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.
Expectations of students:
- Come to class fully prepared.
- Attend all in person classes and actively participate in the forum.
- Complete assignments on time. If difficulties turn up (such as illness, caring for others who are ill, technological problems, etc.), let me know. We will figure out what to do to keep your learning on track.
- Abide by the standards of academic honesty and student code of conduct.
- Seek help. I’ll do my best to help you succeed in this class.
Course Etiquette:
- Get to class on time.
- Keep phones and other devices from making any noise or disruption.
- Respect each other and myself. This class is a safe place to ask questions, explore and formulate a better understanding of Israeli identities.
Readings:
Azaryahu, M. (2020). Tel Aviv: Mythography of a city. Syracuse University Press.
Ben-Ami, S. (2022). Zoological Gardens of Israel. In Zoo and Aquarium History (pp. 227-236). CRC Press.
Bell A. Daniel and Avner De Shalit, , The Spirit of Cities: Why the Identity of a City Matters in a Global Age, Princeton University Press, 2011
Bullan, Clair. "Comparing the Cultures of Cities in Two European Capitals of Culture" Etnofoor, Vol. 28, No. 2, The City (2016), pp. 99-120
Galily, Yair, "Playing Hoops in Palestine: The Early Development of Basketball in the Land of Israel. 1935-56." The International Journal of the History of Sport, Vol. 3 ,Issue 1 (March 2003): 143-151
Golan, Arnon, " Soundscapes of Urban Development: Tel-Aviv in the 1920s and 1930s", Israel Studies. Vol. 14, No. 3, Tel-Aviv Centenary (Fall, 2009), pp. 120-136
Helman, Anat, ""Even the Dogs in the Street Bark in Hebrew": National Ideology and Everyday Culture in Tel-Aviv." The Jewish Quarterly Review, Vol. 92, No. 3/4 (Jan. - Apr., 2002): 359-382
Levin, Mark, "Globalization, Architecture, and Town Planning in a Colonial City: The Case of Jaffa and Tel Aviv", Journal of World History, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Jun., 2007), pp. 171-198
Nocke, Alexandra, "Modern Israeli identity and the Mediterranean cultural theme: an exploration into the visual representations of Tel Aviv and the sea∗∗" Jewish Culture and History,Vol. 13 Issue 1, 68-86, DOI: 10.1080/1462169X.2012.726515
Montefiore, Simon Sebag. Jerusalem: the biography. Vintage, 2012.
Ram, Uri "Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Bifurcation of Israel". International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, Vol. 19, No. 1/2, The NewSociological Imagination II (Dec., 2005), pp. 21-33
Yossi Katz & Yair Paz (2004) The Transfer of Government Ministries to Jerusalem, 1948–49: Continuity or Change in the Zionist Attitude to Jerusalem?, Journal of Israeli
History, 23:2, 232-259, DOI: 10.1080/1353104042000282410
Course Assessment/Expectations:
Class Activities 15%
Oral Presentations 20%
In-Class Group Assignment 15%
Response Papers (4): 50%
Class Schedule:
Week 1:
4/1
Israel geography and history: a short introduction
Activity: Questioner, Introduction
class goals
Required readings:
Optional readings
4/3
What is a City?
Required Reading:
- Bell, D., & de Shalit, A. (2021). Introduction: cities and identities. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 25(5), 637–646. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698230.2021.1881737
Della Pergola, S. (2021). A minimal demographic history of Israel. In Hazan, R., Dowty, A., Hofnung, M., & Rahat, G. (Eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Israeli Politics and Society. pp. 35 - 57.
Simmel, Georg, "The Metropolis and Mental Life" in Wolff, Kurt (ed.), The Sociology of Georg Simmel, New York: Free Press, 1950, p. 409
Activity: What is a city?
Response paper: 1
Recommended reading:
.
Week 2:
Jerusalem: History
4/8
Required Reading:
"The Gates of Jerusalem" - Amazon Prime
Reiter, Y. (2013). Narratives of Jerusalem and its Sacred Compound. Israel Studies, 18(2), 115–132. https://doi.org/10.2979/israelstudies.18.2.115
Activity: Discussion
Response paper: 2
Recommended reading:
4/15
Required Reading:
Bell, D. A. ;de-S. (2011). Jerusalem: The City of Religion. In Spirit of Cities, The : Why the Identity of a City Matters in a Global Age. Princeton University Press.
Activity: class discussion
Response paper: 2
Recommended reading:
Week 3:
Jerusalem: Geography
4/17
Required Reading:
Hasson, S. (2001). Territories and identities in Jerusalem. GeoJournal, 53, 311-322.
Rubin, R. (2018). Jerusalem in maps 1. In Routledge Handbook on Jerusalem (pp. 309-324). Routledge.
Activity: class discussion
Response paper: 3
Recommended reading:
4/22
Required Reading: Azaryahu, M. (1996). Mount Herzl: The creation of Israel's national cemetery. Israel Studies, 1(2), 46-74.
Feldman, J. (2007). Between Yad Vashem and Mt. Herzl: Changing inscriptions of sacrifice on Jerusalem's"
Mountain of memory". Anthropological quarterly, 80(4), 1147-1174.
