The 2012 Global Engagement Seminar in Jerusalem is underway, with the group arriving in Israel earlier this week.
The students will explore Jerusalem as a contested sacred and political space and will cover topics including the centrality of the city in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; archeology and the built landscape as a prism through which to understand the complicated layering of urban history and the competition between national communities; and the importance of the city in contemporary Israeli and Palestinian national identities. Students will also visit sites of religious, historical, and political significance and will meet with local scholars, political figures, and community activists.
Following the completion of the seminar, which is being by Smith professors Justin Cammy and Donna Robinson Divine, students will participate in internships or service-learning experiences related to the seminar.
Those interested in following the students’ journey can keep up-to-date by reading their blog, which includes posts ranging from the amusing to the serious.
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