Report Finds Growing Support for the Study of Israel on U.S. Campuses

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation announces the release of Searching for the Study of Israel: A Report on the Teaching of Israel on U.S. College Campuses 2008-09, prepared by the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University. A conference call to discuss the study will be held on Wednesday, January 13, 2010 (details below).

An update of a 2006 report, Searching for the Study of Israel examines the scope of academic courses being taught about Israel on more than 300 leading American college and university campuses and finds that the state of education about Israel has improved since the original study. A comparison of the 246 institutions included in both studies shows a 69% growth in courses that focus specifically on Israel over the three-year period.

"Our Foundation has been deeply invested in expanding opportunities to learn about Israel in academic environments that invite thoughtful discussion free from bias and intimidation," said Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. "I am gratified to see a growing commitment to the study of Israel, in all its richness and complexity, taking root in classrooms across the U.S."

Other key findings from Searching for the Study of Israel include:

Of the top 20 national universities in U.S. News and World Report rankings in 2008-09, all but one offered courses focused on Israel, while 12—more than half—offered four courses or more. This compares favorably to 2006 when five offered no courses focused on Israel and only three offered four courses or more.
Of the 316 schools in the 2008-09 directory, 90% offered at least one course that dealt in part with Israel, and almost half offered four or more courses.
A total of almost 1,400 courses with Israel content were offered by the 316 schools with 572 of those courses specifically focused on Israel.

"This study has several welcome findings," said Michael D. Colson, the Schusterman Family Foundation's director of Israel programs. "While attention is often drawn to anti-Israel rhetoric on college campuses, the steady increase in the number of courses being offered about Israel indicates that many students and professors are turning their backs on the campus demagogues. This is great news for those who believe that peace will emerge when knowledge, understanding and respectful debate carry the day."

The study also found that courses about Israel were offered by a variety of departments, with the majority coming from history and political science departments, not from Jewish or Middle East studies. Moreover, most courses went well beyond the Arab-Israeli conflict, suggesting a normalization of Israel as a subject within established disciplines.

"What I find most exciting about the study is the dramatic growth in courses specifically focused on Israel and the broad scope of so many courses," says Dr. Annette Koren, the study's lead researcher and a research scientist at Brandeis University's Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies. "Education is the core mission of the university, and in that arena, we see an impressive increase in the study of Israel—as a culture, as a society, as a government, as something more than a party to a conflict."

The Schusterman Foundation's Michael Colson and the Cohen Center's Dr. Annette Koren will conduct a brief presentation on the findings of Searching for the Study of Israel at 12 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 13, 2010. A question and answer session will follow. Members of the press interested in participating in the call may dial (800) 230 1766. The international dial-in number is +1 (612) 332 0345.

For more information, please contact Roben Kantor.

About the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation was established in 1987 as a private foundation dedicated to helping the Jewish people flourish by supporting programs throughout the world that spread the joy of Jewish living, giving and learning. The Foundation also provides assistance to non-sectarian charitable organizations dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in Tulsa, Oklahoma, especially in the areas of education, child advocacy and community service. www.schusterman.org

Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation
Roben Kantor, 202-289-7000
rkantor@schusterman.org

Note: Articles listed under "Middle East studies in the News" provide information on current developments concerning Middle East studies on North American campuses. These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of Campus Watch and do not necessarily correspond to Campus Watch's critique.

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Report Finds Growing Support for the Study of Israel on U.S. Campuses

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