LADINO 16 – Beginning Ladino
Semester: Spring
Offered: 2023
Course Head: Luis Girón-Negrón
Instructor: Adam Mahler
Meeting Time: M, W 1:30pm-2:45pm
Ladino, or Judaeo-Spanish, is the linguistic legacy of Sepharad, the historical term for the Iberian Peninsula, and, for thousands of years, home to a vibrant Jewish cultural life. Blending traditional coursework in language instruction with elements of literary and cultural studies, Beginning Ladino offers an introduction to this endangered language by guiding students primarily to read and translate Ladino texts, as well as to make first forays into basic conversational practice. In addition to presenting the vocabulary and principle grammatical structures of Ladino grounded in compelling literary texts, the course will attempt to connect learners to the Romance-speaking Jews of Medieval Iberia — as well as to foster appreciation of the cultural artifacts produced by this community.
Course Notes: Conducted in English. May not be used to fulfill the language requirement and may not be taken Pass/Fail, but may be taken Sat/Unsat by graduate students with permission from the course head. This course is taught by members of the Department.
Recommended Prep: While a Romance Languages background, particularly Spanish, may be helpful, no previous experience with Ladino is required.
For more details please visit the Harvard Course Catalog.