Courses
SEMETER A
Love in Biblical Literature
Dr. Ahuva Ashman
0612-6038-01
In a patriarchal society the woman depends on the man for everything, therefore love is based on unequal relations. As part of the course, we will examine the way in which love is perceived in the Bible against the background of the power relations between the sexes in the patriarchal society, while referring to the social and cultural meaning behind "love".
In the course, stories dealing with relations between the sexes will be discussed from a feminist gender perspective.
We will ask how the concept of love is perceived, how it is represented and what social interests it serves.
The Making of Europe: From Antiquity to Early Modernity
Prof. Gadi Algazi
0621-1209-01
Europe did not exist from all eternity. It took shape in a long historical process involving contacts between diverse societies and cultures. How was the heritage of Mediterranean antiquity passed on to nomads and settlers of the wild north? Were the Middle Ages a time in which every person knew his/her place? Was it an ?Age of Faith?, under the church?s complete control? Were peasants conservative and city dwellers prone to innovate? Were women powerless and had to wait patiently for modernity to gain agency? Were families extended, and individuals nearly nonexistent? These are some of the questions to be dealt with in this introductory lecture.
Intellectual History
Dr. Eshbal Ratzon
0659-6126-01
The course examines the development of scientific thought in the Western tradition from its beginning in the Ancient Near East to the seventeenth century, through the Greek Science, Arabic, and Latin cultures of the Middle Ages. At its core, stand a few questions regarding the characteristics of Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern thought about nature on its laws, the different conditions that led to its emergence, and to the transfer of knowledge between different cultures, including the weight of economic, political and religious developments in these processes. We further examine the factors that led to changes in scientific knowledge and its connection to empirical findings and philosophy. The analysis of the scientific thought of the discussed thinkers and scientists and the reasons for theory change will be helped by a discussion of the way they accounted for the motion of earthy bodies and of celestial planets.
The Struggle to Establish the State of Israel 1939-1947
Prof. Meir Chazan
0677-1148-01
The events in Palestine during the decade in which WWII and the state of Israel establishing struggle happened, will be the focus of this course. We will examine the question how the Jewish Yishuv and the Zionist movement managed to extricate from the May 1939 White Paper policy and create political reality that leads to the acceptance of the division decision of November 1947 in the UN. The issues will deal with, among others, are: the Palmach establishment, Biltmore plan, Palestine economic situation, Etzel ?rebellion?, the Sezon and the United Resistance Movement.
Course duties: participation, home exam.
The Invention of Man
Prof. Uri Cohen
0680-1305-01
The course will provide acquaintance with the idea of the human in major literary masterpieces of the Western world. The first part of the course will provide encounters with the major classics of the Western tradition from Greece and the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The End of the World? the Climate Crisis and the Humanities
Prof. On Barak
Dr. Yair Levy
Dr. Hannah Pollin Galay
0680-1999-01
Before our very eyes, the climate crisis is becoming a material reality, with extreme natural and ecological disasters happening on a regular basis. Scientists have asserted with certainty that the crisis is anthropogenic, the work of humanity. But, what does ?humanity? mean in this context? How have current and past definitions of the human shaped our treatment of the environment? How might we articulate an alternate vision of humanity, one that responds to and mitigates the climate crisis? To address these critical topics, we need tools and knowledge developed in the humanities fields. Specifically, the class creates an encounter between three approaches?literature, philosophy and history?asking how each discipline contributes differently to the largest challenge of our era. Additionally, ?The End of the World?? offers an innovative learning environment, bringing together both BA and MA students?as well as an ongoing forum of scholarly dialogue. The course aims to bridge learning, research and action in grappling with the climate crisis through a humanities framework.
Introduction to the History of the Modern Middle East
Prof. Meir Litvak
0622-1001-01
The course surveys the major historical processes evolving in the modern Middle East in the past two centuries. It analyzes the interaction between internal developments and Western political, economic and cultural influences. It discusses the emergence of modern nationalism; the foundation of new states in the early Twentieth Century, their struggle for independence and their grappling with parliamentary systems under the Mandate system. It will examine the replacement of the old elites by new radical military elites, which became in turn more moderate in the course of years, as well as their confrontation with the rising tide of Islamic radicalism.
Introduction to Greek Mythology
Dr. Maayan Mazor
0672-1109-01
An abundance of stories developed in ancient Greece about gods, demigods, heroes, and other colorful figures, and have captured the imagination of people ever since. From ancient times to our days, attempts have been made to understand the meanings, sources and purpose of those stories, known as myths. Over the course, we will look at several gods and heroes and the myths associated with them. We will attempt to find out how they were created, what their roles were in the world, and what religious and cultural needs they were meant to meet. The myths will be explored in a historical and cultural context, and a discussion will follow of various issues emerging from them, such as the place of man in the universe, the relations between gods and humans, perceptions of life and death, fate and free choice, and the human psyche. We will see how diverse artistic expressions of myths fashioned and shaped the beliefs, customs and perceptions of ancient Greek society. Greek mythological stories have been repeatedly told over the generations and have served as the basis for remarkable interpretations at different times and places.
