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The International Academic Unit at the Zefat Academic College (ZAC) is designed to engage in several areas that include initiating, developing, encouraging and promoting international ties with academic institutions around the world. These connections are intended to develop agreements regarding staff exchanges, student exchanges, joint projects and joint international studies.

For more information, please contact us: International@Zefat.ac.il

Academic Programs

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Courses offered in English during the summer semester

School of Law
Social Sciences
Health Sciences
Humanities and Arts

International Criminal Law

The course on international criminal law focuses on the Rome Statute of 1998, which embodies norms of international individual responsibility for the most serious crimes, such as the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. The course examines the historical, the philosophical and the practical backgrounds of the Rome Statute; which is the ultimate conclusive development of the field of international criminal law. In addition, given the domestic national influence of comparative legal systems on the ultimate version of the Rome Statute, comparative theories of criminal law will be discussed.

Lecturer

Prof. Mohammed Wattad
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 4.7
- 6.7
- 8.7
- 11.7
- 13.7
- 15.7

The Law of the European Union

The course aims to introduce to the students the legal system of the European Union. It will provide a general historical overview of the European integration process. The course will cover both the constitutional and the institutional architecture of the European Union. Attention will be given to the composition, powers, decision-making and functioning of the European political and legal institutions. The course will also deal with the protection of human rights in Europe and the relationship between the European Union and the European Convention of Human Rights. Additionally the course will discuss intra-trade issues (within the common market) and international trade issues (the relationship between the European Union and the WTO). The main aim of the course is to equip the students with the toolkit needed to understand the underlying principles and the normative structure of the European legal integration. It will familiarize the students with the legislation process and the court’s precedents, and will make the students feel comfortable dealing with European sources.

Lecturer

Prof. Iris Canor
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 30.8
- 1.9
- 6.9
- 8.9
- 10.9
- 12.9

Introduction to Legal Systems

The course will refer to principal mixed jurisdictions (e.g., Scotland, Quebec, Israel) that combine elements of common and continental law. Mixed jurisdictions provide a laboratory to understand the harmonization process of legal systems happening today. Due to the intermingling of civil law and common law, on the one hand, and secular and religious law, on the other, the case of Israel will be of particular interest. The discussion about mixed jurisdictions involves seminal questions that will be discussed in the course: the idea of pluralism in law, the relationship between colonialism and modernization, and the idea of legal transplants. The first part of the course will analyze the idea of legal traditions, focusing upon the continental legal system, the common law legal system, and the religious legal system. Following this analysis, the second part of the course will develop the distinction of the mixed legal system in broad and narrow senses. The third part, discusses mixed legal systems based on common law and civil law, focusing on Louisiana, Quebec, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Scotland and Israel. Dates: 7.8, 15.8, 22.8, 29.8, 5.9, 12.9

Lecturer

Prof. Pablo Lerner
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 7.8
- 15.8
- 22.8
- 29.8
- 5.9
- 12.9

Philosophy of Science

The course deals with fundamental questions in philosophy of science. We will examine how the philosophy of science has reformulated basic questions and debates in Western philosophy, and how it has addressed them using the means at its disposal. Among the questions we will discuss are: Is there scientific rationality, and how is it to be conceptualized? What does it mean that science is a social enterprise? As time progresses, does science approximate the truth, at least in some cases? What are the ways in which science represents the world? The course readings consist of classical and contemporary sources.

Lecturer

Dr. Boaz Miller
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Philosophy of New Technology Design

The course deals with philosophical dilemmas that arise in the process of technology ‎design. Among the questions the course asks are: Is technology value-neutral, or does it ‎embody social values? If technology embodies values, in what ways does it do so, and how ‎can we recognize them? Who is a responsible designer, and what are her responsibilities? ‎Where is the mind located – is it restricted to the human body, or does it extend to ‎technological artefacts? The course readings consist of papers in philosophy that address ‎current technologies, particularly digital technologies.

