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ANTH 3015 — Archeology of Israel

This course examines the archaeology of Israel within the context of the wider Near East. It includes site and museum tours. Material covered extends from the Paleolithic through the Ottoman periods, with emphasis on new discoveries and interpretations.

This course will introduce the archaeological/historic background to the second part of the Israel: Then and Now Program, which concentrates on the ethnographic present. It is only open to students enrolled in this program. It will be given in Israel, where students can see the archaeological material in the museums and visit the sites themselves, as well as read and hear lectures about them.

Syllabus (pdf)

ANTH 3530 or CORC 3208 — Cultural studies of modern Israel (Core Curriculum Class)

Introduction: Key concepts for the analysis

The Arab-Israel Conflict

As context: its pervasive effects
Its sources in religion and history
- Judaism, Zionism
- Islam, Arab nationalism
The current situation and the factors that affect it

Israel's Diverse Population

The major axes of diversity: ethnic, religious, national
Demographic patterns and comparative socioeconomic condition
Relations among groups: forces for amity and sources of tension

Israeli Democracy

The structure of government
Political culture
- basic ideologies
- bureaucracy and the individual role of the military

Religion in the Public Domain

The principle of "separation": theory and reality
A Jewish state: its meanings and implementation
Civil religion

Experiment in Equality: the Kibbutz

As it was; the theory and its implementation
As it is turning out; recent changes and their implications

Syllabus (pdf)

ANTH 3470 — Archeological Excavations

For the first time in almost a decade, Brooklyn College will be digging again in Serbia. Professor Arthur Bankoff, a specialist in the Bronze Age of southeastern Europe, has been directing excavations in the Balkans for the past 40 years. From July to August, he and a staff of Brooklyn College faculty and graduate students will be conducting excavations and site survey in western Serbia. Students are invited to join this exciting new project,which will investigate life and death 3,500 years ago.

The Field School meets on the Bronze Age site Monday through Saturday, for three weeks.

Afternoon activities involve - pottery washing, pottery analysis, human and animal bone analysis, conservation of archaeological material, soil analysis, Geographic Informations Systems analysis, archaeological and geological survey, and mapping the landscape.

Lectures and demonstrations are scheduled for Monday through Wednesday evenings.

Your final excavation report, composed by your team will be part of the overall official record of archaeological research.