UMD's Israel Studies Announces New Minor

For Immediate ReleaseContacts: Nicky Everette, 301-405-6714 or meve@umd.eduCollege Park, Md. – The University of Maryland’s Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies recently announced the approval of its new undergraduate minor in Israel Studies.

For Immediate Release
Contacts: Nicky Everette, 301-405-6714 or meve@umd.edu

College Park, Md. – The University of Maryland’s Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies recently announced the approval of its new undergraduate minor in Israel Studies.

Students in the Israel Studies minor are provided the opportunity to study the history, culture and political structure of Israel and its place within the Middle East. The program’s courses examine the history of Zionism and modern Israel, the Middle East and the various elements of Israeli culture.

The Israel Studies minor will launch in the spring 2010 term with new course offerings in Israel Studies (ISRL) available for register immediately through Testudo. The 18-credit, highly competitive minor is available to all UM students with a minimum of 30 credits and for those who have successfully completed JWST 342 or equivalent.

“The Israel Studies minor offers an interdisciplinary exploration of the history, culture, and politics of Israel and the other countries that comprise the Middle East,” says minor advisor and Professor Paul Scham. “Now, at the height of the national discussion on the Middle East, is the time to provide students with evenhanded academic opportunities to help make sense of the region’s history and its implications for where we stand today in the struggle for peace in the Middle East,” said Scham.  

This new minor, organized under the College of Arts and Humanities, advances both the efforts of the college and university toward helping students in the U.S. understand the multifaceted nature of the region, both past and present. 

For more information or to sign-up, please visit www.israelstudies.umd.edu or contact Professor Paul Scham at 301-405-9412 or pscham@umd.edu.

Relevant Links:Israel Studies Minor Informational Meeting Persian at Maryland Arabic at Maryland Middle East Studies Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development