advance more holistically as compared to a strictly grammatical measure. In the process of learning to speak, students acquire an intuitive understanding of the language. Students also benefit from ongoing research at Polis. Old ideas are constantly challenged, while new ones are illuminated. Our classrooms are living laboratories in which to test the most promising techniques. Currently, our instructors are experimenting with Living Sequential Expression (LSE), a principle that was first conceived and developed at Polis and inspired by the work of François Gouin. The Polis Method is constantly being refined as we incorporate new insights into Second Language Acquisition.
Curriculum
Latin
Level I
Level I provides students with a broad understanding of the basic Latin morphology (case system, verb system, and basic vocabulary) with the goal of being able to hold a simple conversation as well as to read and understand simple texts without the need for translation. Subjects include vocabulary, expressing immediate needs, naming objects, describing situations, introducing oneself, dialogue with simple narrative structures, familiarization with the language’s pronunciation and prosody, as well as basic concepts of grammar (parts of speech; declension and conjugation; and fundamental case functions). Textbooks: Forum: Lectiones Latinitatis Vivae (not included in tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 80 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 10:45-12:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2575 (approx. $760 USD)
- Online
- Total Hours: 80 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 18:00-20:00 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2575 (approx. $760 USD)
Level II
Level II provides students with a broad understanding of the basic Latin morphology (case system, verb system, and basic vocabulary) with the goal of being able to hold a simple conversation as well as to read and understand simple texts without the need for translation. Instructors will assess and grade students within the framework of the Latin Department's examination standards. There will be more than two formal examinations. The assessment will consider written and oral skill sets. Registration is based on a placement test or completion of Level.
- Online
- Total Hours: 80 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 18:00-20:00 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2575 (approx. $760 USD)
Level III
Registration in Level III is based on a placement test or the completion of Level II. Students gain a broader understanding of Latin morphology (case system, verb system, and vocabulary) with the goal of being able to hold a conversation, write simple texts, and read and understand intermediate-level Latin without the need for translation. Subjects include all five nominal declensions, including subsets (i-stems, etc.), advanced usage of the seven cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, vocative, locative), advanced usage of adjectives (including comparative, superlative, etc.), a complete system of verbs for all applicable tenses (indicative, subjunctive, imperative, participle and infinitive), pronouns (ille, ipse, idem, quiddam, etc.), and intermediate syntax (final clauses, oratio obliqua, conditionals, etc). Textbooks: Lingua Latina: Familia Romana (not included in tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 11:15-12:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2175 (approx. $640 USD)
Ancient Greek
Level I
Registration in Level I is based on preexisting knowledge of the Greek Alphabet. Level I introduces students to a basic understanding of Greek morphology plus 1000 words with the goal of being able to hold a basic conversation in Koine Greek and to read and understand simple narrative texts without the need for translation. Subjects include the alphabet, pronunciation, numbers 1-10, personal pronouns, verbs εἰμί, interrogative pronouns τί/τίς, profession and nationality, aorist active imperative types -(σ)ον, -ε, -θι, -ς, the negation of the imperative and indicative, aorist active infinitive types -(σ)αι, -εῖν, -ναι, nominative and accusative cases, present active infinitive types -ειν, -αν, and aorist active infinitive types -σαι, -αι. Textbooks: Polis: Speaking Ancient Greek as a Living Language Level One, Student's Volume (not included in tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 14:00-15:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
- Online
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 18:00-19:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
Level II
Registration in Level II is based on a placement test or the completion of Level I. Students will be introduced to koine Greek. Over the course they will gain a deep understanding of some basic morphology of Greek and 1000 words with the goal of being able to hold a basic conversation in koine Greek as well as to read and understand simple narrative texts without translating.