Lecturer

Dr. Boaz Miller
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Democracy and Elections: Israel in a Comparative Perspective

This course will address central issues in Israeli politics in a comparative perspective. Specifically, we will deal with Israeli democracy and current politics; highlighting Israeli electoral system, parties and state institutions – and compare those essential institutions to other modern democracies. Students in this course will first be introduced to the basic concepts and approaches used by comparative politics scholars. Emphasis will be on the mapping and classification of modern democracies (about 15 countries), classification of electoral systems and the political consequences various methods, the advantages and weaknesses of each method, and the differences in the functioning and political behavior in several countries that will be under the study. Throughout the course, we will deal in a comparative perspective with the key political processes that led some countries to reform their electoral systems, the implications of these changes and the discussion surrounding the electoral reform in Israel that is still present in those days.‎

Lecturer

Dr. Nir Atmor
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Social Policy in Social & Behavioral Sciences

Different countries and different societies have different ranges of social policies – between Socialism and Capitalism. Those are influenced to a large extent, by the availability of social services at the community, the local authority, the regional, the national and the international levels. Those social services may be delivered by the public sector, by the voluntary and/or by the for-profit sectors. Social policies influence the financial, the physical, the mental and the emotional state of the citizens. Simply put, social policies may create mental tensions and stress on individuals, families, groups and communities that has an effect on our quality of life. For example: in cases of poverty; hunger; physical or mental disability; interpersonal and inter-group violence; war and political instability; natural disasters and other communal and/or environmental stressors. The course will introduce and discuss the history, the theories and the practices of Social Policy in Western countries and in Israel. It will emphasize topics such as poverty and wealth; the Welfare State; differences between Governmental and Non-Governmental social services; the privatization of services, and the importance of interorganizational and inter-disciplinary collaborations.

Lecturer

Yossi Korazim-Kőrösy
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Domestic and intimate-relationships violence

The course will expand on learning about the problem of domestic violence and intimate relationships. Students will be exposed to existing knowledge in the field of violence at the individual, family and community levels. As part of the course, students will learn basic definitions of the problem of domestic violence, key theories in understanding the problem, deepen the understanding of the phenomenon occurring in different cultures in Israel, and learn about the emotional world of women affected by violence and the characteristics of men who use violence. We will also understand the cycle of violence and dynamics that take place between the couple, and the consequences of the violence. We will study a model for diagnosing and treating women who are victims of violence. We will also learn about the experiences of children exposed to domestic violence, and we will elaborate on the cases in which women use violence against their spouses.

Lecturer

Dror Netzer
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Tobacco use: approaches to prevention and treatment

The course focuses on understanding tobacco product use and nicotine dependence as primary risk factors for cancer and chronic disease morbidity and mortality in the population. The course will expose the student to commonly used tobacco products (e.g., Cigarettes, Cigars, Nargila, E-cigarettes, and others) and to health, behavioral and cultural aspects related to tobacco use. Furthermore, the course will discuss approaches to prevention and treatment of nicotine dependence, including interventions at the individual and the population level to reduce tobacco use in Israel and worldwide.

Lecturer

Dr. Amira Osman
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Beyond Biology- Crosslinks between Life Science and Social Science

This interdisciplinary course presents popular topics in life sciences such as genetic engineering, prenatal diagnosis, microbiome, personalized medicine and more while emphasizing the social aspects of these subjects including ethics, effects on society and related social conflicts. Why are people really against GMOs? What happens when religion meets prenatal testing? What does the general population know about the long-term effects of antibiotics? How has COVID-19 effected society up to now?

Lecturer

Dr. Hadar Neuman
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

The Anthropology of Health

The current Corona epidemic demands analytical tools for understanding and analyzing the phenomenon, - especially its social aspects, - which can provide students with a deeper understanding of the epidemic’s implications for Israeli and world society in the future. The course is designed to provide the student analytical tools that will enable him/her to make informed decisions about an increasingly uncertain future. Without going deeply into statistics, the student will learn how to understand and analyze statistics of morbidity and mortality. The course begins with a brief discussion of social anthropology, its subject matter, research methodology and its ethical foundations. Studying the evolution of modern man explains some of the sociological bases of human behaviour, the development of human groups such as those based on kinship like the lineage and the clan), common interests, religious beliefs, peer and ethnic groups, and intra-neighbourhood relationships. The interaction of human physiology with these social variables can provide insights into how the spread of disease is influenced by sociological factors, which are sometimes forgotten by medical and strategic planners. A comparison of “traditional” or “non-Western” medicine and its health implications indicates that the traditional practices usually forgotten by western doctors and planners have potential benefits. Finally, the “doctor-patient” game will reveal some unexpected insights.

