DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES

Course Description

HIST 120Modern and Contemporary History of Palestine(3 Cr.)
This is an introductory survey of modern and contemporary socio-economic and political history of Palestine from the Western incursions to Palestine from the nineteenth century up to the present. This study includes Zionist ideology and Jewish immigration to Palestine, the British Mandate, the rise of the Palestinian national movement, al-Nakbeh, the refugee problem, the establishment of the PLO, the first and the second intifadas and Oslo agreements.

PHIL 302Introduction to Philosophy(3 Cr.)
This course will inquire into the historical progress of philosophical sciences. It will discuss ancient Greek mythology, and philosophical development in the Middle Ages, Modernity, the Renaissance, and the contemporary era. We will also look at the vital relationship between faith and reason. Our goal is to improve the students’ mental and critical capacities. This includes their ability to understand and analyze texts, articles, etc within its historical settings. Finally, this course could help the students to grow in self-knowledge and understanding and their awareness of the world they live in.

POLS 300Introduction to Political Science(3 Cr.)
This course reviews definitions of Political Science and its relation to other sciences. Political theories will be also studied in order to understand and analyze political phenomena. It will look at old, modern, and contemporary Western political thought, without ignoring Arab and Islamic political thought, and key political movements in the Arab world. The emergence and development of the state and different systems of governance and its relationship to the individual and society will be stressed. The course concludes by defining principal theories of international relations and international institutions.

HUMR 300Democracy, Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law(3 Cr.)
This course is designed to introduce students to the three interconnected subjects of:  democracy, human rights and international humanitarian law. It deals with contemporary scholarship on democracy, its variations, and the main concepts, ideas of democracy as well as its implementation. In addition, the course will focus on the Palestinian and Arab contexts and problems in transitioning to democracy.  The second part will deal with the meaning of human rights and its historic antecedents as well as themes in international human rights law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the rights of women, children, and refugees will also be discussed. Finally, the course will focus on international humanitarian law emphasizing the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

PHIL 303Ethics of Life(3 Cr.)
The study of general ethics or essential ethical values is this course’s focus. Students will discuss the ethical use of technology, advanced scientific research, and questions related to medical ethics.  They will be prepared to discuss significant present-day ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning and genetic engineering. The course will inquire about abuse and violation of the human body, and will discuss women’s rights, feminism, forms of violence, and the ethics of social media and communications.

ANTH 301 Anthropology of Religion(3 Cr.)
This course will define religion, its components, structure, and its role in human civilizations, beginning with the “primitive” religions and moving on to more evolved and structured religions that arose; in addition to giving unique insight into the various theories in the field of anthropology of religion. Students will learn about fetishism, totemism, animism, shamanism, magic, ancestral worship, myths, rituals, sacrifice and pre-historic religions as well as modern religions. Students are expected to harbor a more in-depth understanding of the similarities and differences among religions and the relationship between religion and the socio-cultural, economic, and political elements of society; as well as the effects of religion on human behavior and religion’s importance in the creation of meaning and goal in the lives of humans.

ART 101 Art Appreciation(2 Cr.)
This course will examine the schools of Modern Art (1780-1917), starting with the classical and ending with the abstract expressionist school, by presenting and analyzing works of art from these schools, in addition to biographies of the artists. Students will become aware of Art and its relationship to the foundations of aesthetics, and their role in art appreciation.

CINE 101Cinematography(2 Cr.)
Cinematography is the language of the modern world and to comprehend this international lingua franca one must understand its building blocks. The Cinema course delves, therefore, into the language of film by analyzing the components and elements within films and the role these aspects play in expressing cinematic art. Students will analyze and study various shots involving different sizes, angles, lighting, medium and mise en scene as well as space, closed and open forms,  composition, frame structure and editing in order to more thoroughly comprehend cinema and its various schools. Students will also study the traditions of documentary film.

MUSI 103Music Appreciation(2 Cr.)
This course includes a discussion of the musical materials from the listener’s point of view. Emphasis is on the styles and composers of various periods from the relatively familiar Romantic music of the nineteenth century to the less familiar eighteenth century styles including classical, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music.

