Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations: Classical and Medieval Hebrew Literature, PhD
NELC’s graduate program in Hebrew and Judaic Studies includes two tracks within Hebrew Literature and Jewish Tradition: (1) Post-Biblical Jewish History and Culture and (2) Modern Hebrew Literature. These tracks offer advanced study of Hebrew literature and language and Jewish culture and thought in their Near Eastern and/or Western contexts, in modern and pre-modern settings.
Students in the Hebrew Literature and Jewish Tradition program are expected to command Hebrew as a primary research language and another (usually Arabic, Greek or Yiddish) as a secondary research language. The specific distribution of courses varies by a student’s interests and specialization. Students are expected to work out the broad outlines of their programs in consultation with their faculty advisor when they begin their studies.
View the department's PhD general procedures.
For more information: https://www.sas.upenn.edu/nelc/grad_programs/grad_programs.html
View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs.
Curriculum
A total of 20 course units are required for graduation.
Post-Biblical Jewish History and Culture
Penn’s PhD Program in Post Biblical Jewish History and Culture is designed to train students to engage in teaching and in original research that pertains to the cultural developments and products of Jewish life from the seventh through the sixteenth centuries, in communities of Mesopotamia, Christian Europe and the Islamicate world. The program of study will be tailored to the needs and interests of each student, and will engage a range of NELC and Penn faculty members. All programs of study will involve the exploration of Jewish historical and cultural phenomena within the diachronic context of the Jewish past, and the synchronic context of the broader regional culture. Students will be expected to acquire proficiency in this historically and geographically broad field, for the purposes of undergraduate instruction, and scholarly expertise in the narrower research field that is chosen.
- Primary Proficiencies
- Philological competence
- The Jewish Bookshelf
- Historical and Contextual Competence
- Methodological Tool Kit and State of the Field
- Ancillary Proficiencies
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Familiarity with the foundational corpora of rabbinic Judaism, ability to read with comprehension, and to locate passages in the Hebrew Bible, Babylonian and Palestinian Talmud, Midrashic literature of the classical period, and Jewish Liturgy
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Modern Hebrew Literature
The program of study in Modern Hebrew Literature encompasses texts composed from the end of the 18th century to the present day, from wherever they have been written, e.g. Israel, the broader Middle East, Europe, and North America. It is designed to allow students to pursue study, research, and eventually teaching by means of an approach to the field that is textually and linguistically rigorous, consciously interdisciplinary, and responsive to the individual interests of students. Although grounded in Near Eastern and Jewish Studies, our program also engages in dialogue with World Literature, Comparative Literature, History, Slavic and Germanic Studies, Religious Studies, and more.
- Linguistic and Textual Mastery
- Method
- Context
Secondary Field
All students are expected to develop proficiency in one of the following four secondary fields:
- Continuity of Hebrew Literature
- Bible
- Rabbinics
- Liturgy and Medieval Literature
Other Program Milestones
In addition to the above-described required coursework, PhD students are responsible for two (2) European language reading exams, candidacy exams, and qualifying exams before preparing a dissertation proposal.
The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.
Sample Plan of Study
Students in the PhD program are required to take 20 course units. The coursework component is normally three years in length, but with the potential for transfer credit for other graduate courses within the field. Students entering the PhD program will be assigned a faculty advisor who will supervise the student's program until the Candidacy Examinations in the 4th year of study have been completed.
| Code | Title | Course Units |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | ||
| Semester 1 | ||
| Select 4 courses | ||
| Semester 2 | ||
| Select 4 courses | ||
| First modern language exam by Semester 3 | ||
| Year 2 | ||
| Semester 3 | ||
| Select 3 courses | ||
| Teaching Assistantship | ||
| Semester 4 | ||
| Select 3 courses | ||
| Teaching Assistantship | ||
| Completion of AM | ||
| Qualifying Examinations at end of Semester 3 or early in Semester 4 | ||
| Second modern language exam by Semester 5 | ||
| Year 3 | ||
| Semester 5 | ||
| Select 3 courses | ||
| Teaching Assistantship | ||
| Semester 6 | ||
| Select 3 courses (including NELC 9999) | ||
| Teaching Assistantship | ||
| Summer | ||
| Preparation for Candidacy Examinations | ||
| Year 4 | ||
| Semester 7 | ||
| Candidacy Examinations | ||
| Semester 8 | ||
| Dissertation Research and Writing | ||
| Year 5 | ||
| Semester 9 | ||
| Dissertation Research and Writing | ||
| Semester 10 | ||
| Dissertation Research and Writing | ||