Dean: Dr. Cahaner Lee
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The more complex and technical the world becomes, the more we need to value and preserve time-honored humanistic disciplines. The humanities and social studies are fields that allow us to examine the past, respect and appreciate the world we live in, value the cultures around us, and respect commonalities and differences. The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities offers courses and majors in a range of disciplines. Students gain a comprehensive and deep understanding of their major. Over and above imparting knowledge to students within their discipline, the faculty strives to guide students to develop into responsible adults with positive personal and social values and a humanistic outlook – adults who think analytically and critically and are committed to life-long learning.
The Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities provides the highest standards of academic study including first-hand knowledge of current school curricula and teaching practice. It encourages its faculty and students to be proficient in online learning. There is a small student-teacher ratio, with emphasis on both classroom and off-site learning.
Courses in all disciplines motivate students to be involved with neighboring communities. For example, in the Communications and Art departments, students learn about social activism and organize off-site art workshops with prison inmates. Arab and Jewish students produce and broadcast live at Radio Oranim, the college radio station, and students of Inclusive Education and Community Studies organize and lead summer programs with physically challenged youth. These are just some of the projects the faculty supports.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees are granted in the following majors: Biblical Studies, Jewish Thought, Literature and Creative Arts, English Language and Literature, Hebrew Language,General History, Jewish History, History of the Modern Middle East, Middle East Studies, and Interdisciplinary Studies.
Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) degrees are granted in the following majors: Land of Israel Studies, Art, Arabic Language, Civics and Democracy, Geography and Environmental Studies, Inclusive Education and Community Studies, Communications, and Sociology.
Department of Biblical Studies (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. Liora Goldman
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The Bible is the record of our national memory. It provides a mirror to our lives as individuals and as a society, and an opportunity to look into ourselves. Recently, the Bible has once again taken a central role in Israeli society, and many circles are interested in learning and appreciating the spiritual treasures of the Jewish people. Bible studies include examining the development of Biblical interpretation in the Talmud and Jewish philosophy.
Department of Jewish Thought (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. Goldman Liora
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Studies in this department deepen knowledge of Jewish life, modern Jewish identity, and educational values in schools and in the community. Students examine questions of spiritual life in the modern world: the meaning of life, the search for God, individuality and community, life cycle (birth, Bar Mitzvah, marriage. and death – and everything in between), the State of Israel and its significance, Jewish and Israeli identity, perception of Judaism as a culture, questions of religion and state, Israel and the Diaspora, and relations with neighboring cultures (Christianity and Islam).
Department of Literature and Creative Arts (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. Oettinger Ayelet
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Courses in this department are designed to enrich the students’ world and to provide them with tools for linguistic and literary interpretation. Students develop their ability to express themselves in the creative and language arts, gain experiential teaching skills, and study literature theory. The program also includes workshops in theater, poetry, fiction and drama. Department members are regular contributors to the Oranim Journal for Literature and Art (Kav Natuy).
Department of English Language and Literature (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. Aharonian Nikki
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Students receive a B.A. in English and a teaching certificate. They study English language, culture, and literature, and acquire skills to teach. Students can combine their English studies with studies in a different department. They can attain a teaching certificate for elementary or secondary schools.
Department of Hebrew Language (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. Zighelboim Oshri
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This department offers basic knowledge of linguistics, and tools for understanding and analyzing linguistic phenomena and the rules that dictate Hebrew grammar. As a result, students also learn how to read and write correctly. The department prepares students to teach the school curriculum by introducing them to key processes in the development of the Hebrew language from ancient to modern Hebrew. It also acquaints them with the linguistic characteristics of Hebrew at its various stages of development, focusing on Biblical, Mishnaic, and modern Hebrew.
Department of History (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. yaron jean
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This department focuses on imparting knowledge and tools required for understanding the human story as the product of political, social, economic, and cultural processes. The program trains students to understand historical processes and to study and research independently. The curriculum examines an array of issues from different historical periods, starting with the ancient world and concluding with contemporary history.
Department of Jewish History (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. yaron jean
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The department focuses on understanding the Jewish People’s history over the course of generations and throughout the world. Courses deal with the historical processes (political, social, economic, and cultural) shaping the Jewish People from their inception through modern times. The comprehensive curriculum covers topics in political, social, economic, and cultural history, as well as Israel’s relationship with other nations.
Department of Modern Middle East History (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. yaron jean
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This department focuses on the major processes that have taken place in the Middle East since the 19th century, with a focus on the 20th century and contemporary events. The curriculum includes courses in the history of Arab peoples and nations, societal frameworks, cultural research, and economic development. All students receive a basic grounding in general and Jewish history so that they qualify for the Israeli Ministry of Education’s license to teach history in schools.
Department of Middle East Studies (B.A.)
