BGU Launches the Country’s First International Israel Studies Graduate Program
BGU Launches the Country’s First International Israel Studies Graduate Program
June 2, 2011
Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev (BGU) has formally launched the first Israel Studies International Program (ISIP) in Israel. The graduate program, under the
auspices of the Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, will be taught in English
and offered to international students, resulting in a master’s degree in Israel
studies. Applications are being accepted for the first class, set to begin
their studies in the coming fall semester.
Dr.
Paula Kabalo, chair of ISIP and a member of the University’s Ben-Gurion
Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, noted that, “Israel
attracts worldwide attention, but this interest remains at the headline level.
We wish to train the future experts on Israel and provide them with the necessary
tools to grasp the multifaceted layers of Israeli experience, including its
history, culture, ideology, society and politics.
“We
believe that the ‘laboratory type’ setting of historical archives and a
suitable library provides the optimal environment Research for a critical, independent,
research-oriented graduate program.”
She
explained that a degree in Israel studies is also of value for candidates
seeking to enter administrative, diplomatic, civil society, or teaching
positions related to Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
Covering
over a century of Zionism, the program integrates historical and contemporary
perspectives, and focuses on the emergence of Zionist ideology, the building of
the Yishuv (the pre-state Jewish community in Eretz Israel) and
the State of Israel today.
The content of the program is based on the
assumption that the field of Israel studies is inextricably related to the
fields of modern Jewish history and Middle Eastern studies. Accordingly, the
program offers introductory courses that examine the story of Israel as an
integral part of the political, social and cultural history of modern and
contemporary Judaism and of the Middle East.
“Israel
is a democratic nation-state and its society is characterized by a wide range
of cultures,” Kabalo continued, adding that “Ben-Gurion University
represents and expresses this variety, which combines the history, culture, and
traditions of different groups in Israeli society.
“The
location of BGU in the Negev region makes it a perfect representative of
Israeli pluralism and the ideal institution to establish and lead the first
Israel studies program of its kind in Israel for international students.”
The
new program will be located on the Sde Boker campus and will utilize lecturers
from the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism, which houses
the Ben-Gurion Archives and is located adjacent to the David and Paula
Ben-Gurion gravesite.
Course
topics include: David Ben-Gurion, Britain and the U.S.;
Turning Points in Israel-Diaspora
Relations; Zionist and Israeli Political Parties; Visions and Divisions: the
Sociology of Israel; Zionism and the Questions of Anti-Semitism; Israel and the
Mass Immigrations; and Roles and Images of Young People in the Jewish Nation-Building
Process, just to name a few. See full syllabus>>
“The
faculty at BGU’s Israel and Zionism Institute includes some of the foremost
scholars on Israel and its many facets,” says Doron Krakow, executive vice
president of American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
“These
scholars delve deeply into the phenomenon that is Israel and I am extremely
proud to announce and promote this program to the American community,” he
added.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
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