Activity: TBA
Response paper: 3
Recommended reading:
Week 4:
Jerusalem: Culture and Society
4/22
Required Reading:
Keidar, N. (2018), Making Jerusalem “Cooler”: Creative Script, Youth Flight, and Diversity. City & Community, 17: 1209-1230. https://doi-org.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/10.1111/cico.12339
Watch at Home: The Women's Balcony/Amazon Prime
Activity: movie – "Footnote"
Response paper: 4
Recommended reading:
4/29
Required Reading:
Bartal, S. (2024). The Palestinian youth of East Jerusalem–between Palestinian and Israeli identity. Middle eastern studies, 60(4), 636-649.
Tamari, S., Nassar, I., & Sheehi, S. (2022). Patronage and Photography: Hussein Hashim’s Melancholic Journey. In Camera Palaestina: Photography and Displaced Histories of Palestine (1st ed., Vol. 5, pp. 78–108). University of California Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2rb75m8.10
Yehuda Amichai/Jerusalem
Activity: Discussion about poems and the story of Sayed Kashua, “Cinderella,”
Response paper: 4
Recommended reading:
Week 5:
Tel Aviv: History
5/1
Required Reading:
Azaryahu, M. (2020). Tel Aviv: Mythography of a city. Syracuse University Press. Chapter 2
AShapira, A. (2009). Tel Aviv, a white city on the sands. PaRDeS: Zeitschrift der Vereinigung für Jüdische Studien eV, (15), 11-21.
https://www.tarb.co.il/tel-aviv-city-of-torah-and-hasidism/
Response paper: 5
Recommended reading: Anat Helman (2006) Taking the bus in 1920s and 1930s Tel Aviv, Middle
Eastern Studies, 42:4, 625-640, DOI: 10.1080/00263200600642316
Activity:
Week 6:
Tel Aviv: Geography
5/6
Required Reading:
Rosenberg, E. (2017). Tel Aviv never stops. Landscape Architecture Magazine, 107(11), 120-128.
Katz, Y. (1986). Ideology and urban development: Zionism and the origins of Tel-Aviv, 1906–1914. Journal of Historical Geography, 12(4), 402-424.
Activity: Movie
Response paper: 6
Recommended reading:
5/8
Required Reading:
Benguigui, L., Blumenfeld-Lieberthal, E., & Czamanski, D. (2006). The Dynamics of the Tel Aviv Morphology. Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 33(2), 269-284. https://doi.org/10.1068/b31118 (Original work published 2006)
Activity: Mid-term In-class Group Assignment
Response paper: 6
Recommended reading:
Week 7:
Tel Aviv: Culture and Society
5/13
Required Reading:
Hartal, G. (2018). Gay tourism to Tel-Aviv: Producing urban value? Urban Studies, 56(6), 1148-1164. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098018755068 (Original work published 2019)
Movie to watch at home: "The Bubble" (2006) - Available in Tubi/Amazon prime
Activity: Movie Songs of the Sirens
Response paper: 7
Recommended reading:
5/15
Required Reading:
Helman, A. (2002). “Even the Dogs in the Street Bark in Hebrew”: National Ideology and Everyday Culture in Tel-Aviv. The Jewish Quarterly Review, 92(3/4), 359–382. https://doi.org/10.2307/1455449
Activity: TBA
Response paper: 7
Recommended reading:
Week 8:
A tale of two cities
5/20
Required Reading:
Ben-Ami, S. (2022). Zoological Gardens of Israel. In Zoo and Aquarium History (pp. 227-236). CRC Press.
Alfasi, N., & Fenster, T. (2005). A tale of two cities: Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in an age of globalization. Cities, 22(5), 351-363.
Activity: How do you compare cities?
Response paper: 8
Recommended reading:
5/22
Required Reading:
Activity: Visiting lecture – Dr. Azri Amram (UCSC)
Response paper: 8
Recommended reading:
Week 9:
5/27
Required Reading:
Ram, U. (2005). Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the Bifurcation of Israel. International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 19(1/2), 21–33. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20059692
Activity:
Response paper: 8
Recommended reading:
5/29 Students presentations
Required Reading: No Reading
Activity: Students presentations
Response paper: No Reading
Recommended reading:
Week 10:
6/3 Students presentations
Required Reading: -
Activity:
Response paper: -
Recommended reading: -
6/5 What did we learn about Jerusalem and Tel Aviv?
Required Reading: -
Activity: Final remarks
Response paper: -
Recommended reading:
Shows:
Jerusalem:
Tel Aviv:
Podcasts: Tel Aviv ReviewLinks to an external site., Israel StoryLinks to an external site., Unpacking Israeli HistoryLinks to an external site., UnHoly: Two Jews on The NewsLinks to an external site., Inside IsraelLinks to an external site., 12 Cities in IsraelLinks to an external site.
Consider following Israeli news sources such as: HaaretzLinks to an external site., The Jerusalem PostLinks to an external site., Ynet NewsLinks to an external site., +972Links to an external site., Al-Monitor’s Israel PulseLinks to an external site., Israel HaYomLinks to an external site., i24newsLinks to an external site., Times of IsraelLinks to an external site., Timeout Tel AvivLinks to an external site.
Israeli songs in English: https://www.hebrewsongs.com/
Israeli Movies:
https://jfc.org.il/en/Links to an external site.
https://www.kanopy.comLinks to an external site.
Grades:
98-100 = 4.0
96-97 = 3.9
94-95 = 3.8
92-93 = 3.7
91 = 3.6
90 = 3.5
89 = 3.4
88 = 3.3
87 = 3.2
86 = 3.1
85 = 3.0
84 = 2.9
83 = 2.8
82 = 2.7
81 = 2.6
80 = 2.5
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.