Israel/Palestine Fall 2017
Program Description
Study, hike, visit historical sites, and serve in Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and Jordan while living in local homes and communities, immersing yourself in the Holy Land. Learn about the environment, politics, religion and society of this fascinating and volatile land while learning more about yourself, your world, and your faith as you:
· Learn environmental stewardship at the Arava Institute while living on Kibbutz Ketura in the Negev
· Hike the Jesus Trail and Abraham Path to walk in the lands of the Bible
· Live and work in Bethlehem with Palestinian communities
· Live and study in Jerusalem with Jewish communities
· Study Arabic and Hebrew
· Explore ancient Jewish, Christian, and Muslim sites
· Learn about peacebuilding work from Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian graduates of EMU
· Visit the pyramids, climb Mt. Sinai, and snorkel in the Red Sea in Egypt
· Ride camels and live with Bedouins, visit ancient ruins and volunteer in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan
Information
Estimated Cost: tuition, room and board plus $2,600 travel fee (cost may be adjusted due to changes
in currency exchange rates and air fares)
Semester Leader: Lisa Schirch, CJP and Bill Goldberg, CJP
Enrollment: 22 students
Course Credits: 15 semester hours
Courses
CCSSC 201 Cross-Cultural Social Science 3 SH
Learn to compare and contrast how the world looks through different cultural, historical,
and religious worldviews. Students will learn to practice active listening, diplomatic
communication skills, and self-reflection; to understand how others perceive their
actions. Students will practice skills of appreciative inquiry and conflict analysis
to understand how Israeli and Palestinian cultures function. Students will learn to
manage ambiguity and anxiety, developing a language of self-reflection for challenging
cross-cultural dynamics.
CCLNG 110 Arabic Language 3 SH
This elementary level Amiya (spoken) Arabic Language course includes intensive instruction
during the first part of the semester, with on-going practice throughout the semester
with the Arabic speaking people of the Middle East. (There may also be an option to
study Hebrew instead).
CCREL 302 Religion & Culture in the Middle East (CIW) 3 SH
Directed fieldwork, reading, personal interaction, participant observation and regularly
scheduled seminars will enable the student to gain understanding of how Israelis and
Palestinians, as Jews, Muslims and Christians, attempt to bring together their faith
with their actions. To facilitate this discernment, students will compare how faith
and moral values are incorporated into the daily life of the home and host culture.
Students will reflect on how faith shapes their own behavior on the cross-cultural,
reflecting on the question, “What do I communicate about my beliefs by the way I live
my life and how I interact with others?”
CCHIS 303 Contemporary Issues in the Middle East 3 SH
Students will read and listen to diverse perspectives of guest speakers on the conflict
in Israel and Palestine to understand that there are many different “sides” and not
just two perspectives. Students will identify the diversity of opinion and internal
conflicts within Israeli and Palestinian societies and probe the meaning of peace
and justice in this setting.
CCPXD 301 Applied Research in Peacebuilding 3 SH
Faculty will help each student design a tailor-made peacebuilding course designed
to enhance the individual student’s major or minor. This course will focus on three
areas, environmental peacebuilding; psychological or trauma-sensitive peacebuilding;
and inter-religious peacebuilding. Students will choose one of these themes and research
its relationship to their major. For example, biology, pre-med, math majors could
tailor a focus on environmental peacebuilding, which relies on the skills in their
field. History, social work, sociology, and religion students could focus on either
of the other options.
Required Immunizations
- Routine – MMR, DTP, IPV or OPV, Hep B, Hep A
- Typhoid – oral or injectable at least 3 weeks before travel
Immunizations and prescriptions may be obtained at EMU Health Services by appointment.
Immunizations may also be obtained from your local health department or primary care
provider.
