Sociology 3930
Jewish Studies 3000
Professor Anne Shlay
M, W, F: 12:-12:50
Tuttleman 405A / Professor Anne B. Shlay
Gladfelter Hall, 755
215-204-7931
Office Hours: M, W, F: 1:00-2:00
or by appointment
Course Description
This course is about the politics of space in Jerusalem.
Jerusalem is the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the focus of international debate among major world leaders. Deemed a holy city of three major monotheistic religions, Jerusalem is a social kaleidoscope of different national, linguistic, ethnic, racial and religious groups. The fate of the formation of a Palestinian state rests with geopolitical decisions over land use and spatial development in this highly-charged, highly-contested city.
Understanding space in Jerusalem is central to understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and assessing the viability of solutions. This course will examine the politics underlying key developments in Jerusalem including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the OldCity, the City of David, the Mount of Olives, the security barrier/wall/fence, and land annexed by Israel after the 1967 war. The focus on these developments will ultimately explain how space is a major source of political, social and economic inequality as we explore just what is Jerusalem, for Jews, Moslems and Christians.
These issues are complicated and deeply rooted in people’s history and identity.
For Jews, the legacy of the Holocaust and centuries of discrimination are bound up with the future of Israel as the Jewish state and homeland. Jerusalem, as Israel’s capital is tied to a Jewish identity, even for people who have never been to Israel. After the Holocaust, many Jews were excited about Israel as a safe place for Jews. That joy, however, has been dimmed for some Jews because of the conflicts associated the creation of Israel as a Jewish state. And for many, the last forty years of conflict has dampened enthusiasm for Israel across the globe. Yet for many Jews, Jerusalem is a holy place that was given to the Jewish people by God. There are really two Jerusalems: one Jerusalem as the capital of secular Jewish homeland and a second that is the religious home of the Jewish faith.
For Arabs--particularly Palestinian Arabs—there is also a huge amount of intensity over what has and continues to occur. Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the British mandate and the subsequent declaration of the State of Israel, and several wars, Palestinians have been victims of many atrocities. In the past, Jerusalem has been a source of culture and civic life for Palestinians but its ability to continue this function appears to have died with the Oslo Accords, checkpoints, settlement development and the wall/fence. As for Jews, there are two Arab Jerusalems – one that is the historical locus of Palestinian civic and cultural life and a second that is the ancestral home for the Muslim religion.
Christians of all denominations have strong feelings about Jerusalem. It is believed to be the very birthplace of their religion, and it contains its holiest sites.
For many people, Jerusalem is the most important place in the world and has held this status for centuries.
Yet contemporary Jerusalem is also the location for a news story every day about some travesty. Political leaders all over the world have spent more time on issues of Jerusalem than any other place. Jerusalem is a small place with a population size. Why does Israel get more press any other city in the world? It is a great question which there is no direct answer. This is how it is.
But how people deal with the historical and political significance of Jerusalem can be addressed. The focus of this class is on understanding the spatial development of Jerusalem and its consequences.
Reading and learning about Jerusalem is not easy. We will read material from different points of view. We will focus on facts and ideology. We will try to make sense of a conflict that many think will never end.
This class is political andintellectual. It is political in the sense that we will work to press against prevailing assumptions and free ourselves from pure sentiment and emotionality about geography, religion, inequality, and pain. No, it does not mean that we will turn into analytical robots. But it does mean that we will be dealing directly with issues that may make us uncomfortable and uneasy. This is true for everyone in the class no matter where one begins this process. In the end, everyone will have a position on Jerusalem whether they articulate that position or not.
The intellectual aspect of the course focuses on theories of divided cities and political rights; the affects of space on inequality; religious, ethnic and nationalist identities; power and political hegemony, archeology, and globalization.
I view this class on the politics of space in Jerusalem as a journey. Along the way, we will need to work at listening to others, keeping emotions in check, being analytical, and understanding different points of view. This class will make all of us experts on one of the most critical cities in the world, Jerusalem.
BOOKS
There isone required for this class. Any other material will be found online at the class blackboard site or on the class e-reserve site through the Temple Library System. The following required book is available at the Temple University bookstore.
To Rule Jerusalem. 2000. Roger Friedland and Richard Hecht. Berkeley, CA: University of California.
I have made another book available online. I would liked to have had you purchase it but could not get it delivered. They made it available in pdf form instead. It is located on Blackboard.
