University of Toronto


YIDDISH

Minor program: R11631 (4 full courses or their equivalent)
1.   GER 260Y, 360Y, 361Y
2.   HIS 208Y/398Y



GER260Y   Elementary Yiddish    104P
Introduction to Yiddish language, literature, and culture, featuring intensive practice with a native speaker. The dialect taught is that
of the text College Yiddish by Uriel Weinreich.

This course is an introduction to Yiddish language, literature and culture for students with no previous knowledge of Yiddish.  The goals of  the course are for students to master the mechanics of reading and writing Yiddish and the fundamentals of Yiddish grammar, and to begin to speak and write in Yiddish. Beginning students who are yet not familiar with the printed and handwritten forms of the Yiddish alphabet work on reading and writing skills outside of class, using materials supplied by the instructor.  As much as is feasible, classes are conducted in Yiddish. Oral practice will be emphasized in order to reinforce grammatical accuracy and idiomatic usage.  In addition to material drawn from chapters 1-25 of the textbook College Yiddish, supplementary grammar, reading and vocabulary materials are used.  Songs, poetry, proverbs and folktales introduce students to the various dialects of the language, the folklore of Jewish Eastern Europe, and modern Yiddish literature.  By the end of the academic year students are able to read elementary texts in Yiddish.  They have a grasp of the basic grammar of the language and bring their grammatical knowledge to bear in expressing themselves orally and in writing.

Evaluation is based on four tests (50%), written homework assignments (20%), quizzes (15%), oral and reading skills (15%).

Textbook: College Yiddish by Uriel Weinreich


GER360Y   Intermediate Yiddish      78P
Review of basic grammar, stylistics, study of short literary texts.
Conducted in Yiddish.
Prerequisite: GER260Y
This is a Language course.


GER361Y   Introduction to Yiddish Literature in Translation   78L
Yiddish literature from its beginnings to its flowering in the modern period. Writers such as Sholom Aleichem, Peretz, Glatstein, Grade and Singer are studied. (Yiddish optional).
This is a Literature course.


GERMAN 461Y  Advanced Yiddish

This third-year language course is structured around literary texts.  It is designed for students who have a firm grasp of the basic grammatical structures of the Yiddish language and are already able to read selected literary texts with the aid of a dictionary.  One of the three central goals of the course is for students to improve their reading fluency, so that by the end of the year they are able to read faster with less dependence on the dictionary.  Vocabulary-building, use of context to guess unfamiliar meanings, and study of complex sentence structures will be stressed. Secondly, the course introduces students to a number of the key contributors to modern Yiddish literature.  Short fiction, memoir literature and poetry of nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors will be read.  Readings will be organized topically.  Third, students will expand their oral and written fluency in Yiddish through frequent writing assignments, class discussions and oral presentations.

Evaluation is based on four term tests (20%), written assignments (40%), preparation and class participation (40%).

Text: course packet of readings (materials fee payable to the Dept. of Germanic Languages)

Prerequisite: Intermediate Yiddish GER 360Y or instructor's permission.

Instructor: Ellen Kellman