Lecturer

Gerald Sack
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Introduction to Israeli Art: From “Bezalel” – 1906 until Today

This course will introduce the mile stones of art in Israel, from the establishment of Bezalel - the first Arts and Crafts Academy in Eretz Yisrael , through the foundation of the state of Israel, up until contemporary art. We will explore the Zionist iconography of the beginning of visual culture, and figure out what were the themes associated with Zionism in its crucial years. Then we will get to know the main characters who influenced the art in Eretz Yisrael in the Yishuv years, and how the new comers got integrated into the art institutions of the Jewish society. We will analyze significant artwork of every decade, focusing on prominent artists. Finally, we will get to understand contemporary art scene in Israel, containing Arab artists as well as Jewish ones, and women artists, who were less dominant until the last three decades. We will look at central topics in the art of Israel to see how they have been developed and changed over the years. We will examine the images of early Zionism being criticized and reinterpreted by artists who work in Israel today. Dr. Shahar Marnin-Distelfeld https://www.zefat.ac.il/english-site/staff/dr-shahar-marnindistelfeld/

Lecturer

Dr. Shahar MarninDistelfeld
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 22.7
- 23.7
- 29.8
- 30.8
- 5.9
- 12.9
- 13.9

Music, Culture and Society – The Music in Israel

Music in Israel reflects cultural, sociological and national identities. Israel is a multicultural society that consists of different traditions, religions and groups. This multiculturalism creates a musical culture that is diverse and has many styles and genres. This course will describe the different musical cultures in Israel as part of national, historical, cultural and sociological processes. The course will present the following topics: (1) Music as national identity - Hebrew Israeli Folksongs; (2) Global influences - Israeli Pop and Rock music; (3) Music and social processes – Mediteranean Music (Muzika Mizrahit); (4) Music of the Arab minority in Israel.

Lecturer

Prof. Essica Marks
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Kabbalah - from the Italian Renaissance to the Safedian one

Great changes in culture are only rarely the effect of single causes. They involve the causes of creating the substance of the new modes of thought, the ways of their transmission and proliferation, and the various manners of their reception, which differ from the other causes we mentioned earlier. This is true as far as the Florentine Renaissance in late 15th century is concerned, and in some similar ways also of what I call the Safedian Renaissance, in the two middle quarters of the 16th century. The Sultan and the Turks that conquered Constantinople in 1453 did not create the Italian Renaissance, but they were agents of cultural changes, by triggering the emigration of Greek Orthodox scholars to a Catholic country, without knowing or intending it. Neither were the Medicis' inclination to assist Ficino's Platonic translations, central for the content of what happened in Florence, though certainly they were instrumental in encouraging the activities of thinkers like Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, to be intellectually active in their entourage. It was the activity of the latter that made the intellectual difference, by selecting, translating, commenting and printing the forlorn Greek and Hellenistic texts, as well as triggering the translation of some Hebrew Kabbalistic ones into Latin. This is also the case of the emergence of Safedian Renaissance. The Catholic kings in Spain had no idea that by closing the glorious chapter of Jewish culture in the Iberian Peninsula, they were instrumental in triggering a new and quite glorious chapter in Jewish culture by some of the descendants of those Jews they expelled in the Ottoman Empire. Some of those two groups of expellees made their ways to Northern Italy. In both cases, texts that were first consumed by very small elites, have been put in circulation, by putting them together, commenting to them and sometimes printing. In both cases, various forms of Kabbalah played an important role in shaping ways of thought and behavior, which were adopted by much broader audiences. In both cases, there was a feeling of returning to a glorious past, by circumventing the thought of the Middle Ages and by cultivating a certain spiritual arousal.