Joint Courses GEOG 211Introduction to Physical and Human Geography (3 Cr.)
This course will look at and analyze schools of geographic philosophy, the origin of the universe, the solar system, the earth, its dimensions and location in relation to other planets, the atmosphere, climate, weather and its impact on earth’s crust, modern international population migration, human racial diversity and major demographic characteristics of the world’s population.

GEOG 223Economic Geography(2 Cr.)
Research methods of economic geography, global economic blocks, and the factors that influence the formation of global agricultural and animal products such as energy, mining, chemical industrial distribution; their key components of modern global transportation systems and tourism will be studied and analyzed.

GEOG 311Historical and Political Geography(2 Cr.)
The study and analysis of research methods of both historical and political geography, the geography of Pleistocene, the impact of succession of warm and ice ages, ancient human migration, global language and the evolution of writing, the role of geographic location, human and natural resources in deciding the power of the state, the borders between political states, vital space and national security, and modern geopolitical and geostrategic problems will all be addressed.

GEOG 322Geography of the Arab World(3 Cr.)
A short review of physical, human, economic and cultural geography of the Arab world. This includes the recognition of sites, and their geological structure, the terrain, climate, soil, plants, water resources, conditions of population groups and the economic activities in various countries. We will study and analyze the main geographical challenges facing the Arab world such as desertification, population growth, food and water security and urbanization.

GEOG 411Geography of Palestine(3 Cr.)
A study and analysis of ancient human settlement in Palestine, the origin of site names, the evolution of borders throughout history, physical and geological features of various reliefs, climate, water resources, soils and native plants, Israeli settlements and the destruction of Palestinian villages and sites. The demographic characteristics of the Palestinian population in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, agricultural products of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, tourism, and reading and analyzing maps of Palestine.

HIST 200Introduction to History(3 Cr.)
A course focusing on the study and development of history as a discipline and its relationship to other disciplines, as well as the evolution of historical research and historical writing in different historical eras. The study of how to write and publish historical texts will be emphasized. The origin and evolution of Arab and Islamic historiography will also be reviewed. Different narratives that are used in writing Palestinian history and the ideological impacts that have affected it will be also discussed.

HIST 201Prehistory(3 Cr.)
The prehistory course begins with life 2.5 million years ago and concludes with the formation of the city-state at the end of the 4th millennium BC. Students will study this period and the underlying developments accompanying. During this time frame human beings or Homo Sapiens evolved and major racial groups and linguistic families were also firmly established. As well, the dawn of religious beliefs, art, the agricultural revolution, and the resulting domestication of plants and animals, the establishment of the first city, the discovery of copper and the birth of nomadism, with its ties to cattle ranching, will all be explored by students

HIST 302History of the Ancient Near East(3 Cr.)
This course covers the history of the Ancient Near East, beginning with the dawn of civilization and progressing to the early periods of the early civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant, including the history of Palestine in the Classical Era. The course will highlight the importance of cultural achievements surrounding that era as well as touch upon complications that exist when studying the ancient history of Palestine as a result of different religious, and nationalistic views and orientalist perspectives.

HIST 312Arab and Islamic Civilizations in the Middle Ages(3 Cr.)
An examination of the history of Arab and Islamic civilizations from the seventh century until the sixteenth century. This course will look into why these civilizations developed during the Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk states. HIST 312, highlights state institutions and the reflection of this development on Arab and Islamic culture and society in general. It will also address the reasons for the collapse and the deterioration of Arab and Islamic civilization in these periods.

HIST 400Modern and Contemporary World History(3 Cr.)
A course covering the epochal events and historic transformations in the world, ranging from the time of the Renaissance to Globalization. It will highlight the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, the European Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the emergence of the modern nation-state, colonialism, as well as the history of the twentieth century, especially World Wars I and II and the Cold War. The course will also focus on the study of economic, social and political structures of the countries of Asia, Africa and the Americas, and their national liberation movements.

