Spring 2026 Courses
The Cinema of François Truffaut
Professor Aner Preminger
FILM 172 001
The course explores the Cinema of François Truffaut, a unique filmmaker and one of the most important figures in the international modern cinema revolution of the late fifties, called "The French New Wave." The course analyses Truffaut's films and checks the interaction between them and his cultural-spiritual world. It is taken as a case study for analyzing the evolution of the cinematic language and as a revision of cinema history. Truffaut is placed in the Cinema Pantheon as a young film critic who shaped cinema first by writing in Cahiers du Cinéma and later as a filmmaker. In his writing and in his films, he provoked traditional cinematic axioms and theories, and was one of the dominant thinkers of the Auteur's Theory (La Politique des Auteurs).
Catastrophe Now: The Jewish Tragic Mode, from Antiquity to Contemporary Culture
Professors Yael Segalovitz & Roni Masel
COMLIT 20 001 & JEWISH 5 001
This course traces voices of rupture across Jewish thought and literature—from biblical laments and rabbinic midrash to modernist poetics and contemporary prose. Moving between philosophy, theology, psychoanalysis, and literary criticism, we will read foundational texts by figures including Walter Benjamin, Freud, Clarice Lispector, S. Yizhar, and Mahmoud Darwish alongside biblical, rabbinic, medieval, and modern Jewish sources. In so doing, the course also offers an introduction to two millennia of Jewish thought, history, and textual traditions, as well as their ongoing dialogue with neighboring cultures and languages. While telling a story of tragedies, we will also ask ourselves in what other terms, more hopeful perhaps, we could narrate an alternative history of the human experience; and what these other stories could afford us in imagining a peaceful (or at least, less violent) world.
Social Movements in Israel
Professor Yifat Moas
JEWISH 175E 001 & MELC 134 002
Israeli society has consistently drawn global attention, primarily in relation to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet many remain unaware of the vibrant and intensely contested public debates within Israel itself, and of the diverse social struggles that shape its internal dynamics. This course explores the development of protest movements and social activism in Israel—from left-wing movements calling to end the occupation to right-wing mobilizations seeking to reinforce it, as well as religious- and ethnic-based campaigns, struggles over social equality, gender and sexual identity, and the relationship between religion and state. Through these case studies, the course situates Israeli activism within broader theoretical perspectives on social movements—particularly the cultural approach, which highlights collective identity, meaning-making, and the emotional dimensions of political action.
Global Mizrahi Culture: Music, Art, and Cinema
Professor Yifat Moas
JEWISH 121B 001 & MELC 134 001
While Jews are often imagined as having European roots, many are unaware of the rich and complex histories of Jewish communities that thrived for centuries across the Middle East and North Africa. This course offers a broad perspective on these communities—collectively known as Mizrahi Jews—their distinctive cultures and histories, examining both their diversity and the threads that connect them. The course moves between the cultural worlds of Mizrahi communities in their countries of origin—such as Syria, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, and Tunisia—and the global Mizrahi communities that evolved throughout the twentieth century (particularly following the establishment of the State of Israel), as political and social changes led these once-thriving Jewish societies to disperse and re-form in new cultural contexts around the world. Through this dual lens, the course explores the continuities of Mizrahi culture and the ways in which traditions, identities, and memories have been sustained across generations and geographies.
Religion and Spirituality in Education: Israeli and American Cases
Professor Hanan Alexander
EDUC 150 001 & JEWISH 122
This course will examine the roles of religion and spirituality in education from the perspective of liberal democratic society in two paradigm cases—Israel and the United States. It will review similarities and differences in the ways each school system conceives and practices such notions as secular and religious, initiation and indoctrination, diversity and inclusion, and public and private. For example, public schools do not offer religious instruction in the United States, due to the constitutional separation of religion and state, whereas religious schools receive state funding in Israel, as they do in many other countries that require no such separation. The course will also consider critiques of these concepts and practices based on gender, race, class, nationality, language, and the search for meaning, as well as similarities and differences between the roles of religious affiliation and nationalism and the influence of extremism in each educational system.