- Online
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 18:00-19:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
Level III
Registration in Level III is based on a placement test or the completion of Level II. Students gain a higher level of conversation skills through further immersion and by introducing simple narrative registers. Students learn to communicate intuitively and tell a simple story in the past tense (aorist). They can also read and understand simple narrative passages of authentic texts without the need for translation. Subjects include tense hypotaxis (conjunctions, participia coniuncta, the genitive absolute, infinitival clauses), tense-mood-aspect diathesis and reflexivity, some semantic fields, reflections on synonymy and semantic value in lexicon morphology and syntax, morphology third declension (non-contracted types), morphology first and second declension contracts and pronouns (reflexive, demonstrative, relative), present tense (contracts, athematic, subjunctive, participle), aorist tense (indicative, subjunctive, participle), prepositional system, locative adverbs, and some common derivational patterns. A booklet will be provided at the beginning of the course (included in the tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 15:45-17:15 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
- Online
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 18:00-19:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
Level V
Registration is based on a placement test or completion of Level IV, including an active command of the 1,500 most common words in the ancient Greek language. Students will improve their fluency and assimilate the last elements of the morphology of the language - future imperfect.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 14:00-15:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
Level VII
Registration is based on a placement test or completion of Level VI. This level focuses on rhetoric and style. Students will become familiar with essential texts of the ancient Greek corpus and learn to write in these various genres.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 15:45-17:15 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2350 (approx. $700 USD)
Greek Lunch Level I (For Beginners/First Year Students)
The objective of this course is to promote conversation in ancient Greek in a more informal environment as well as to introduce students to everyday objects, vocabulary, and expressions on a variety of topics. Classes are held in full language immersion with excercises in conversation, reading, and other scenarios. Students will present topics of their choice and lead discussions and/or activities throughout the semester. Evaluation is based on participation and leadership.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 30 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 13:00-13:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1250 (approx. $370 USD)
Greek Lunch Level III (For Advanced/First Year Students)
The objective of this course is to promote conversation in ancient Greek in a more informal environment as well as to introduce students to everyday objects, vocabulary, and expressions on a variety of topics. Classes are held in full language immersion with excercises in conversation, reading, and other scenarios. Students will present topics of their choice and lead discussions and/or activities throughout the semester. Evaluation is based on participation and leadership.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 30 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday/Wednesday, 13:00-13:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1250 (approx. $370 USD)
Ancient Greek Readings I: Philosophy Epictetus
Students will become familiar with Stoicism. The course includes in-depth reading of Epictetus' Manual (Ἐγχειρίδιον), one of the most popular souces of Stoic moral philosophy. Gramatical concepts will be introduced and reviewed as well as terminology through source text. The only "hard" prerequisite is Ancient Greek Level II.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 40 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Wednesday, 10:50-12:50 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1750 (approx. $515 USD)
Ancient Greek Readings III: Early Christian Writings
Students will read, experience, and discuss Christian texts centering on theological, apologetic, and historical writings of Early Christianity and Late Antiquity. Students will gain familiarity with the language of the Church Fathers and Early Christianity as well as the tools to read, enjoy, and compare them. The only "hard" prerequisite is Ancient Greek Level II.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 40 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday, 15:30-17:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1750 (approx. $515 USD)
Biblical Hebrew
Level I
This course will focus on the basic morphology and vocabulary of the language. Students will gain the ability to hold a very simple conversation in Biblical Hebrew and to understand directly, without relying on translation, a selection of very simple excerpts from the Bible. Special emphasis will be place on the correct reading of texts. Registration is based on a placement test, or completion of Modern Hebrew Level V (Gimel), or its equivalent. A booklet will be provided at the beginning of the course (included in the tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 100 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 14:00-16:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2550 (approx. $750 USD)
- Online
- Total Hours: 100 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 14:00-16:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2550 (approx. $750 USD)
Level II
Registration in Biblical Hebrew Level II is based on a placement test or completion of Level I. Building on Biblical Hebrew Level I, students will further assimilate the morphology and vocabulary of the language. By the end of the semester students will have learned some 800 of the most frequently used words. In addition, they will learn some important syntactic principles of Biblical Hebrew (word order, use of verbal forms, syntactic constructs, etc.). A booklet will be provided at the beginning of the course (included in the tuition fee).
- Online
- Total Hours: 100 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 14:00-16:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 2550 (approx. $750 USD)
Level IV
Building on Biblical Hebrew Level III, students will further assimilate the morphology and vocabulary of the language. Registration is based on a placement test, or completion of Biblical Hebrew Level III, or its equivalent. A booklet will be provided at the beginning of the course (included in the tuition fee).
