Preservation & Presentation of the Moving Image
Monika Saelemaekers from Belgium
Hebrew Language and Culture
Why did you opt for an MA in Hebrew Language and Culture?
I studied Modern History at the University of Leuven in Belgium. During my studies, I took a number of courses in Jewish History, which also dealt with the legal position of Jews in medieval Europe. This led to my taking a supplementary course in Jewish History, which in turn led to my doing an MA in Hebrew as well.
About the MA programme
I was pleasantly surprised by how the curriculum was divided into seminars and lectures. I hadn't experienced small groups up to that point. The close contact with professors and lecturers was an extremely satisfying experience. What's more, I learned a tremendous amount in a straightforward and direct way from them during lectures and discussions. That was partly the result of the size of the Hebrew department. People in smaller branches of study tend to know each other better because you often attend lectures with the same small group of people.This was very different from the education in Leuven. There you wrote more essays and theses, for which you did independent research in archives or libraries. In Leuven, I mainly attended lectures in an auditorium with a few hundred people, and so there wasn't much feedback from instructors.