Course Descriptions
1036.4020.01 European Politics and Migration
Dr. Ina Kubbe
More than a million migrants and refugees crossed into Europe since 2015. Yet, this was not the first wave of migration and Europe’s governments and citizens are still looking for ways how to face and meet the challenges and opportunities involved. The main purpose of this course is to provide students with an overview of the politics of migration in contemporary Europe. From a comparative perspective, we will have a look at Europe’s actors, the role of institutions, policies, policy-making, public opinion and certain issues and debates over migration in different countries. The course seeks to answer the following major questions: (1) what are the causes, effects and challenges of migration in European countries and (2) how do policy makers respond to these effects?
10364017 Forced Migration and the Humanitarian System
Mr. Einav Levy
Forced migration is a major international challenge, which combines core issues of humanity and equality. Targeting the urgent and unique needs derived from this challenge, requires a multi sectorial approach alongside deep effort to mitigate the complexed characteristics of the phenomena. A main sector contributing to this effort is the Humanitarian sector. The Humanitarian system is in a period of intense disruption and change. On the one hand, humanitarian needs are being amplified by climate changes and its consequences, and by political, economic and demographic growing instability. These instability and change are severely challenging institutions, professional practices, and cultural and ethical norms. The course will strive to discuss the blurred reality of the response given by the humanitarian system to the challenge of forced migration. It will address some of the specific aspects of the forced migration through academicals means and through field work analysis. Optional solutions, new approaches and innovative models will be used to deepen the understanding of what one can do within the system in order to develop a critical thinking and a sustainable infrastructure. The course will be divided into three main parts: a. Setting the groundwork. b. Drilling down to core issues. c. Examining models, approaches and new thinking from the field.
1036.4028.01 Ethnic identification in the context of immigration
Dr. Anna Prashizky
There is currently a burgeoning interest in sociology, anthropology and politics around questions of ethnicity, identity politics and minority rights. This course will provide a sociological perspective centered on questions of ethnicity and inter-group relations. It examines theoretical and empirical issues related to ethnicity in the context of global immigration.
The central issues of the course are: what is the difference between race and ethnicity; what is ethnic identity; the connection between citizenship and ethnicity; the generational change of ethnicity and the children of contemporary immigrants; gender aspect of ethnicity. The course will deal with the different types of ethnicity: such as reactive, strong and symbolic ethnicity of the immigrants around the world. The special emphasis will be laid on the examples of ethnic relations and different immigrant groups in Israel.
1036.3040.01 Citizenship in Israel: A Contested Idea in Between the Global and Local
Dr. Gal Levy
This course aims to probe the question of what citizenship means in the Israeli context in the 21st century. This question derives from the particular ways in which globalization and nationalism play out in the context of right wing populism, eroding democracy, and global trends of migration. The course will comprise of three parts. It begins with a history of the concept and institution of modern citizenship with a particular focus on Israel. This is followed by a discussion of contemporary challenges to citizenship and globalization, which serves as a segue to an investigation of specific case-studies that demonstrate how and by whom the institution of citizenship in Israel is being contested and challenged, mostly from the margins, by citizens and non-citizens, including asylum-seekers, labour migrants, women in poverty and more. For their final, students will be asked to return to the course's main question and explore the various facets of citizenship in Israel by probing into specific case studies.
