Brandeis University Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies The Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2004-2012 Annette Koren Matthew Boxer Nicole Samuel August 2012 Acknowledgments The authors which to thank members of the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies for their contributions: research specialist, Elizabeth Aitan, for administrative assistance and report preparation; Professor Leonard Saxe for critical feedback; Deborah Grant, for carefully reading this report and many helpful suggestions. The Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2004-12 2 Table of Contents TABLE OF TABLES .............................................................................................................................. 3 TABLE OF FIGURES............................................................................................................................. 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................... 4 BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................................... 6 THE INSTITUTE AND FOLLOW-UP ................................................................................................... 8 SIIS at Brandeis and the Israel Study Tour ........................................................................................... 8 Follow-up .......................................................................................................................................... 10 SIIS FELLOWS AND THEIR CAMPUSES .......................................................................................... 13 Fellows.............................................................................................................................................. 13 Institutions......................................................................................................................................... 15 COURSES AND CLASSROOMS ......................................................................................................... 18 Courses to Date ................................................................................................................................. 18 Planned Courses ................................................................................................................................ 20 OUTCOMES......................................................................................................................................... 22 In the Classroom................................................................................................................................ 22 Beyond the Classroom ....................................................................................................................... 26 CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................... 28 REFERENCES...................................................................................................................................... 30 APPENDIX A: SIIS 2012 SCHEDULE ................................................................................................ 31 APPENDIX B: COURSES 2010-12 AND PLANNED 2012-15............................................................. 37 APPENDIX C: UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES 2004-12 ................................................................ 60 The Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2004-12 3 TABLE OF TABLES Table 1: Summary of Courses Taught and Students Affected by SIIS....................................................... 4 Table 2: Fellows’ Academic Positions by Cohort at Entry to SIIS .......................................................... 14 Table 3: Number of Students in Courses by Cohort ................................................................................ 19 Table 4: Fellows Planning Future Courses by Cohort ............................................................................. 21 Table 5: Engagement of SIIS Fellows about Israel beyond the Classroom .............................................. 26 Table 6: SIIS 2012 Schedule at Brandeis ............................................................................................... 31 Table 7: SIIS 2012 Schedule in Israel .................................................................................................... 32 Table 8: Courses Taught 2010-11 .......................................................................................................... 37 Table 9: Courses Taught 2011-12 .......................................................................................................... 44 Table 10: Courses Planned 2012-15 ....................................................................................................... 52 Table 11: Universities and Colleges 2004-12 ......................................................................................... 60 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Impact of SIIS on Fellows ........................................................................................................ 9 Figure 2: Frequency of Jellyfish Use ...................................................................................................... 11 Figure 3: Purpose of Jellyfish Use ......................................................................................................... 11 Figure 4: Fellows by Department 2004-12 ............................................................................................. 13 Figure 5: Percentage Introducing Courses about Israel in 2004-12 by Academic Rank ........................... 14 Figure 6: Institution Types, 2004-12 ...................................................................................................... 15 Figure 7: Size of Institutions, 2004-12 ................................................................................................... 16 Figure 8: Institutions in North America, 2004-12 ................................................................................... 17 Figure 9: Number of Courses and Student Enrollment by Year ............................................................. 18 Figure 10: Fellows and their Future Courses about Israel ....................................................................... 20 The Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2004-12 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2012, Brandeis University’s Summer Institute for Israel Studies (SIIS) welcomed its ninth cohort of fellows. Twenty faculty members from across the United States (from Yale to the University of Southern California) and from Canada, Great Britain, Germany, the Czech Republic, India, and China came to Brandeis University for an intensive two-week seminar and Israel study tour. They represented diverse disciplines. Like previous cohorts, they came to SIIS to increase their understanding of Israel and develop the pedagogical skills to teach the subject effectively. Fellows shared a commitment to expanding opportunities for students to learn about Israel. This report documents the success of SIIS and its earlier fellows (2004-11) in meeting those commitments. Through summer 2011, the program introduced 164 fellows from around the world to a multidisciplinary approach to the study of Israel. Since 2004, these fellows taught at least 388 courses to almost 10,000 students. Sixty-two of the fellows who completed the annual survey taught courses about Israel in 2011-12. This is an underestimate of the number of fellows who taught about Israel, since some of those who did not respond likely taught courses as well. Course offerings remained stable between 2010-11 (80) and 2011-12 (78) as did the number of students enrolled. Through spring 2012, at least 9,800 students enrolled in Israel courses taught by SIIS fellows. As with the number of courses, this figure also likely underestimates the true impact of SIIS on student enrollment in courses about Israel. Table 1: Summary of Courses Taught and Students Affected by SIIS 2004- 2005- 2006- 2007- 2008- 2009- 2010- 2011- 2012 2004- 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 2012 Fellows 17 21 21 17 26 20 20 22 20 184 Fellows teaching courses 8 16 26 36 43 58 58 62 1251 Courses offered 9 23 33 39 54 72 80 78 388 New/adapted 6/3 10/13 14/15 14/22 20/23 31/41 23/57 35/43 153/217 Number of students 250 500 750 800 1200 1800 2200 2300 9800 In 2011-12, as in 2010-11, the research team supplemented the survey with site visits to campuses in North America, observing classrooms, interviewing fellows and their department chairs, and conducting interviews and focus groups with students. The field research reveals that 1 Because some of the participants teaching courses are the same from year to year, the total for 2004-2012 does not equal the sum of the individual years. The Summer Institute for Israel Studies 2004-12 5 fellows absorbed the principles of SIIS and incorporated them in their courses. These principles include: Normalizing the study of Israel as a state, culture, and people apart from the country’s role in a political conflict; Conveying Israel through the prism of multiple disciplines: sociology, history, film, literature, etc.; Presenting multiple narratives and perspectives; Engaging students with Israel and opening their minds to its complexity while adhering to academic standards of objectivity and balance in the classroom. Students in 2011-12, like those in 2010-11 readily identified the themes of