Fall 2019 Courses
Minority Rights in a Nation State: The Israeli Balance
Legal Studies 190
Prof. Roy Peled, College of Management – Academic Studies
In its’ declaration of independence, Israel declared itself as the fulfillment of the national aspirations of the Jewish people, and at the same time committed to maintaining full equality among all its citizens’ regardless of nationality. These potentially contradicting commitments have been at the center of Israeli political and legal discourse ever since. The course will present some of the choices made in Israeli policy, politics, and law as to the balance between the various competing right and interests’. The discussion will cover issues such as how its choices reflect on Israel as a democracy and comparison to different paths taken by other countries in similar circumstances.
Introduction to Jewish Mysticism
Jewish Studies 122/Near Eastern Studies 134
Prof. Tomer Persico, Tel Aviv University; Hartman Institute
Beyond the esoteric names of the divine and the meditative practices used to draw Its graces lies the inner pulse of Jewish Mysticism. In this course we shall explore the Jewish mystical tradition, from the Bible, through the Second Temple literature, Kabbalah, Hasidism, and up to contemporary developments. Emphasizing mystical techniques, we will examine the practices through which Jews in different times sought direct connection with the divine.
Tel Aviv: A City from the Sands
Jewish Studies 121A/History 100M
Prof. Stephanie Rotem, Tel Aviv University
This course will follow the history of Tel Aviv, the first Hebrew city, from its birth in 1909 as “a city from the sands,” to its present position as a global metropolis. Tel Aviv, planned as a Garden City, quickly became the center of political and cultural activity in Eretz, Israel. We will study various aspects of the city’s life: architecture, urban planning, culture, politics and the arts. This examination will include the study of photography, art works and exhibitions, poetry and popular songs, performance, theatre, and film.
Spring 2020 Courses
Comparative Constitutional Law: The Case of Israel
Legal Studies 174
Prof. Roy Peled, College of Management – Academic Studies
This course will provide an introduction to constitutional law using Israel as a case study. Topics include: Constitutionalism and judicial review, state neutrality and self-determination, minority rights, state and religion, Human Rights Law, the concept of “defensive democracy” and ban of non-democratic political parties, legal aspects of the fight on terror, freedom of expression, equality and anti-discrimination, social rights, and constitutional limitations on privatization.
Contemporary Judaism in Israel
Jewish Studies 122/Near Eastern Studies 134
Prof. Tomer Persico, Tel Aviv University; Hartman Institute
This Course shall study the divergent forms of Judaism in Israel Since the 1990’s, apprehending the ideological and social fluctuations each stream has experienced over the last three decades as it parted from its previous formulations, and noting the way every major expression of Judaism in Israel at this time is in the midst of an identity crisis. It will also examine the tense relations between religion and state in Israel, analyzing the clashes and concurrences between different Israeli-Jewish identities and explaining Religious Jewish radicalism on the one hand, and the secular/spiritual “Jewish Renaissance” on the other.
Arts and Culture in Israel
Jewish Studies 121B/Near Eastern Studies 134
Prof. Stephanie Rotem, Tel Aviv University
This course will provide an overview of Israeli art and culture and its place within the international cultural world. We will examine museums, theatre, visual art, popular music, and cinema, as they reflect the multi-cultural and pluralistic Israeli society.
Holocaust Museums in Israel and the World
Jewish Studies 121A/History 100U
Prof. Stephanie Rotem, Tel Aviv University
This course will explore the history, exhibitions, and design of various Holocaust museums around the world, and study their social, cultural and political agendas. This examination will reveal their role and responsibility in Holocaust commemoration and serve as a basis to discuss the ethics and construction of collective memory. We will compare Holocaust institutions and exhibitions from around the world and compare the values that are conveyed within them. We will study theoretical texts that discuss the construction of collective memory and the political forces that manipulate it.
War in the Middle East
Political Science 124B
Prof. Ron Hassner, Helen Diller Family Chair in Israel Studies, UC Berkeley
This class begins with a historical overview of war in the region. The second part of the class introduces theories that complement and elaborate on theories from PS124A: arguments about the relationship between war and resources,religion, authoritarianism, civil military relations, territorial disputes, sovereignty, and power. In the third part of the course, we will explore current policy concerns related to conflict in the region: Nuclear proliferation, terrorism, the civil war in Syria, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, drone warfare, and the U.S. role in the region.
Graduate Courses
Law, Society, and Constitutional Change: The Case of Israel
Prof. Amnon Reichman, University of Haifa