Lecturer

Prof. Moshe Idel
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 1.8
- 2.8
- 3.8
- 4.8
- 8.8
- 9.8

Ancient Gnosticism and Postmodern Culture

This course will introduce the students to ancient Gnosticism, a "heretical" strand of Christianity that went all but extinct by the 4th century CE, but whose rediscovery was to have profound effect on modern and postmodern culture. After familiarizing ourselves with the historical context within which Gnosticism emerged, we will read a selection of sources that tell a thoroughly revisionist history. These texts argue, for instance, that the Hebrew Bible god is an evil entity, that the creation of gender was part of his conspiracy to enslave humans, that the Sodomites were pure witnesses of the true gospel, and that Mary Magdalene were Jesus's only true disciple, whom he often kissed. Our final meeting will be devoted to critically assessing two suggested modern parallels to ancient Gnosticism: Martin Heidegger's early existentialist philosophy and radical feminism.

Lecturer

Dr. Jonathan Cahana-Blum
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Angels, Demons, and Magic in Jewish Texts

Angels and Demons are the heroes of various intriguing myths in many cultures and religions. This course will explore those angelological and demonical myths in various Jewish texts like the Bible, Qumran literature, the Hekhalot, and the Merkavah literature and Kabbalistic texts from Antiquity to Early Modern. We will read those ancient texts and study the different traditions on angels and demon's creation, their concept and purpose, their secrets, and the ways they act and reveal themselves in this world, with particular attention to their complicated relations with human beings. We will also explore how the technology of ancient magic aspires to use their powers to humanity's good.

Lecturer

Dr. Yoed Kadary
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Creating Sex: Greco-Roman, Jewish and Christian Stories of Origins and Sexuality

This course will discuss the ways in which creation myths and stories of origins aspire to describe, but, more often than not, also prescribe a contested sexual ideology. We will familiarize ourselves with a variety of ancient Jewish, Christian and Greco-Roman creation and origin accounts, and, by reading comparatively and critically, try to decipher the precise version of sexuality naturalized by them. We will then analyze how each tradition might overtly respond or covertly interact with one another in forming what Judith Butler termed “a sensical notion of the human.” Our reading of these creation and origin accounts will be theoretically informed, and thus should also provide us with the lenses to review the long-standing and heated debate between the “essentialist” and the constructionist approach to sexuality.

Lecturer

Dr. Jonathan Cahana-Blum
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

The Bhagavad gita – A Critical Introduction

This course offers a systematic and comprehensive introduction to one of the most read texts in South Asia, the Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita is at its core a religious text, a philosophical treatise and a literary work, which has occupied an authoritative position within Hinduism for the past millennium. The course brings together themes central to the study of the Gita, as it is popularly known – such as the Bhagavad-gita ’s structure, the history of its exegesis, its acceptance by different traditions within Hinduism and its national and global relevance. It highlights the richness of the Gita’s interpretations, examines its great interpretive flexibility and at the same time offers a conceptual structure based on a traditional commentarial tradition. The course follows the newly published volume edited by Ithamar Theodor “The Bhagavad gita – A Critical Introduction” (Routledge, 2021). With contributions from major scholars across the world, this book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of religious studies, especially Hinduism, Indian philosophy, Asian philosophy, Indian history, literature and South Asian studies.

Lecturer

Dr. Ithamar Theodor
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

An Introduction to the Fundamental Writings of Jewish Kabbalah

Kabbalah is long known among varied cultural and new-age circles around the world – Jewish and non-Jewish as well. Some of its main concepts and images are used in popular culture, such as pop songs, cultural sermons and even in art works. But it's not always been that way. There were times when the Ideas of the Kabbalists were spread only among selected few, when kabbalists were banned and condemned and their lore was regarded as heretics. This course is an invitation to make a personal acquaintance with the ancient texts of the Kabbalah, to learn about its revolutionary ideas, and about the unique hermeneutics of that surprising Jewish Lore.

Lecturer

Dr. Neta Sobol
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Female Literary Production in the Late Middle Ages