The book is: Jerusalem on the Map III. 2007. International Peace and Cooperation Center. Jerusalem, Israel.
WEB SITES
There are many web sites that address issues about Israel and Palestine. I list some here. I am sure many of you know other web sites. This list is not representative. It is just a list.
Israeli newspaper in English
Jerusalem Post:
Haaretz:
Advocacy and Research Organizations in Middle East
Ir Amim:
B’tselem:
Peace Now:
International Peace and Cooperation Center:
BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights:
Palestinian Academic Society for the Study of International Affairs(PASSIA):
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information:
Emek Shaveh, Archaeology in the Shadow of the Conflict:
Advocacy Organizations in U.S.
J Street, The Political Home for Pro-Peace Pro-Israel Americans:
AIPAC, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee:
Zionists of America:
Jewish Voices for Peace:
Foundation for Middle East Peace:
VIDEOS
We will watch several parts of a landmark video series by Chaim Yavin, a major television personality and anchor since early Israeli television. Yavin wrote and filmed a five part series where he traveled through the West Bank interviewing Israeli’s and Palestinians. This is a five DVD series. We will watch the first and the fifth DVD. The first deals generally with the West Ban and the fifth deals with the disengagement from Gaza and Gush Kativ.
We will also be watching some videos produced by Ir Amim, a non-profit organization that works on political problems in Jerusalem with a particularly emphasis on East Jerusalem. These films are based on a projected called Jerusalem Moments. They comprise a series of wonderful and painful vignettes largely dealing with Jewish Palestinian relationships and history.
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
This course is on a volatile subject. Many of you may develop strong opinions about Jerusalem and the conflict. Having strong opinions is perfectly acceptable.
You are welcome to express these positions in a forceful way and to argue your point. Although the classroom may be viewed as a microcosm of the real world, I view it as a safe place to test out new ideas and understandings. There will be no consequences of having a strong position or challenging me or anyone else on their positions. The method of delivery, however, is important. Therefore, I introduce a set of rules of engagement. These are:
- Listen to everyone. I expect you to listen to each other and attempt to understand someone else’s point of view. You may not agree with it. But I want you to hear it.
- Provide analysis of your position, not simply emotions. Yes, you may feel and express your feelings. But there should be a foundation of analysis of information that informs your emotions.
- Take turns and allow everyone a chance to speak. It is easy for some people to dominate. We need to make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.
- Be considerate and respectful. While I anticipate that conversations may get heated at times, I expect all to be civil. I will not tolerate any personal attacks on anyone.
- Respect the course schedule. I will need to cut off discussion to keep us on track to go on to additional material.
If you are frustrated with the class, please do not suffer in silence. Feel free to come to me with any concerns or issues.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATIONS
The class will be a mixture of lecture and discussion. Attending class is required. Attendance will be taken and will be percentage of your grade.
You will receive attendance points based on the percentage of classes you attend. The more classes you miss, you more points you will lose. Remember: this class meets twice a week. If you miss two classes, you miss an entire week of class.
You should arrive on time and refrain from leaving class before it is over. Cell phones and computer should be turned off during class. There will no checking of email or use of the internet during class. People violating this will be asked to leave.
You should come prepared to discuss the readings. All assigned readings should be read in advance of the class sections in which they will be discussed.
There are several assignments for this class. This course has a contract grading system, which means that you do not have to do all of the assignments. For example, if you are content with your grade up to the final, you do not have to take the exam. For each assignment listed below, the maximum number of points is shown in parentheses. The total number of points you receive will be your final grade, as follows:
109-115 points= A
106-108 points= A-
103-105 points = B+
99-102 points = B
96-98 points = B-
93-95 points= C+
89-92 points= C
86-88 points= C-
83-85 points= D+
79-82 points= D
76-78 points = D-
75 points= F
Assignments
There are several types of assignments for this class. All are geared towards learning the material, assessing your thoughts about it, and seeing how it resonates with you.
Question/Statement/Quotation of the Day (5 points)
For each class, one (or sometimes two) student will be given the job of coming up with the question, statement, or quotation of the day. Upon reading the material for that class (typically for the week of class), is there something you want to ask? Or is there something you want to say? This can be very brief. The assignment is not intended to show how much you know about a subject or how sophisticated you are about it. Rather, it is supposed to be an opportunity for you to express yourself in some vocal way about the material and get others to respond to you.