Modern Jewish Thought: Faith, Culture, and Education
Professor Hanan Alexander
EDUC 150 002 & JEWISH 126
Jewish thought is a field of Jewish studies that analyzes the themes of Jewish tradition, culture, community, and education throughout the ages from a conceptual point of view. The field often deals with connections, parallels, influences, and tensions between Jewish ideas and those of the wider world through studies of Jewish philosophy, theology, and mysticism. Key topics that are considered in this field include the existence and nature of God, the rationale for religious observance, the purpose of the Jewish people, the demands of Jewish ethics, the connection between Israel and the Diaspora, the authority of revelation, the relation between faith and reason, and the transmission of Jewish culture across the generations. This course is an introduction to the field of Jewish thought in the modern period and its implications for the organizations of contemporary Jewish life—agencies, synagogues, schools, and other educational institutions—in both the Diaspora and the state of Israel.
Reclaiming Jerusalem: Critical Readings in the Historical Geography of a Contested City
Professor Noah Hysler Rubin
GEOG 116 001
This course explores the contested history of Jerusalem, examining how its geography evolved through competing religious and political claims. From its origins as a Canaanite city to its status as Israel's capital, Jerusalem’s landscape was formed through diverse influences, including the Israelites, Byzantines, Crusaders, Ottomans, and British. We will analyze sacred sites, urban plans, films and maps and understand how each power visualized the city to reflect their own political and cultural agendas. The course offers students a deeper understanding of Jerusalem's complex, multifaceted history and design. Ideal for students in history, geography, and urban studies and those interested in Jewish, Israeli and Middle Eastern studies.
The Rise of Global Innovation Centers: Lessons Learned from Silicon Valley and Silicon Wadi
Professor Noga Abraham
UGBA 177 001
This course explores the rise and dynamics of global innovation hubs, using Silicon Valley and Israel's "Silicon Wadi" as primary case studies. Students will examine the historical, cultural, and economic factors that have shaped these regions into global innovation centers. Topics include entrepreneurship ecosystems, venture capital, government policies, and the role of education and military influence. By comparing these two hubs, the course provides insights into the factors driving technological success and the challenges of sustaining innovation. We will explore the factors that drive innovation within organizations, from emerging companies to more established corporations and how students can cultivate innovation within themselves. Through case studies, discussions, guest speakers and workshops students will analyze how lessons from these regions can be applied to promote innovation worldwide.
Comparative Constitutional Law: The Case of Israel
Professor Ayelet Blecher-Prigat
This course introduces key issues in constitutional law and theory, using a comparative perspective with a focus on the Israeli constitutional system. The course will explore topics such as the principles and controversies surrounding judicial review, the evolution of Israeli constitutionalism, the interpretation and application of fundamental rights like equality, privacy, and freedom of religion. By examining these issues through a comparative perspective, students will develop critical thinking skills and a deeper appreciation for the role of constitutional frameworks in addressing complex societal debates. The course also offers insights into challenges that mirror those faced in the United States, particularly regarding the respective roles of the judiciary, the legislature, and the constitution in resolving divisive issues.
In Search of Lost Time: Memory in Legal Principle and Practice
Professor Daniel Levy
Human memory plays a key role in legal thought, institutions, and procedures. In a wide range of circumstances – evaluating the reliability of testimony, appreciating challenges to judges and jurors in learning and retaining information presented during a trial, assessing intent and culpability for plagiarism, or considering the admissibility of a plaintiff’s repressed memories – assumptions about the nature of memory play a vital role. For each topic, the relevant basic cognitive psychology and neuroscience information will be introduced in non-specialist terms. We will then consider the implications of those insights for philosophical attitudes, legal processes, and societal institutions, including memory in restorative justice, and collective memory in public spaces and monuments.
Global Cinema: Israeli Cinema and Media Cultures
Professor Aner Preminger
This course will examine the evolution of Israeli cinema in the context of global cinema history and Israeli culture. In the global context, we will discuss the nature of the interaction between Israeli cinematic developments and cinematic developments worldwide. In the domestic context, we will explore Israeli cinema as a mirror reflecting social and political developments within Israeli society and as a source of influence on Israeli culture and society. Beginning with the 1960s and the introduction of modernism into Israeli cinema, we will focus on film images and narratives that grapple with the paradoxes of a polarized society in search of its identity, including the perception and representation of marginalized communities, particularly women, ethnic minorities, and Palestinian citizens of Israel. We will also examine representations within Israeli films of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza and Arab citizens of other countries.
