Teaching

Refugees, Forced Migration, and Belonging
Department of Social Justice and Sustainability, Clark University, Clark University
Graduate Level Asynchronous Course
This course offers an overview of the interdisciplinary scholarship on legal, political, social, and economic aspects of global migration, forced displacement and belonging. We will study migration from historical and current lenses and multiple perspectives, including the standpoints of migrants, sending countries, and host countries. We will examine how race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, and education— among other factors—shape migration trends, migrants’ experiences, as well as their reception and policies in host countries. We ask and seek answers to fundamental questions around global migrations and forced displacement: Why do people migrate? How is the 1951 Geneva Convention constructing ideas of legitimacy and deservingness among different types of migrants, and how do climate-induced migration and other forms of ‘voluntary’ and ‘forced’ migration play into this discourse? What policies discourage or encourage people to leave, and what are the leading factors that shape the response of host countries? We will discuss the ‘durable solutions’ (local integration, resettlement, and voluntary repatriation) for the ‘refugee crises’ and the evolvement of each of these solutions, exploring together what they mean for refugees and forced migrants. We will ask how the issue of forced migration relates to globalization, humanitarianism and capitalism and ask questions about fundamental concepts, including citizenship, nation-state, and nationality and how these relate to feelings of belonging, well-being, and homemaking in different contexts. Finally, and most importantly, we will focus on how refugees and other forced migrants talk about and consider their own migratory routes and talk about their experience of migration and “arrival’.

The course includes voices from different parts of the globe, primarily through qualitative studies, the often-excluded voices of forced migrants and refugees from the Global South and will also bring in case studies regionally oriented on these dynamics in the Americas. While we will read leading scholarly works in sociology, anthropology, political science, political theory, economics, law, and public policy, we will also engage with multiple media forms created by refugee artists and authors. Including refugee-authored works of fiction for example, will provide students with insights into the lived experiences of refugees and other forced migrants, helping them connect to the topic in a different way. Students will receive an assignment in which students will be asked to read a work a refugee-authored work and engage with the material through personal reflections in the form of presentations or personal writing assignments. This is a learning-centered seminar designed for students to (1) learn about human experiences of global migration movements and the impact of various forms of policy and categories (including locally critical socio-legal categories such as ‘undocumented migrants’, ‘asylum seekers’, ‘infiltrators’, and ‘illegal migrants’) on their sense of belonging, ‘home’, or transitoriness (2) gain an increased, interdisciplinary knowledge of the most pressing contemporary global migration issues and the scholarship surrounding them; and (2) provide a chance to improve critical thinking skills on the topic through interpersonal connection, reflection, writing, and discussion.

Forced Migration and the City
Department of Social Justice and Sustainability, Clark University, United States
Graduate Level Asynchronous Course
The course attempts to provide a comprehensive examination of complex global processes of urbanization, the interconnections between rural and urban areas and peoples, and the challenges faced by forced migrants in urban settlements. With global mass migration movements and urbanization rates soaring globally, cities have witnessed exponential growth, leading to the emergence of marginalized populations on the social and geographical fringes, such as favelas and slums. Migration from rural areas into densely populated urban areas has increased with people seeking to utilize the “urban advantage”, while also often keeping close ties with their places of origin.  While the relationships between rural and urban areas have changed, refugees have also joined global migration trends, moving into cities to seek a better life, even though this is still illegal in many contexts. This course delves into (1) critical discourse around urbanization, particularly in the Global South, and (2) the shift from refugee encampment models to integration strategies. Together, we will explore the development of durable solutions for cities in the Global South and the settlement of refugees and forced migrants through legal and illegal pathways into urban areas. Throughout the course, we will consider both issues of social injustice in urban areas and policies that support or inhibit the settlement and thriving of forced migrants in urban areas. The course critically analyzes urban public spaces, various forms of enclaves, and key concepts in urban migration, including sponsorship, the “arrival city”, “sanctuary city”, and "inclusive city." It explores the transition from encampment models to urban livelihoods, considering the development of megacities in the Global South alongside enclaves in cities like New York or London.  The course will include both fundamental readings on urban migration and critical urban studies that will offer provocations for exploring the intersections of these two issues. In addition, we will analyze how influential activist scholars, decision-makers, policy analysts, immigrant community leaders, and experts from local and international organizations have addressed these issues globally. We will draw on comparable case studies from cities in different parts of the globe and focus on the growing role of municipalities in global migration. Students will examine the nuanced differences between rural-to-urban migration and look critically at what constitutes forced migration in terms of policy frameworks and lived experiences, including issues of statelessness and lack of status. Through a multidisciplinary approach encompassing critical urban geographies and refugee studies, this course fosters a deep understanding of the complexities surrounding forced migration and urban dynamics while encouraging students to engage critically with displacement, inclusion, and urban development issues. By incorporating nonacademic organization reports on forced migrants in different cities, students will have the chance to critically engage with the ways forced migrants are portrayed and organizational policies and will be encouraged to suggest alternative ways to consider the lived experiences of refugees and displaced migrants in urban settings.