I will give each student a class date for which they are responsible to bring his or her question/statement to share with the class. We will have a brief (or potentially lengthy) discussion about it.
Response Papers (3-4 pages) 5 papers at 10 points per paper (50 points)
Over the course of the semester you will write five response papers. Each paper will address one of the general topics/sections listed on the syllabus. For each of the topics, you must address and cite two of the readings assigned for this topic. The goal here is for you to cover in some depth, the material under discussion and demonstrate that you have read it.
Your response paper should include the following as well as any other comments you would like to make about the material:
- A summary of the material
- Something you learned from the material that may have challenged previously held conceptions
- Something you found helpful or troubling about the material
- How this material contributes or does not contribute to your understanding of problems with Jerusalem
- Do not forget to appropriate cite two readings.
Papers should be turned on the following dates. I will not accept late or emailed papers except under unusual circumstances.
Paper 1: February 11
Paper 2: March 1
Paper 3 March 27
Paper 4: April 15
Paper 5: May 1
Final Paper
Instead of a final, I am assigning a final paper. I am giving you a choice on which final paper to write. These are described below.
The Popular Perception of Jerusalem Paper (10 pages) Due May 6.25points
For this paper, I would like you to find several people to interview about their thoughts and perceptions of Jerusalem. This paper is designed to see whether people’s conceptions and thoughts about Jerusalem reflect any of the information we have learned in class. The questions for this paper are what are people’s views of the Jerusalem situation and whether these views are based on fact or ideologically (or both).
For this paper, I will provide an interview protocol for all of you to use to ask your respondent questions. But I also feel want you to ask our own questions as long as you address the main idea of the paper, the correspondence or disjuncture between ideas people hold about Jerusalem and the facts known about it.
For this paper you must cite at least three source materials from this course.
Using Space to Solve the Conflict Over Jerusalem (10 pages) Due May 625 points
This class is about how space is a major source of conflict in Jerusalem. Spatial conflicts over the West Bank, the OldCity, East Jerusalem, etc represent major sources of contention in the Jerusalem conflict. Until these spatial issues are resolved, the conflict will continue to escalate.
This paper should use the course material to propose how use and sharing (or whatever) of space may be used to solved the problem. That is, what do you propose in terms of space allocation and use of space to deal with the critical problems that Jerusalem faces? These problems do not have to simply address the Jewish/Palestinian conflict. You may also think about problems associated with the Jewish community itself, particularly problems between the religious (ultra orthodox, national religious, etc) and the secular community, as well as divisions among the various ethnic groups that make up the Israeli Jewish community (Russians, Misrachim, Ethiopians, etc.).
For this paper you must cite at least three source materials from this course.
Attendance 35 points
Attendance is mandatory. You will lose points for each class you miss.
Disability Disclosure Statement
Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. The student should also contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations.
Statement on Academic Freedom
Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom. The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
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Topics / Dates / ReadingsPlace, space and politics: theoretical perspectives / 1/23, 1/25. 1/28, 1/30 / John Logan and Harvey Molotch. 2007. Urban Fortunes. Berkeley, CA: University of California. Chapter 3. City as a Growth Machine. Pp. 50-98.
N. Kliot and Y. Mansfeld. 1999. Case Studies of Conflict and Territorial Organization in Divided Cities. Progress in Planning. 52: (class assignment: 167-169, 178-185, 209-212, 215-218).
Joel Kotek. 1999. Divided Cities in the European Cultural Context. Progress in Planning. 52:227-237.
John Calame and Esther Charlesworth. 2009. Chapter 5, Jerusalem. Pp. 83-102. In Divided Cities: Belfast, Beirut, Jerusalem, Mostar, and Nocosia. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania.
Screening: Jerusalem Moments. Films shorts by Ir Amim
Mapping Jerusalem: 1947 to the present / 2/1, 2/4,2/6 / Gideon Biger. 2008. The Boundaries of Israel -- Palestine Past, Present, and Future: A Critical Geographic View. Israel Studies. 13: 68-93
International Peace and CooperationCenter. 2008. Jerusalem on the Map III. Jerusalem: IPPC. Pp. 1-13
Anne B. Shlay and Gillad Rosen, 2010. Making Place: The Shifting Green Line and the Development of ‘Greater’ Metropolitan Jerusalem. City and Community.
Jerusalem players: constituents claiming the right to Jerusalem / 2/8, 2/11, 2/13, 2/15