Professor Tanenbaum's research focuses on medieval Jewish intellectual history with a special emphasis on literary works from Islamic lands. She coordinates The Culture of Contemporary Israel course and teaches an honors section of that course. She also teaches a variety of medieval and modern Hebrew literature courses. She has a long-standing interest in philosophical themes in Hebrew poetry from Spain. She is the author of The Contemplative Soul: Hebrew Poetry and Philosophical Theory in Medieval Spain (2002), and numerous articles on Spanish and Yemenite Jewish poetry.