Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel): 3 credits -- Political Science / Political Economy
We begin by learning key Jewish texts and various disciplinary concepts, tools, and methods. We engage each of these first for their own sake, attending closely to them and seeking to understand them in and of themselves. Then, we use them as lenses through which to analyze current issues, questions, and problems in the State of Israel.
Possible issues include proportional versus direct representation in the Knesset, the role of the Supreme Court, the various sources of Israeli law, the legal system in Areas B and C, Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, the EU and the UN in Israel, the Basic Laws and the (lack of a) constitution, corruption and cartels, and food and housing prices.
By applying what they have learned, students progress to a more advanced understanding of all of the material, integrating it and solidifying their grasp on it. They come to know it more thoroughly and from additional angles, they recognize how it intersects with other material, and they come to a sharpened understanding of how it is real and relevant. By using the texts and concepts to develop new questions about the issues, they come to know each of these thoroughly, deeply, and from the inside out.
In addition to providing academic credit for disciplinary and/or distribution requirements, this course also fulfills various institutions' requirements for writing-intensive courses (i.e. courses, regardless of their primary discipline, that emphasize writing assignments and that approach writing as a means of thinking through the course material).
• This course meets twice weekly.
• Guest speakers will include various subject-matter experts (scholars and practitioners).
• Grading: Participation 50% + Seminar Essay 50%
• The participation grade will include in-class participation and weekly "low-stakes" writing assignments focused on inventorying and mastering the material to date: analytical summaries, detailed descriptions of selected items, "conversation charts" that diagram various ways in which the texts and ideas relate to each other, and similar tasks. These will provide a basis for the Seminar Essay.