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 60 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Tuesday/Thursday, 11:15-12:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1900 (approx. $560 USD)
Hebrew Lunch Level I (For Beginners/First Year Students)
This course involves a weekly lunch session exclusively in spoken Biblical Hebrew. In this setting the Polis method is seen at its best, where students take what they have learned in the classroom and "play" with the language as a living language in real communication settings. The weekly sessions involve spontaneous conversation, discussion of pictures, items, and Biblical stories, and much more. Students play a significant role in shaping the content.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 15 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Wednesday, 13:00-13:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 600 (approx. $175 USD)
Hebrew Lunch Level III (For Advanced/First Year Students)
This course involves a weekly lunch session exclusively in spoken Biblical Hebrew. In this setting the Polis method is seen at its best, where students take what they have learned in the classroom and "play" with the language as a living language in real communication settings. The weekly sessions involve spontaneous conversation, discussion of pictures, items, and Biblical stories, and much more. Students play a significant role in shaping the content. Advanced level students are encouraged to bring a Hebrew Bible as real biblical texts are often included.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 15 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 17, 2022 – February 6, 2023
- Schedule: Monday, 13:00-13:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 600 (approx. $175 USD)
Advanced Readings
Reading chapters from the Hebrew Bible in their original language (without translations), from various periods and in various genres, which include narrative, law, prophecy, and poetry. During the process, the students will have the opportunity to implement what they have learned in class on the original texts. In addition, some key principles of Biblical Hebrew philology and textual phenomena will be learned and discussed, as well as constant comparisons made between different versions found in the Masoretic and the Septuagint texts. Inter-textuality will be another focus of the course, with texts corresponding to each other within the Biblical corpus and comparisons between them. Knowledge of Ancient Greek is recommended but not mandatory.
- Online
- Total Hours: 20 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday, 15:45-16:45 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 700 (approx. $200 USD)
Classical Syriac
Level I
Classical Syriac is an Aramaic dialect that originated from the city of Edessa in the first century AD. It became a major language of the Near East and the common language of the Aramaic-speaking churches where it is still used today in liturgy and prayer. Classical Syriac spread during its heyday to Christian communities in places as remote as China and South India. It is an indispensible tool for the study of Near Eastern Christianity and holds the key to accessing other, less well-documented variants of Aramaic.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 50 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Thursday, 17:45-20:30 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1950 (approx. $575 USD)
Coptic
Level I
Classical Syriac is an Aramaic dialect that originated from the city of Edessa in the first century AD. It became a major language of the Near East and the common language of the Aramaic-speaking churches where it is still used today in liturgy and prayer. Classical Syriac spread during its heyday to Christian communities in places as remote as China and South India. It is an indispensible tool for the study of Near Eastern Christianity and holds the key to accessing other, less well-documented variants of Aramaic.
- Polis Jerusalem Campus
- Total Hours: 30 Academic Hours
- Dates: October 19, 2022 – February 15, 2023
- Schedule: Monday, 11:00-12:35 (Jerusalem Local Time)
- Fees: ILS 1200 (approx. $350 USD)
Special Programs
One-Year Program in Ancient Philology
A shortened version of the Two-Year Academic Program in Ancient Philology is available to students with a BA Degree wishing to study for only one year. Students will complete 600 academic hours including 440 hours of mandatory language courses. Scholarships and other teaching and research opportunities are also valid for the One-Year Program. Upon graduation, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Polis Institute.
One-Year Program in Near Eastern Languages
A shortened version of the Two-Year Academic Program in Near Eastern Languages is available for students with a BA Degree wishing to study for only one year. Students will complete 600 academic hours including 440 hours of mandatory language courses. Scholarships and other teaching and research opportunities are also valid for the One-Year Program. Upon graduation, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Polis Institute.
One-Year Program in Second Language Teaching Methodology
This program is intended to help language teachers improve their teaching methodology or adapt it to immersive methods in any of the languages offered at Polis. The program is also available for Spanish through our affiliate partner institution, Dia Logo. Specifically, the program will provide teachers with the necessary theoretical basis in Second Language Acquisition and methodological aspects, which will then be put into practice using the Polis Method of Second Language Acquisition. Upon graduation, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Polis Institute.
Two-Year Program in Language Fluency
The Language Fluency Program is available for students wishing to master Ancient Greek or Arabic. The Arabic track covers both Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Spoken Levantine Arabic. No prior academic requirements are necessary to enroll. Students will be taught using the Polis Method of Second Language Acquisition to be proficient in all aspects of the target language – reading, writing and speaking. The Program also includes theoretical and practical courses related to the cultural milieu of the target language. Upon graduation, students will receive a Certificate of Completion from the Polis Institute.