Topics in Israel Studies (280-4-2)

Topic

Leisure and Popular Culture in 20th Century Palest

Instructors

Maayan Hilel
Crowe Hall, 5-155
Office Hours: MW 5:00 – 6:00
Dr. Maayan Hilel is an Assistant Professor of Instruction in Jewish & Israel Studies, and Assistant Director of the Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies at Northwestern University. She is a historian of the modern Middle East specializing in the cultural and social history of Palestine / the Land of Israel.

Meeting Info

Kresge Centennial Hall 2-420: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

The history of Palestine/Israel is often narrated through wars, political events, and struggles for self-determination, offering limited insight into the cultural lives of ordinary people. This course shifts the focus from state-centered and political histories to the realms of leisure, pleasure, and entertainment in twentieth-century Palestine/Israel. By examining cafés, cinemas, beaches, nightlife, theaters, and sports venues, the course explores how leisure spaces emerged as essential arenas for individual expression, social interaction, and collective identity. Situating leisure within broader historical processes such as modernization, urbanization, and the formation of national identities, the course analyzes how everyday cultural practices both shaped and were shaped by larger social transformations. Particular attention is given to the ways ethnicity, gender, and class structured leisure institutions and experiences, as well as to the intersections between leisure and work, family life, community, and nationhood. Drawing on primary sources and cultural works by Jewish and Arab writers, filmmakers, and artists, the course highlights the central role of leisure in shaping the daily lives and cultural worlds of people in Palestine/Israel.

Registration Requirements

None

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of modern cultural history in Palestine/Israel, and the Middle East, with particular attention to leisure, mass culture, and popular culture.
• Identify and assess key scholarly debates, methods, and historiographical approaches in the study of Palestine/Israel
• Critically analyze primary and secondary sources related to culture, leisure, and entertainment.
• Engage independently and thoughtfully in historical debates, forming evidence-based interpretations and conclusions.
• Develop written, collaborative, and oral communication skills through individual and group-based assignments.

Teaching Method

Class participation
Discussion
Lecture
Presentations
Other

Evaluation Method

Class participation: 25%
Discussion Posts: 15%
Paper, mid-term: 25%
Final project: 35%

Class Materials (Required)

Materials will be provided by instructor.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-Reg: Reserved for Jewish Studies major and minors and Hebrew minors