Hebrew MA (joint Hons)

In the first two years of your degree (known as sub-honours) you will take the required modules in Hebrew along with modules from your chosen joint subject.

Typically, you will take one Hebrew module per semester during your first two years, and two modules per semester during your third and fourth year

1st Year

Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their first year:

• Hebrew 1: Introduction to Hebrew Language: aims to give students a sufficient knowledge of the grammar and vocabulary of Old Testament Hebrew to be able to read and analyse prescribed texts.
• Old Testament 1: Torah and Prophets: an introduction to the life, literature and religion of Ancient Israel, with particular consideration of the main literary types of the Old Testament literature.

Students are required to take the following compulsory modules in their second year:

• Hebrew 2: continues from Hebrew 1 and extends students' skills in reading the Hebrew Bible and in the techniques of textual criticism and of exegesis.
• Old Testament 2: Wisdom, Psalms, Apocalyptic and Apocryphal Literature: an introduction to the literature and theology of the period of Israel’s history from exile to the consolidation of the canon.

If you take Hebrew in your third and fourth years, you will choose from a variety of advanced modules ranging from reading the Hebrew Bible to studying Hebrew prose and poetry.

Here is a sample of Hebrew modules previoulsy offered at Honours level:

• Ancient Jewish Literature from 1 Enoch to the Mishnah.
• Biblical Aramaic
• Creation and Chaos in the Old Testament and Ancient Near East
• Hebrew Prose and Poetry
• Hebrew Readings.

In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of their choice. The School provides significant support for the dissertation, with a breakdown of the assessment into different stages and a programme of seminars to assist in the development of advanced research and communication skills.

The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take in order to graduate in this subject. However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours-level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above.