Digital Cinema Production: Wo.man with a Movie Camera
Professor Aner Preminger
This course examines the space between reality and fiction, the personal and the public, and the intimate and the social—exploring how cinema captures society through the lens of the personal camera. We will engage with modernist cinema and the private self through the work of Soviet filmmaker Dziga Vertov, French filmmakers Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin, and Israeli filmmaker David Perlov. Special focus will be given to the individual "I" as expressed through Perlov’s cinematic voice and vision, tracing the evolution of the personal film diary and its contemporary possibilities in the age of the iPhone camera.
Pack Light: Traversing Translation & Hebrew Literature
Professor Yael Segalovitz
In this course, we’ll trace the footprints of literary translation—the cultural, geo-political, theological, and linguistic knowledge embedded in every utterance we produce, and the acute challenges that arise when carrying these elements across languages. We’ll tackle questions like: How should a translator handle an idiom with no equivalent in the target language (like “barking up the wrong tree”)? Is a translation’s job to capture the original’s unique flavor or to read smoothly to its new audience? And what’s the experience of reading someone else’s words filtered through a translator’s sensibility? Hebrew literature—born from a people in constant movement and containing echoes of multiple languages—presents a particularly fertile ground for exploring translation.
We will engage in hands-on translation exercises accommodating students with or without second language proficiency. Some of the writers and thinkers we will be discussing will join us for live class discussions! Translation, as many who practice it will tell you, is reading at its most intense. By semester’s end, you’ll not only better understand the intricacies of translation and gain insights into modern Hebrew literature but also sharpen analytical skills that extend far beyond this course. Bring your passport—we’ll be crossing linguistic borders together.
How Modernity Shaped the Landscape: East, West, and the Cities of Israel/Palestine
Professor Noah Hysler Rubin
The multifaceted landscape of Israel/Palestine—its land and its people—has been shaped by processes of global modernization and Western colonial rivalry. As a result, the region’s urban and physical environments bear the imprint of pivotal political, economic, and cultural forces: from the late Ottoman Empire and the height of British imperialism to the rise of both Zionism and Arab nationalism, culminating in the establishment of the State of Israel.
This course approaches modernization and modernity as theoretical frameworks that not only illuminate the development of the Israeli/Palestinian city but also offer critical tools for understanding the broader patterns of Western urban transformation in the modern era. Through this lens, we will interrogate conventional dichotomies—East/West, Old/New, Traditional/Modern, Progressive/Backwards—as they appear in the local context. These categories will serve as analytical entry points into the geography of the region.
Our exploration will uncover a diverse array of modernities—Palestinian, Ottoman, British, Zionist, and Israeli—whose spatial legacies overlap, converge, and at times, stand in stark contradiction. Together, they form a complex and contested urban fabric that reflects the ongoing negotiation of identity, power, and place.
History and Sociology of Modern Israel
Professor Yifat Moas
In recent years—and especially since the October 7th massacre and the subsequent war between Israel and Hamas—global discourse around Israel has become increasingly polarized, often reduced to simplistic labels of "pro-" or "anti-" Israel. Yet many remain unfamiliar with the complex history and social fabric of the country. This course surveys the historical events, social transformations, and cultural dynamics that have shaped Israeli society—from the emergence of the Zionist movement and the founding of the state to the present day—offering students a multidimensional understanding of Israel in both historical and contemporary contexts.
Mizrahim in Israel
Professor Yifat Moas
While Jews are often imagined as having European roots, a significant portion of Israel’s Jewish population descends from once-thriving communities in Arab and Islamic countries. Their culture, and the ethnic relations between Mizrahi Jews (i.e., Jews of Middle Eastern and North African origin) and Ashkenazi Jews (with roots in Europe), have fundamentally shaped Israeli society. This course explores the history, culture, and evolving identity of Mizrahi Jews—from their historical experience in Arab and Islamic lands, through their immigration and struggles in Israel, to their cultural revival and growing political influence. These historical and cultural dynamics offer insights into the diverse forces that have shaped Israeli society, both past and present.