Annotation
The course examines Israeli society, politics, and culture using film and the arts. Through selected films, music, literature, and visual arts, students will critically analyze the history of the Israel’s political and social clashes and how they manifest in everyday life; how different groups, including Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, Palestinians, and other minorities, portray their history and consider their social position in the various mediums; the role different arts fill in these social clashes, and how technological developments have influenced the evolution of their respective narratives.
Students will learn about the development of Israeli arts: their origins in European culture and mentalities; their development through the interaction of artists and intellectuals with the Israeli/Palestinian landscape, culture, and heritage; the division of homogeneous culture into separate and often conflicting currents, and their rivalry over recognition and resources.