Education

This course allows students to explore current and enduring educational questions through a sociological lens and to identify the relationships between education and social inequalities. Special attention is paid to issues of social justice, inclusion/exclusion, and possibilities for social transformation. The course considers various axes of power, identity and institutional organization, including sessions focused on social class, race/ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, and learner and teacher identities.  

This course aims to enhance students’ ecological and holistic understanding of education, in close consideration for the aesthetic experience. The course discusses topics including: the theoretical framework and the main operational directions of the Holistic approach applied to pedagogy and educational practice; the concepts of well-being, in its complex relationship with health and personal growth; the design of educational and training processes responsive to physical, personal, social, emotional, and spiritual needs; strategies and tools for generating self-reflection, expressiveness, communication, and cooperation skills; how to make use of the tried learning methods and of the acquired analysis tools for the development of students’ personal and professional growth; and giving value to artistic and non-verbal expressive languages.

The course discusses topics including: the theoretical framework of the Ecological Approach to the Social Inclusion, and Inclusive Education and the Quality of Life Model (QOL); the main operational directions of the Ecological Approach underlying the processes of social inclusion, education, and well-being; the main theoretical and cultural references related to the construct of resilience in relation to fragility and vulnerability aimed at the development of a Life Project in the community; how to promote processes and practices of social inclusion and inclusive education in the community and at global level according to the approach of Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL); how to promote cultural and practical tools to develop a Life Project to enhance the Quality of Life in the community; and how to use of the universal design tried learning methods and of the acquired analysis tools for the development of students’ professional growth and for the educational design.

This course enables students to develop English conversation strategies for formal and informal settings. Emphasis is on developing effective communication skills which accompany superior pronunciation and sophisticated use of grammar

This course explores religious education and the different approaches to religious education in general. It evaluates religious education in Israel and the different approaches held in diverse school systems. The course exposes how the religion of the “other” is presented in various educational systems and how it impacts the view of the “other.” It provides insight to the connection between religious education and multidimensional conflicts (political, social, religious). Moreover, it illuminates the link between religious education and peace building and provides an intersectional and critical lens to religious education in Israel and beyond.