Inside Higher Ed: Bard Among Those “Tackling the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in the Classroom”

Michelle Murray, chair of the Division of Social Studies and associate professor of political studies, spoke with Inside Higher Ed about the efforts she and other Bard professors are taking in response to student demand for courses about the conflict in Gaza. “I was observing students, on the one hand, being really hungry for knowledge and, on the other hand, kind of encountering a lot of terminology that’s circulating around in the discourse,” Murray said. This led to the creation of the course “Keywords for Our Times: Understanding Israel and Palestine,” which has 40 students enrolled—larger than the typical class size at Bard. Murray hopes her students may play a role in campus culture, and that the lesson plans and discussions in the course “spread to others on campus through word of mouth.” “One of our goals with this course is to foster richer dialogue within the community at Bard,” Murray said. “That’s what my hope would be, even as these students who are already really committed and passionate don’t take the course, that there’ll be ripple effects.”

Post Date: 01-08-2024