Chair: Dr. yaron jean
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This department provides a multidisciplinary approach to the Middle East today. Studies impart knowledge and understanding of the region as a product of historical processes (political, social, economic, and cultural), and prepare students for independent study, teaching, and research. The program includes a comprehensive curriculum: political history; social, economic, and cultural development of Arab countries; the relationship between Israel and Arab countries; and study of the Arabic language.
Department of Multidisciplinary Studies
Chair: Dr. Cahaner Lee
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An educator today needs broad interdisciplinary knowledge. Interdisciplinary Studies offer students the opportunity to acquire knowledge in three subjects (minors), in addition to their major. Students can explore different disciplines and are not required to focus exclusively on a single subject.
Department of Land of Israel Studies (B.Ed.)
Chair: Chair: Dr. yaron jean
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Studies in the department have a multidisciplinary focus on the Land of Israel, using the tools and methods developed in regional studies programs all over the world. The program consists of courses in geography, history, society, archaeology, and flora and fauna of the country throughout its history. Students participate in field trips as an integral part of their studies. The program also includes training to lead field trips. Graduates of the program can obtain certification from the Israel Ministry of Education for teaching in the SHELACH (Field-Nation-Society) program, and can fulfill some of the requirements for obtaining a tour guide’s license.
Department of Art (B.Ed.)
Chair: Marnin -Distelfeld Shahar
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The Oranim Art Institute was established in 1952, and is a nationally recognized school of art, well known for its fine arts and cultural studies. The bachelor’s degree integrates many fields: drawing, sculpture, ceramics, spatial installation, photography, video, etching, digital media, art history, museum studies, and critical studies, as well as education. Students develop their own perspective about the visual arts, and are capable of taking on leading roles in the fields of art and art education. In their final year, each student displays an individual project at an exhibit at the Oranim Art Institute’s galleries, which are open to the public and draw thousands of visitors.
Department of Arabic Language Education (B.Ed.)
Chair: Holdengerber Avital
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This department teaches Arabic language and literature and prepares students to teach those subjects in the Israeli educational system. Knowledge of Arabic is essential in today’s Israeli society. It is the second official language in Israel, as well as the main language of the surrounding region. Acquisition of the language and its extensive use both in learning and teaching opens up further employment opportunities both in Israel and abroad. Jewish and Arab students in the program meet with people from different religious and ethnic backgrounds and with other students from across the social spectrum. The interaction with native Arabic speakers is one of the strong points of the degree program. Graduates teach Arabic in both Hebrew and Arabic language schools in different geographic areas, requiring in-depth knowledge of the language.
Department of Civics and Democracy (B.Ed.)
Chair: Dr. fruchter ronen iris
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This department cultivates a moral worldview regarding citizens’ responsibility towards their surroundings, and fosters sensitivity to others who are different or vulnerable. The department attracts caring and socially active young men and women who are motivated to influence the future of the society they live in. Studies include human rights, minority status, democracy, and rifts within Israeli society.
Department of Geography and Environmental Studies (B.Ed.)
Chair: Dr. Zituni Rami
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This is a multidisciplinary program that studies the earth and the world in which we live, in light of the effects of globalization and contemporary perceptions of time and space in a shrinking world. Geography imparts important values while dealing with the relationships between society and its geographic setting, and instilling respect for nature. Studies in this department emphasize the importance of creating a bond between the learners and their homeland, the Land of Israel.
Department of Inclusive Education and Community Studies (B.Ed.)
Chair: Dr. Solomon Merav
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The department’s goal is to train educators with a social vision to work with at-risk youth in diverse educational systems: the private sector, the voluntary sector (NGOs), and the formal educational system. Inclusive Education and Community Studies, also known as Informal Education, encourages students to take initiative and build their leadership skills, so that they can create change in the world of education and in society. The program for informal education includes three components:
studies of relevant fields of knowledge, such as psychology, philosophy, education, and sociology; acquisition of tools for practical work in the field, such as treatment methods and strategies for social change; and fieldwork.
Department of Communications (B.Ed.)
Chair: Dr. Mazor Maya
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This department grants a B.Ed. in Communications, and a teaching certificate in Secondary School Communications Education. Students gain theoretical and practical knowledge of the media professions, as well as experience in auditing and communication research. Theoretical studies acquaint students with the elements of visual language and mass communication. Students obtain tools for critical consumption of the media and deal with the roles of communication in a democratic society. The program places special emphasis on certain aspects of communication education: the place of communication in the social-communal context, and the role of youth as consumers and producers of communication. Practical studies train students to become practitioners in the field of communication or teachers of communication in the Israeli school system.
Department of Sociology (B.Ed.)
Chair: Dr. Hassan Sharaf
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Sociology is one of the foundational fields of the social sciences and is an asset to all those who work in the fields of economics or politics. Sociology helps students understand the social frameworks around them and prepares them to create social change. Students become familiar with different cultural groups and gain the ability to understand multicultural contexts. Sociology graduates are trained to teach sociology in high schools.