For centuries, Jerusalem and the land around it has been
hotly contested for control by Jews, Muslims and Christians.
Marty Shichtman, a professor of English, finds the issue
fascinating and would like to use the subject as a launching
point for a future Jewish Studies program at Eastern Michigan
University.
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Shichtman |
To gain the knowledge to make that a reality, Shichtman
will make the journey to the Israel this summer.
Shichtman was one of 21 faculty members, selected from
various international academic institutions, who will attend
the third annual Summer Institute for Israel Studies at
Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., and in Israel this
summer.
The institute was created to train faculty members from
colleges and universities worldwide in a range of subjects
about Israel, including settlement, immigration, nation-building,
cultural studies and ethnic and religious-secular divides.
The goal is for the academics to use the training offered
at the institute to introduce new courses in Israel studies
on their campuses.
This year's sessions are scheduled June 21-July 5 at Brandeis,
the only nonsectarian, Jewish-sponsored college or university
in the U.S., and from July 7-13 in Israel. While in Israel,
Shichtman said the group would divide its time between
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Shichtman is working with Jeff Bernstein, professor of
political science, and Aaron Kaufman, campus director of
EMU Hillel, to create a Jewish Studies program. The goal
of Switchman's seminar attendance is to initially create
a course, preferably within a year, that focuses on the
historical battle for control of Israel and eventually
develop enough courses to offer a Jewish Studies minor.
"His attendance at the institute is a way for him to gather
curricular information and learn how to start a program," said
Hartmut Hoft, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
For the past academic year, Hoft said he has met with
Shichtman and other faculty interested in starting a Jewish
Studies program, which Hoft supports. The University of
Michigan, Michigan State University and Oakland University
all have Jewish Studies programs, Shichtman said.
"Most large, urban-area schools like ours have a Jewish
Studies program. We do not, but we should," Shichtman said.
A current course, "Culture and the Holocaust," taught
jointly by Shichtman, Robert Citino, professor of history
and philosophy; and Joanna Scott, professor of political
science, typically draws more than 100 students per semester.
EMU Hillel, a campus Jewish student group, has grown steadily
the past few years. So there is an emerging interest in
the subject, Shichtman said.
Of course, the events of 9-11 greatly stirred interest
in the Middle East, Shichtman said.
"Given the significance of the Middle East in the world
dynamic now, it's very important for EMU students to know
the history of that area," he said. "That interest, historically,
has been heightened after 9-11. For instance, to defend
their positions, people in the West and people in Islamic
countries are now using discourse that harken back to the
Middle Ages and the Crusades."
To start a new course at EMU, a faculty member or group
of faculty create a course, with a syllabus and goals.
New course proposals go through a faculty input system,
which includes a department committee and a college council
that review and approve new courses. If approved, such
courses often begin as "special topics" courses, Hoft said.
"When there is enough student interest for a program,
the same group of faculty will propose a set of courses
for a minor in the order of 21-24 hours," Hoft explained. "It
could be a mix of existing courses and developed courses.
A program would go through the same route for approval.
It would have to be approved by a department committee
and then go to a college council for approval. A new program
would then be formally approved by the Board of Regents."
In addition to Shichtman, other faculty members participating
in the institute this year come from the Air Force Academy,
Trinity College Dublin, Georgia State University, Trinity
Florida International University, the University of Massachusetts,
the University of Alabama, the University of Central Florida
and the University of California, Santa Cruz. All had to
apply and write a proposal to be chosen and accepted into
the institute, Shichtman said. In all, there were approximately
50 applicants, said Sylvia Fuks Fried, the institute's
executive director.
The goal of the institute, which was started in 2004,
is to foster Israel studies in universities and colleges
by providing faculty with serious academic understanding
of Israel as a civilization and as part of the larger history
of the Jewish people and the Middle East, Fuks Fried said.
"There's a dearth of teaching about Israel on American
college campuses," she said. "The study of Israel in the
American university is an emerging field whose growth and
development are limited by an absence of qualified academics."
The success of the institute is measured by an increase
in the number of courses on Israel and by the number of
students enrolled in them. In 2004-2005, institute alumni
taught nine courses and 250 students were enrolled. In
2005-2006, 23 courses were taught, reaching more than 500
students.