SEMETER B
Introduction to Modern Philosophy
Prof. Noa Naaman-Zauderer
0618-1032-01
This course is a survey of western European philosophy in the early modern period, with an emphasis placed on Metaphysical and Epistemological issues. It covers the major figures and themes in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century's philosophy, including Ren? Descartes, Baruch (Benedictus) Spinoza, John Locke, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, George Berkeley, David Hume, and Immanuel Kant.
The course introduces students to central themes in the early modern period, such as, for example, the nature of knowledge, truth, and reality; conceptions of the self, personal identity, the nature of ideas, the question of freedom, mind-body problem, etc.
Students are required to read selected writings of the above philosophers.
Introduction to Indian Philosophy
Prof. Daniel Raveh
0618-1042-01
The course offers a tasting menu of the broad spectrum of Indian philosophy. The idea is to travel together between thinkers and texts, from the Veda, the Upanishads and the Sutra literature (including early Buddhism) to contemporary Indian philosophy. In our journey we will visit the Big questions of Indian philosophy, with emphasis on the question of identity and self and the relationship between the human person and the world/nature. We will speak of ethics and aesthetics, of logic and philosophy of language, and even of social and political philosophy in Indian philosophy, old and new. We will become acquainted with notions such as Atman and Anatman, Dharma and Moksha (Self, no-Self, life in the world and ultimate freedom respectively). All the above will be discussed vis-a-vis Western philosophy. In this regard, this course has a lucid comparative trajectory.
Introduction to Narratology
Prof. Iris Milner
0680-1000-01
The course deals with narratology, which is story theory - each story is a sequence of events that represent the actions of characters over time. Thus, the study of the main narratology is significant for one who deals with the reading and creation of "stories" in literature, cinema, journalistic writing, event reporting, documentary writing, historiography, writing biographies and autobiographies, choreography and so on. , Which seeks to make reading or viewing "powerful", rich and meaningful. From the margins.
Course / Module content: What is drama? What are the narrative genres? What is a narrative plot and how is it constructed? What are the beginnings and endings of stories? What are the turning points, highs and lows of a narrative plot? How is the narrative character constructed and what are its roles? What are stereotypical characters and how is individuality of characters constructed? What are a hero and an anti-hero? How are materials of background, atmosphere, place and time represented in the story? What is the role of the storyteller? What is a narrative perspective and what is a narrative perspective of its kind? How are themes and ideas translated into narrative plots? How are symbols and motifs constructed in the story? How are varying durations represented in the story? And more.
A selection of texts from Hebrew and general literature will be used to
Technology,Society and Culture
Dr. Dan Mamlok
0723-2100-01
The integration of technology and education in the last few centuries evoked a great hope for transforming education, advancing creative and critical thinking, and improving teaching and learning processes. This class will deal with critical questions pertaining to the integration of technology and education, by looking at notable theoreticians who considered the nexus of technology, society, and culture (e.g, Heidegger, Foucault, Feenberg, and Don Ihde). A central issue that will be discussed in this class is our capacity to develop informed civic worldview in the digital age. This class will examine how prominent predispositions regarding technology and technological innovations influence our understanding of knowledge, teaching and learning, and the ways in which we can support students to develop democratic citizenship in the digital age
From Democracy to Dictatorship: The Weimar Republic and the Nazi Seizure of Powe
Dr. Amir Teicher
0621-1228-01
The Weimar Republic (1918-1933) was founded in Germany following the First World War. It was the first attempt of the German society to establish a democratic regime; it ended after 15 years with Hitler?s rise to power. In the past decades, historians and culture researchers examined Weimar as modernity?s ?lost paradise? - a unique historical epoch that shaped the contours of the social legislation, the welfare state, the wonders of technological innovation and consumerism characteristic of 20th century Western societies.
The course will address the republic?s complex history, including the social tensions, political dramas and economic catastrophes that ran throughout its short history. We will discuss the following themes: the crisis of WWI, technological innovations, the ?New Woman?, Bauhaus architecture, crime and serial killers, artistic currents (Dada, Expressionism, the New Objectivity), cinema, shop windows, political campaigns, inflation, the Nazi movement, and Hitler?s rise to power. We will analyze photos, movie excerpts, caricatures, drawings, financial reports, speeches and party programs. Was the republic doomed from the very beginning? Why did so many voters find the Nazi party appealing? And are comparisons to the present of any value?
Participation requires presence and reading throughout the semester.
Gender Awareness in Education
Dr. Hadar Netz
0723-2017-01
The educational system plays a crucial role in forming the child's views and perceptions of gender. Educators, like all people, are subconsciously influenced by dominant ideologies in society. Research indicates that while educators believe that they are practicing gender-fair education, in fact their educational practices often do not meet their ideals. The aim of this course is to increase awareness to questions of gender in education, to unveil subtle sexist practices, and to provide practical tools to advance gender-fairness in education.
The Never Ending Struggle: African American History 1863-2013
Prof. Yael Sternhell
0621-1227-01
The course will offer an introduction to modern African-American history, from slave emancipation to the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement. We will learn how the Black minority in American survived the oppressive regime it was subjected to and how it resisted its power; we will delve into the Black community?s internal dynamics, between men and women, rich and poor, separatists and integrationists. We will read classic texts by political leaders and listen to hip hop. We will consider African-American history both as part of U.S. history more broadly but also as a distinct narrative, defined by the realities of struggle.