HIST 413The Modern History of the Arab World(3 Cr.)
A course on the Political, Social and economic history of the Arabs under the Ottoman Empire from the beginning of the sixteenth century until the early twentieth. Students will be introduced to the events that accompanied the emergence, prosperity, expansion and collapse of the Ottoman Empire and its repercussions on the Arab world. An overview of the different writing in this field, the primary Ottoman-era documents will be encouraged.

HIST 414Contemporary History of the Arab World(3 Cr.)
A review of the Arab world from the First World War up to the present, beginning with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the division of the region by the colonial powers, revolutions and to the Arab liberation movements leading to independence. Students will be introduced to the nature of the Arab political systems after independence, political parties that have emerged and the conflicts that have taken place among them. Economic and social transformations are emphasized highly in this course by reviewing and evaluating Arab development projects and studying interplay between the discovery of oil, national development and international economics. The course will also examine the relationship between the Arab world and the West and the emergence of various forms of hegemony.

EDGH 222Teaching and Reading Maps(3 Cr.)
This course introduces students to the basic characteristics of maps and remote sensing. The course involves the study of different kinds of maps and the basic elements of maps such as legend, map scale, projection, neatline and colors. EDGH 222 also includes reading and analysis of maps and aerial and satellite images and their use in the geographical field. Students will be introduced to the identification of computerized cartography and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) mapping software.

EDGH 312Critique of the Geographical Text(1 Cr.)
This course’s aim is to promote students’ critical analysis and thinking skills in geographical literature. Emphasis will be given not only to objective reading but also to analyzing and critiquing that literature. Students will be asked to work individually and collaboratively in groups to identify forged documents and versions. Students will demonstrate a mastery of methods of criticism, respect of differences, identifying intellectual and religious pluralism through collective works and individual written work.

EDGH 415Oral History(3 Cr.)
Students will be introduced to the importance and medium of oral history and its necessity as a methodology used in the study of history. From lectures and field work students will learn to research a subject properly from oral history, analyze its nuances, prepare for interviews, and eventually learn to chronicle, analyze, and publish their research to make it accessible to libraries, scholars, and other parties. They will also study the various ethical and legal issues that accompany such research. The course will focus, through student research, on the importance of oral history within Palestinian society in re-contextualizing historical events in recent Palestinian history.

EDGH 422Field Trips(2 Cr.)
Students will take three field trips in the spring semester of the fourth academic year. On these field trips they will visit various historical sites - both human-made and natural. The aim of these field trips is to allow students to analyze, research, and study certain areas using the knowledge they have gained in their study of history with the assistance of their professors. They will also be expected to correlate theory and fact. Moreover, the course will enable them to organize future trips for their own students.
Other Courses ( Electives & Interdisciplinary)

PHIL 104Medical Ethics (2 Cr.)
This course is required for Nursing and Occupational Therapy students
Medical ethics is a specialization within general ethics, which is, in turn, a field in philosophy. The course includes some of the most important ethical quandaries facing those who are in the medical and other health professions such as, abortion, euthanasia, cloning, genetic engineering, and the right to receive medical care, etc. Ethical theories will be taught in order for the students to be more aware of their ethical responsibilities. This course aims to increase students’ abilities to confront difficult real life ethical issues

MUSI 103Music Appreciation(2 Cr.)
This course includes a discussion of the musical materials from the listener’s point of view. Emphasis is on the styles and composers of various periods from the relatively familiar Romantic music of the nineteenth century to the less familiar eighteenth century styles including classical, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music.

MUSI 102, 101 \ 1, 2  Music Theory(3 Cr.)
Integrated courses in the melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and structural elements of music, emphasizing the aural sense while developing the ability to visualize, sing, and write from dictation.

MUSI  108، 109208، 209308، 309  Choral Music(1 Cr.)
Practical courses in choral music which include Arabic vocal music and songs from other regions

Online Catalogs

 

Faculties

Bethlehem University Foundation
Email: dc@bethlehem.edu
Phone: +1-202-526-6097
Fax: +1-202-526-6096
Washington, DC USA
Bethlehem University in the Holy Land
E-mail: info@bethlehem.edu
Phone: +972-2-274-1241
Fax: +972-2-274-4440
Bethlehem, Palestine

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