Hebrew (Modern)

Content wasn't the most interesting thing ever, but classes are very laid back. Not a lot of homework. Professor Livny is very nice and lenient. Overall, an enjoyable class that shouldn't cause too much stress.

Adi Livny brings a unique and fascinating perspective to the class, drawing from her many years living in Jerusalem. She's incredibly knowledgeable about the subject. Homework mainly involves readings and writing discussion questions about them. There’s a large final project that can sneak up on you if you don’t plan ahead. Outside of quizzes and the final project, the class is relatively chill.

Adi Livny brings a unique and fascinating perspective to the class, drawing from her many years living in Jerusalem. She's incredibly knowledgeable about the subject. Homework mainly involves readings and writing discussion questions about them. There’s a large final project that can sneak up on you if you don’t plan ahead. Outside o …Read more

Prof. Livny really stressed the importance of open-mindedness at the beginning of this course. I was naturally a fan of this idea as I adopted views that would presumably differ from hers. That being said, throughout the semester, if someone made any form of comment (either in favor of/against the Israeli state) she would just stare out into the room blankly and let the classroom's atmosphere shrivel up. There was also a specific in-class assignment where she had us "redraw" a two-state solution—which is ridiculous in its own right. After my group shared our work to the class, she pointed at Tel Aviv and asked (I am speaking in paraphrase), 'so you're saying my family and I can't live there?' in a passive-aggressive tone. Our final for this class was creating/revamping an underdeveloped Wikipedia page for an element of Zionism. I thought it was a fun, alternative to a final exam/paper. My group did not submit this assignment correctly. She proceeded to take off a major chunk of our final grade two weeks later without telling us a thing. I emailed her quickly after receiving our grade. She was kind enough to give us partial credit. While we messed up on our end, there was still a lack of clarity regarding the final throughout the latter end of the semester. Overall, I think Prof. Livny is a great person—and, of course, an expert about the subject. Some final thoughts: although this class was intentionally grounded in a "Jewish perspective," I do find teaching a class (mostly) about an Israeli state should include the actual history (yes, I am talking about Palestinians). I did really enjoy learning about "Cultural Zionism." We delved into topics of Hebrew revival within diasporic Jewish communities. As a student of Arabic and Religion, I am always fascinated with Judaism and its rich history. In the end, however, I did not enjoy a great majority of this course.

Prof. Livny really stressed the importance of open-mindedness at the beginning of this course. I was naturally a fan of this idea as I adopted views that would presumably differ from hers. That being said, throughout the semester, if someone made any form of comment (either in favor of/against the Israeli state) she would just stare …Read more