A Tale of Two Cities: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Instructor Name: Dr. Shai Ben Ami
Instructor Email: shaib@uw.edu
Office Hours: TBD
Course Description:
This course will be a journey through two of Israel's most vibrant and iconic cities: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We will dive into the unique history, culture, and character of each metropolis, offering a comprehensive understanding of their complex narratives and contemporary significance. Throughout the course, we will compare and contrast these two fascinating cities across various dimensions:
- History and development: Trace the distinct trajectories of Jerusalem as a multicultural and complicated holy city and Tel Aviv as a planned, vibrant, modern metropolis.
- Culture and society: Explore the diverse communities, religious landscapes, and social norms that define each city.
- Politics and identity: Examine the complex political realities and ongoing challenges related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and national identity.
Goals/objectives:
- Students will be able to compare urban spaces and identify political, social, cultural, historical, and economic indicators of cities.
- They will be able to describe the differences and similarities in these urban spaces in Israel and worldwide.
- Students will also be able to adopt critical and diverse perspectives on the city's histories and cultures while using a broad corpus of academic materials.
- By the end of the course, students will become familiar with leading voices, theories, and scholars.
Academic accommodations:
I want students to learn as much as possible and do well in this class. I am happy to work with you to accommodate your learning-related needs. Please reach out to me with any concerns or issues that may arise during the course.
For illness:
Let me know as soon as possible if you have an illness or emergency that precludes you from meeting the assignment deadlines, participating in discussions, or keeping up with class. I do not require doctors’ notes. Together, we will figure out how to accommodate your situation.
Disability Resources for Student (DRS):
Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.
If you have not yet established services through DRS but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical, or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations.
- Website: https://depts.washington.edu/uwdrs/ || email: uwdrs@uw.edu
Religious Accommodations:
Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).
Conduct:
The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/
Academic Honesty:
You are expected to adhere strictly to the UW’s code of conduct. All acts of plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty, including using Chat GPT or other AI software, may be prosecuted to the full extent allowed under the code. This might include receiving a 0 for the assignment or test and an official misconduct report to the university. You are responsible for understanding the university’s guidelines for plagiarism, academic misconduct, and the code of conduct; ignorance of the rules is not a valid excuse for breaking them.
The assignments in this class have been designed to challenge you to develop creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Using AI technology will limit your capacity to develop these skills and to meet the learning goals of this course. All work submitted for this course must be your own. Using generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, when working on assignments is forbidden. The use of generative AI will be considered academic misconduct and subject to investigation. If you have any questions about what constitutes academic integrity in this course or at the University of Washington, please feel free to contact me to discuss your concerns.
Campus Resources: Safety & Mental Health
Title IX makes it clear that violence and harassment based on sex and gender is a civil rights offense subject to the same kinds of accountability and support applied to offenses against other protected categories such as race, national origin, etc. If you or someone you know has been harassed or assaulted, you can find the appropriate resources here:
- https://www.washington.edu/titleix/ (Title IX Resources at UW) - Title IX and other federal and state laws collectively prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, pregnant or parenting status, and LGBTQ identity. These laws impose legal requirements and protections that serve as a foundation from which UW has created policies, practices, services, and programs that work in concert to advance equity for students, staff, and faculty of all identities.
- https://livewell.uw.edu/ (LiveWell) - LiveWell empowers individuals with the skills and knowledge to make informed decisions about their health and well-being while at UW and beyond. LiveWell uses both the expertise of professional staff and passion of Peer Health Educators to provide evidenced-based health promotion, advocacy education, and prevention services.
- https://www.washington.edu/counseling/ (Counseling Center: Mental Health) – Husky Helpline Counselling center and other resources to help students.
- http://www.washington.edu/safecampus/ (SafeCampus) - Call SafeCampus – no matter where you work or study — to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others.