 Unveiling Dynamics in Israel:
History, Politics, Law & Technology
2009 Exploration Seminar in Israel
Program Directors:
Gad Barzilai (Int'l Studies/LSJ)
Karine Barzilai-Nahon (iSchool)
Dates of Instruction: June 30 - July 19, 2009
NOTE THAT THIS PROGRAM IS A SUMMER (A Term) AND NOT AN EARLY FALL PROGRAM: This affects how credit, payments and financial aid are handled. Please click here for information.
Course description: Sixty years after its establishment Israel is looked upon as a global flashpoint, a democracy under contention, and a venue for international immigration. The country seems to always be moving between religious, ethnic, national, global and local identities, liberal and conservative forces and present conflicts.
This exciting exploration seminar in Israel [6 credits] offers students first-hand learning experiences and field tours, in order to explore the most fundamental facets of Israeli society. This exploration seminar (20 days) invites students to travel and meet with prominent social and political activists, leading intellectuals, legal activists, Parliament members, judges, ministers, NGOs, hi-tech entrepreneurs, and visit various places with historical and contemporary international significance to different nationalities and religions. We will travel all over Israel to experience a variety of cultures among different Jewish communities and among Arab-Palestinians. Students will be exposed to state and religion, ethnicity, as well as national security issues. Students will visit places playing a role in the history of humanity like Jerusalem, Jaffa, Tiberias, Masada, Dead Sea and places that are more contemporary like Tel Aviv and Haifa. It will explore the fertilization of the Negev Desert, as well as experiencing communal life in the Kibbutz and Arab villages. Field  trips will be complemented with intellectual meetings in universities, public policy centers, technological sites, industrial sites, political and legal institutions, cultural centers and museums.
These direct experiences in political, cultural, legal, economic, and religious sites, along with debates with leading scholars and experts, allow students to combine fun with learning in order to systematically explore the unveiled domestic and foreign facets of Israel.
"An exploration seminar takes several weeks or even months of regular classroom study and illustrates reality in an utmost amazing fashion. The sightseeing, academics, and professors surpassed all my expectations and I had an awesome experience." (Svetlana Nozdrina, 2008 Exploration Seminar)
 “Politics, religion, history, and technology were unveiled like no other to create a life changing experience. Not only was it a great learning experience, but an unforgettable time with amazing professors and students!” (Rafael Velazquez, 2008 Exploration Seminar)
Credits: This program will offer a total of 6 credits, including five (5) credits of one of the following options, plus one (1) credit of GEN ST 392.
- SIS 399 (I&S)
- SISJE 399 (I&S)
- LSJ 495 (I&S)
- IMT559
- LIS559
- Participants should check with their advisers to determine how these credits can apply towards departmental requirements.
For more information:
Professor Gad Barzilai
Jackson School of International Studies, Law, Societies and JusticeProgram
 gbarzil@u.washington.edu
http://faculty.washington.edu/gbarzil
Professor Karine Barzilai-Nahon
Information School
Director of the Center for Information & Society
karineb@u.washington.edu
http://www.ischool.washington.edu/karineb
Student costs:
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