Every year, the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies sponsors a variety of courses related to modern Israel in departments across campus. These courses qualify for the Israel Studies minor offered by the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and may qualify for other majors and minors. More information on the Israel Studies minor can be found on the Near Eastern Languages and Cultures Department website. Search for upcoming, Center-sponsored courses below.
Center-Sponsored Courses
Fall 2024
There are no Center-sponsored courses for the Fall 2024 Quarter.
Winter 2025
Diaspora Politics
Political Science 139: Special Studies in International Relations
Instructor: Dr. Elizabeth Stein
Day & Time: M/W | 9:30-10:45 AM
Location: Public Affairs 2214
Course Description: Diasporasare minority ethnic groups of immigrant origin that have sustained psychological, social,political, and material connections to their putative ancestral homeland or country of origin.The course examines how diasporasorganize to create activist, advocacy, and lobbying movements and organizations to advance their collective interests among domestic policymakers andpoliticalleaders, all while navigating normative, structural, andpoliticalopportunities and constraints in the countries where they live. We examine scholarly approaches and problems relevant todiasporapoliticsin the 21st century with current-events examples from Jewish, Palestinian, Armenian, Iraqi, and Ethiopian communities mostly in the US, and from Hungarian and Turkish communities throughout Europe.
Governing the Mosaic: Israel's Minority Politics in Comparative Perspective
Sociology 180A: Special Topics in Sociology
Instructor: Dr. Tamar Hofnung
Day & Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Course Description: Study asks how nations address and manage complexities of cultural and ethnic diversity; to what extent state policies and institutional frameworks impact dynamics between minority and majority groups; and what role social structures and interactions play in shaping collective identity of social groups within national context. Study centers on dynamics of minority-majority relationships, with specific focus on Israel as case study. Key topics for discussion encompass multiculturalism, discrimination, inequality, migration, and social mobility. Also, students make comparisons between how Israel addresses social diversity and how other complex societies—such as U.S., Australia, and European nations—handle similar issues.
Spring 2025
Israel and Palestine on Screen: Film and Television from the Middle East
Film and Television 188A: Special Courses in Film, Television, and Digital Media
Instructor: Dr. Ethan Pack
Day & Time: TBD
Location:TBD
Course Description: A survey of Israeli and Palestinian films, television series, and literature, from a land often defined by its depiction on screen. We will view groundbreaking films and shows that grapple with the most compelling issues in Israeli and Palestinian life today, including the impact of political violence and religious extremism. The course will consider the increasing prominence of Middle Eastern content on streaming platforms. We will discuss questions of adaptation between cultures and across genres, while examining how different forms of media respond to one another. Our material will explore the complex positions of Palestinians in both Israel and the Occupied Territories; the internal diversity of Israel’s Jewish immigrant communities; and the domestic dramas of Jerusalem, among many other compelling topics.
National Security versus Human Rights: Israel in Comparative Perspective
International Area Studies 160: Selected Topics in International and Area Studies
Instructor: Dr. Tamar Hofnung
Day & Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Course Description: An examination of constant tension democracies face between protecting human rights and maintaining national security. By reviewing key theoretical approaches to analyzing this tension, study asks how security decisions are made and what considerations guide them; what social goals are advanced under name of national security; and what impact of using national security considerations is on strength of democracy. Israel used as case study. Study utilizes Israel's political and institutional structure, and its continuous dealings with external and internal threats, to highlight ongoing global trends.
Gender in Israel as a Microcosm of Global Trends
Sociology 180B: Special Topics in Sociology
Instructor: Dr. Tamar Hofnung
Day & Time: TBD
Location: TBD
Course Description: Examination of gender relations from sociology of gender perspective, that focuses on how gender is socially constructed. By reviewing key theoretical approaches to gender, exploration of how gender is constructed at social, political, and institutional levels. Analysis of how these constructions shape social world. With Israel as case study, country's political and institutional structure—and its diverse population composition—used to highlight ongoing global trends.
For questions whether a course will count toward another major or minor, please consult your departmental Student Affairs Officer.
Search for classes below related to Israel in a wide range of disciplines. Select academic year and quarter to view course offerings.