LEARNING FROM JERUSALEM

Conflict, Negotiation and the Architecture of the City

“LEARNING FROM JERUSALEM – Conflict, Negotiation and the Architecture of the City” is a unique and innovative semester programme, held between March–June 2015, conducted in English, designed by the MUrbDes Graduate Programme in Urban Design at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, one of the most fascinating cities in the world.
The Bezalel Academy has been active in the city for more than one hundred years and places great importance on theoretical and applied research in the fields of design, art and architecture. Bezalel acts as a cultural centre where praxis and theory truly interact, and where the theory of art praxis is being built.
The Urban Design programme, housed in the beautiful and historically important Hansen Campus, near the city centre, is known for its critical, integrative and interdisciplinary nature. It builds on knowledge-based design projects, with the objective of enriching the quality of the environment in cities through innovative design.  The programme focuses on a theoretical analysis of the spatial structure that forms the city. Situated in the city of Jerusalem, the multifaceted environment provides a living laboratory for diversified urban subjects, from high-level conservation, through the rehabilitation of the inner city to renewal and new development on the outskirts of the city. These uniquely-Jerusalem phenomena weave together an unusual, seemingly unequalled diversity, of ethnic, religious and cultural populations.

Duration of the Programme:  One semester (four months), March 1 – June 26, 2015.

Eligibility:
To be eligible, you must:
- Be an MA student or an advanced undergraduate student in the fields of architecture, planning, landscape architecture and urban design, or in the social sciences.
- Not be registered as a student at another Israeli institution.
- Proficiency in English is required.

The Academic Programme

The programme focuses on the relationships between urban design and everyday life in Jerusalem. It aims to highlight the complexity of urban conflicts in Jerusalem not solely as a unique case, but rather as an urban arena that could be used as a laboratory for understanding urban conflicts elsewhere and possible agendas for their resolution.

The programme offers the following courses:
- An introductory course “The Planning History of Jerusalem” (4 credits) that includes a series of lectures by leading scholars and professionals and study-tours in the Jerusalem metropolitan area.

- A research seminar “The Architecture[s] of Conflict[s]” (4 credits) that offers theoretical and empirical study of the role of the built environment in ethno-national conflict, formal and informal processes of urban development in the framework of critical urban geopolitics.

- Design studio (4 credits), that deals with contemporary urban design debates in the city and its diverse communities – focusing on spaces of conflict and negotiations on one hand, as well as on territories of compromise and coexistence, hope and cooperation on the other. Students may alternatively choose a design studio at the Architecture Department, taught by Nilly R. Harag, called: “Pilgrimage to a Lost Jerusalem: On the Road to Wandering”.
The academic faculty includes experts in the field of urban design, urban planning and urban politics such as Dr. Haim Yacobi (Head of the Programme), Prof. Mike Turner (Charge de mission UNESCO ADG Culture, UNESCO Chair in Urban Design and Conservation Studies) and Dr. Noah Rubin. The administrative aspects of the programme are to be coordinated by one of the programme's faculty members.

The programme is offered by Bezalel's MUrbDes Programme in Urban Design. The credits are exchangeable with the US credit system and the EU ECTS with Diploma Supplement, and will be accredited to the student following recognition by his/her university.

Cost and Registration

The programme fee is 5,000 Euros. The fee includes tuition and pre-departure advising. It does not include the mandatory health insurance (more info about insurance), travel costs, housing and other expenses in Israel.

Application:

Registration dates are May 1, 2014 until December 1, 2014

To Apply :

1. (Optional) Fill out the online initial registration form. 
2. Fill out a full application form, and send it back with  the following attachments :

A. Letter of motivation describing why you wish to participate in this programme and explaining how your academic and professional background is relevant to this programme (2 pages max., in English).

B. Full and updated Curriculum Vitae.

C. Names of 2 people who can provide references on your suitability to the programme.

D. A passport photo.

For further information and inquiries regarding the programme, please email us at learningfromjerusalem@bezalel.ac.il
Tuition fees, Housing in jerusalem and useful information