The Land of Israel Studies master’s degree study program at Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee is designed to impart insights and advanced tools, which assist academic and applied research of the cultural and social aspects of the Land of Israel, both in ancient and contemporary times. The program objectives also include enrichment of teachers, tour guides and instructors relating to natural and environmental elements of the material culture of the Land of Israel, and enhancing the knowledge of these target groups of our impact on the country’s physical and human landscape. This is augmented by teaching the ability to analyse the processes and phenomena, and to impart the knowhow and tools for the topics of instruction and teaching. The tools acquired during for the studies will enable the graduates to continue on to research work, within a PhD framework, at research universities.
The study program incorporates two tracks: Cultural and Social Landscapes in Ancient Times and Cultural and Social Landscapes in Contemporary Times. The students take 40 credits over the course of 4 semesters, based on the following division: a compulsory departmental seminar – common to both tracks (4 credits) in the first year; 3 field courses – two in the main track and one in the secondary track (6 credits); 9 courses – 6 in the main track and 3 in the secondary track (total, 18 credits). The students must write two seminar papers in the main track, and 1 paper in the secondary track (at least 1 seminar per years – 12 credits in total).
In the field courses the students are required to engage in active research based on the field course subjects. For the elective courses, the students have to complete compulsory assignments, as noted in the syllabus. The students must obtain a grade for each course. After the end of the last semester, the students take a final examination. In the examination, the students must select two subjects from the main track and one from the secondary track. The examination will be written and checked by the program teachers. The examination grade will account for 18% of the final degree grade.
Details of the Study Program Structure:
| Track | Category | Notes | Credits | Semester Weekly Hours | Final Grade % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compulsory | Department seminar | Research lectures by department teachers and by guest researchers from academic institutions in Israel and abroad | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Main track | Field courses | Two field research courses on which students conduct active research | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Seminars | Two seminar courses on which the students write a seminar paper – 4 credits each | 8 | 8 | 30 | |
| Courses | Six classes with active student participation, based on the course syllabus – 2 credits each | 12 | 12 | 18 | |
| Secondary track | Field course | Field research course with active student participation | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Seminars | 1 seminar course with students writing a seminar paper | 4 | 4 | 15 | |
| Courses | 3 classes with active student participation, based on the course syllabus – 2 credits each | 6 | 6 | 9 | |
| Final examination | A choice of 3 topics – 2 from the main specialization track | – | – | 18 | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | 100 |
A Year Book will be sent in the near future.