Israel & Middle East Studies

Students looking at IsawiyaIsrael and the Middle East are constantly at the center of world attention. The area’s geopolitical significance, regional conflicts that affect global stability, and the hopes and fears emanating from the “Arab Spring” and the recent rise of ISIS all contribute to widespread interest in this field of study. RIS provides an interdisciplinary approach to this exciting area of study, combining courses from relevant fields such as religious studies, history, conflict studies, international relations, political systems, sociology, anthropology, geography, Hebrew, and Arabic.

As a student of Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School (RIS), you will have the opportunity to study with leading scholars while living in Jerusalem, one of the most important and dynamic cities in the Middle East. Your studies will include field trips and meetings with expert practitioners. In some programs, you will be encouraged to intern with one of a number of organizations or research institutes. Learn more about our programs below.

Summer & Short-Term

All courses are open to both undergraduate and graduate students:

Individual summer semester graduate courses are also available through our study abroad program.

Undergraduate

Individual Undergraduate Courses

Provided as examples only and subject to change:

  • Israeli Politics
  • Human Rights in Israel
  • Radical Islamic Movements in a Changing Middle East
  • Theories of International Relations and the Realities of the Middle East
  • Issues in Israeli Society
  • Between Washington and Jerusalem: 70 Years of Israeli-American Relations
  • The History of the Modern State of Israel
  • The Arab-Israeli Conflict
  • History of Art in Israel from the Yishuv to the Present
  • Introduction to Popular Culture in Israel
  • Israel’s Economy in the Global Context
  • Challenges of Regional Cooperation
  • Archaeology of Jerusalem
  • Middle Eastern Christianity as a Minority under Islam: Politics and Religion in Historical Context (7th to 14th Centuries)
  • Bible and Babel: Studies in Biblical Narrative and the Ancient Near East
  • Religion and Conflict in the Middle East: A Jewish Perspective
  • Negotiating Middle East Peace
  • Israeli Narratives of War and Peace
  • Foreign Policy of Israel
  • Media and Nationalism from an Israeli Perspective
  • Diversity and Coexistence
  • Jerusalem’s Architectural Heritage: A Tale of a City and Its Buildings

As an undergraduate student, you can choose to tailor your courses to suit your academic interests, selecting from among RIS courses and English-taught courses in other HebrewU faculties, such as in the humanities, social sciences, and law.

Graduate

Non-Degree Graduate Studies

As a graduate student from another institution studying abroad with us, you can also choose to tailor your courses to suit your academic interests in a study abroad program or as a visiting research student, selecting from among RIS courses and English-taught courses in other HebrewU faculties, such as in the humanities, social sciences, and law.

Additional Areas of Study

Take a look at our pages for prospects, students, faculty and staff, alumni, and parents – or contact us!

TrackSAT ACT Psychometric Test
(General or QE)
Business & English1310 28629
Business & Liberal Arts131028629
English & Liberal Arts102019516
Pre-Semester Program: “Encountering Jerusalem” 2023-24
Spring
Practical Hebrew Beginners 4 credits
Israeli Society3 credits
Pre-Semester Program: “Encountering Jerusalem” 2023-24
Autumn
Practical Hebrew Beginners4 credits
Modern Standard Arabic Beginners 5 credits
Jerusalem: A Journey Through Time and Space3 credits
Pre-Semester Program: “Encountering Jerusalem” 2023-24
Autumn
Practical Hebrew Beginners4 credits
Modern Standard Arabic Beginners 5 credits
Jerusalem: A Journey Through Time and Space3 credits
Pre-Semester Program: “Encountering Jerusalem” 2023-24
Spring
Practical Hebrew Beginners 4 credits
Israeli Society3 credits