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Hebrew Idol 2009
February 20, 2009
After last year’s Hebrew Idol, Assistant Professor of Religion Tony Finitsis wasn’t sure what to expect for a follow-up.
“It went great and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time,” he said.
For a first time project the presentations were pretty amazing. How could anyone follow those acts?
But sure enough the students in his Religion 211, Religion and Literature of the Hebrew Bible, took up the challenge and blew him away with their efforts.
“This year we are on a new level of video production,” Finitsis said. “I was very surprised by how involved they were in the process.”
Season Two of PLU’s Hebrew Idol has students working from the end of last season through the fall on scripts, locations and developing video productions that take interpretations of stories form the Hebrew Bible and adapt the text to contemporary times.
Student groups develop a 20-minute presentation for the class, some of which comes from the video they submit and part an in-class presentation. Of the many videos that were developed Finitsis whittles down the submissions to about a dozen, and then posts the selections online for students to vote on their favorites. (Go view the top 12 videos and pick your favorite HERE)
The voting ends at noon on April 3 and the top videos move on to PLU’s Hebrew Idol Finals from 6 to 8 p.m., April 16 in room 101 of the Hauge Administration building.
Finitsis hosts the show and guest judges (faculty dressed as characters from the Hebrew Bible) decide on their favorite.
Choosing the top video won’t be easy Finitsis insists.
“These videos seem to take on a life of their own,” he said. “It wasn’t just about a repeat of last year.”
A few groups even submitted director’s cuts. The time they spent on details, such as why certain wording is used was very meticulous, Finitsis said. While working through scripts with students he would sometimes suggest using different phrasing, but they would quickly rebut that they chose a particular word because it connected with the story later.
“They feel very passionate about it,” he said. “The degree of intentionality was unexpected.”
But very welcomed, he added.
Hebrew Idol came about as a way to engage students in the religion and literature of the Hebrew Bible in a contemporary context.
“The Hebrew Bible has been around for thousands of years,” Finitsis said. “It has been interpreted over and over again. It is still being interpreted.”
The project has students’ findings ways to make the stories relevant to them and within today’s context.
“At the end of the day, I’m humbled to say they came up with ways I never would have thought of,” Finitsis said. “The Hebrew Bible has very powerful stories.”
Campus Voice Editor Chris Albert compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8691 or at albertct@plu.edu. Graphic provided Tony Finitsis
For a first time project the presentations were pretty amazing. How could anyone follow those acts?
But sure enough the students in his Religion 211, Religion and Literature of the Hebrew Bible, took up the challenge and blew him away with their efforts.
“This year we are on a new level of video production,” Finitsis said. “I was very surprised by how involved they were in the process.”
Season Two of PLU’s Hebrew Idol has students working from the end of last season through the fall on scripts, locations and developing video productions that take interpretations of stories form the Hebrew Bible and adapt the text to contemporary times.
Student groups develop a 20-minute presentation for the class, some of which comes from the video they submit and part an in-class presentation. Of the many videos that were developed Finitsis whittles down the submissions to about a dozen, and then posts the selections online for students to vote on their favorites. (Go view the top 12 videos and pick your favorite HERE)
The voting ends at noon on April 3 and the top videos move on to PLU’s Hebrew Idol Finals from 6 to 8 p.m., April 16 in room 101 of the Hauge Administration building.
Finitsis hosts the show and guest judges (faculty dressed as characters from the Hebrew Bible) decide on their favorite.
Choosing the top video won’t be easy Finitsis insists.
“These videos seem to take on a life of their own,” he said. “It wasn’t just about a repeat of last year.”
A few groups even submitted director’s cuts. The time they spent on details, such as why certain wording is used was very meticulous, Finitsis said. While working through scripts with students he would sometimes suggest using different phrasing, but they would quickly rebut that they chose a particular word because it connected with the story later.
“They feel very passionate about it,” he said. “The degree of intentionality was unexpected.”
But very welcomed, he added.
Hebrew Idol came about as a way to engage students in the religion and literature of the Hebrew Bible in a contemporary context.
“The Hebrew Bible has been around for thousands of years,” Finitsis said. “It has been interpreted over and over again. It is still being interpreted.”
The project has students’ findings ways to make the stories relevant to them and within today’s context.
“At the end of the day, I’m humbled to say they came up with ways I never would have thought of,” Finitsis said. “The Hebrew Bible has very powerful stories.”
Campus Voice Editor Chris Albert compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact him at ext. 8691 or at albertct@plu.edu. Graphic provided Tony Finitsis