Israel/Palestine

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Reflective Practice

Reflective Practice in Israel/Palestine is a chance for students to deepen their understanding of the complex reality of a conflict at the heart of the field today. Students will be exposed to and engaged in ongoing peacebuilding interventions between Palestinians and Israelis, incorporating people at all levels of society. As they take part in this experience, participants will reflect on what it means to be a practitioner and will encounter the integration of theory, research, and practice. Dr. Fakhira Halloun travels with students for eight days over winter break and teaches the class on the ground in Israel and Palestine. Dr. Marc Gopin lectures virtually throughout the course and leads discussions with the students. Both professors work with the students as they process this unique experience.

The program is a combination of intensive classroom study, speakers from the local region, exploration of holy sites, and extensive field experience, engaging communities across the spectrum of Israel and Palestine day and night. This experience will be an integration of new theoretical approaches to peacebuilding in a uniquely intractable conflict where CRDC has innovated a direct intervention of social justice practice, study, and engagement.

The course takes place in an environment that becomes practice and reflection the moment one enters the region. The study and engagements are all in the shadow of a people committed to a peaceful and just future in the midst of a complicated and intense political environment. There is a need to measure one’s every word and action in order to honor and reflect in conflict, as well as effectively practice citizen diplomacy and peacebuilding. Before, during, and after the trip the student experiences reflective practice alongside the professors, which will enrich their understanding of how to link theory and practice.

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