The late Middle Ages saw increased opportunities for women within the Catholic Church, the canonization of many female saints, the composition by women of a body of texts exploring their spiritual experiences and lives, as well as an upsurge in public engagement by non-royal lay women. Female devotional practices and spiritual concerns also greatly influenced the general textual and cultural production beyond those works that were tailored specifically for female audiences. This phenomenon went hand in hand with the growing production and dissemination of religious content in the vernacular, both in the original and translations, which in general allowed for a greater participation in literary production, whether of a spiritual or secular nature. This course will focus on texts written with the intent to aid and support the spiritual needs and desires of a female audience, written by women, at times in collaboration with men. We will explore the socio-cultural context within which women produced their literary expressions, their motives, choice of genre and language, and awareness of their uniqueness. We will examine the impact that female mystics and spirituality had on late medieval popular culture, examining questions related to female voice and agency by closely reading the texts of Catherine de Pizan, St. Julian of Norwich, St. Birgitta of Sweden, St. Catherine of Siena, Margery Kempe, the Paston Women, Angela of Foligno and others. As part of the course we will look at the connection between this upswing in female literary production and the important historical change brought about by the vernacular revolution, the debates surrounding it and its influence on religious and secular cultural developments. The course will conclude by examining the opposition with which this public female expression was met, and processes by which female agency and public engagement were stifled in the Early Modern period, in a variety of ways, including the witch hunts of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Lecturer

Dr. Einat Klafter
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English

Introduction to Religion and Spirituality in the Cinema

What is spiritual cinema? Is spiritual cinema a new cultural phenomenon? What is the difference between a religious film and a spiritual film? Is it possible to compare cinema to religion? Moreover, can film function as a religious ritual? This course introduces the complex relationship between cinema, filmmaking and religion from the early days of the moving-pictures to current mainstream, popular Hollywood films and Netflix productions. We will explore the ways biblical, kabbalistic and mystical themes and images are depicted in contemporary films. Moreover, we will explore the religion/s of films such as The Matrix Trilogy and Avatar, and discuss the ethical and spiritual dimensions of 21st century films that engage with the global ecological crisis as well as with the theme of pandemic, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The course is set in the interdisciplinary field of film, religion and cultural studies. It comprises of film viewing, lectures and discussions.

Lecturer

Lila Moore
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 13.7
- 20.7
- 27.7
- 3.8
- 10.8
- 17.8
- 24.8
Tuesdays, 9:00 - 14:00

Celestial City in the Cloud – The Technological and Cultural Evolution of Pilgrimage, Imagery and Artifacts of the Sacred

The course is based on an exploration of 21st century technological developments and innovations that offer new approaches to the experience of pilgrimage and the sacred. Drawing on the collaborations of technologists, designers, artists and scholars from Israel, United Kingdom and Greece, we shall investigate how Jerusalem as a city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, and as a metaphoric concept, is re-imagined and re-visited by means of new technologies such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, communication technologies, film and cinema . There will be an emphasis on Judeo-Christian culture and motifs, for example, the idea of a virtual chapel or a virtual synagogue, 3D models of ancient sacred relics found in Jerusalem, and stories from history and mythology that link Jerusalem with England’s legends. Moreover, we will reflect on new approaches to Islamic art and imagery by contemporary artists utilizing digital art and time-based artworks. We shall reflect on the parallels between virtual reality and pilgrimage as highly visual, ritualistic and immersive experiences. We will examine new approaches to tourism to sacred sites with a focus on Jerusalem both as a geographic location and a virtual celestial location. We shall also discuss mixed-reality installations that superimpose the ancient past with the present moment, hence, extending the modes of religious/spiritual contemplative experience of individuals, tourists and pilgrims. The course is set in the interdisciplinary research context of religions and cultural studies including digital culture with special theoretical emphasis on the interdisciplinary field of technoetic arts. The course consists of a weekly 4-hour class over 6 weeks starting in August

Lecturer

Lila Moore
Duration

Summer semester
Language

English
Dates & Hours
- 11.8
- 18.8
- 25.8
- 1.9
- 8.9
- 15.9
Dates: Wednesdays, 9:00 - 14:00

Trending Courses

Uriya Shay

International Criminal Law

“I highly recommend to join classes in English”

"..A great way to be exposed to the "other side" of law studies...
I highly recommend to join classes in English. This is a unique opportunity to practice and learn international"

Igor Rodrigues

John Wesley College

“It's an honor to be able to share our views in one place”

I always interested to know more about the world, its politics and its people.
Zefat Academic College gave me the chance to look into these topics from a different perspective.

Mona Fares

Nursing Department, ZAC

“A wonderful experience for improving your English!!”

I highly recommended for students who wish to learn about the environment and to be exposed to such an important and central issue in the in the world!