Youth in Africa: transitioning from childhood to adulthood
Masters in Sustainable Communities in Africa (online), Ben Gurion University in the Negev, Israel
Africa is the youngest continent in the world, with more than half of its population between the ages of 0-24 and above, 250 million over the age of 15. Transitioning from childhood to adulthood does not always align with chronological ages and is influenced by numerous local and global forces. The concepts of youth and adolescence both vary and are similarly shaped cross-culturally. While populations around the world are aging, young people in Africa are shaping the face of the future. This course will discuss contemporary aspects of youth’s lives, focusing on shaping youth within global, national, and local contexts. The categories of youth are flexible and achieved through everyday practice. We will examine topics such as socialization, development, rites of passage, adult perspectives of the adolescent experience, subcultures, and youth engagement with globalization and technology. In our discussions, we will also consider how adolescents are active agents in shaping the world around them and, conversely, how their worlds shape them. We will critically engage with theoretical frameworks from within and outside the continent and explore the structural challenges and the coping mechanisms young people face in forming their place within families, communities, and countries.

Quantitative research methods for school evaluation
Professional Development Unit (in-person), School of Education, Ben Gurion University in the Negev, Israel
The course aims to support teacher development and help schools evaluate and improve their work. This course, developed for teachers’ professional development, focuses on understanding and conducting school evaluations. The course focuses on learning the language of quantitative and qualitative research and all the stages of understanding how to develop, plan, conduct and analyze studies.

Teaching Assistant:

Global Jewish communities
Profs Peter Decherney and Sara Byala
Penn Global Seminar (in-person), University of Pennsylvania, United States
This course introduces students to emergent Jewish communities across the globe through a case study of the Abayudaya in Uganda. Students will learn about the origins of this more than one-hundred year old community and its recent rebirth within the context of modern Ugandan history. This course will entail a strong emphasis on writing as part of a larger effort to amplify stories from the Abayudaya community. At the same time, the course will introduce students to fieldwork and filmmaking theories and practice in preparation for a site visit to the Abayudaya in January (over winter break). During this trip, students will work in teams to create short profile films of community members. These may include religious and community leaders, physicians and nurses from the Abayudaya medical and dental clinics, Abayudaya business people, and more. Strong emphasis will be placed on understanding the ethics and rigors of written and visual fieldwork, as well as the intricacies of writing and creating short films. The course output will be housed on a Penn website and YouTube channel, and the films will be shared with community members as part of the faculty’s ongoing collaboration with this community.

Qualitative research methods
Prof. Iris Tabak
Graduate Program (in-person), School of Education, Ben Gurion University in the Negev
I co-taught and tutored graduate students in education for two years, teaching research methods and supporting research projects conducted in small teams.

A History of Post-Colonial Africa: From Independence to 2000
Prof. Lynn Schler
African Studies Undergraduate Program (in-person), Politics and Governance, Ben Gurion University
A course that provides an introduction to the African continent, providing in broad strokes the key issues in politics, gender, economics, and social services across the continent.

Supervision and other teaching:
In addition to these academic courses, I am a certified secondary school teacher (David Yellin College) and have certification in “Extended Essays” and “World Religions” in IB Schools and have worked in schools, kindergartens, and informal educational programs in Israel, Ukraine, Latvia, and Burundi. I have also supervised two thesis projects by graduate students at Rudolf Steiner University College in Oslo, Norway, six award-winning projects at “IDEA”, a program for gifted students at Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew University, and sat on the committee of PhD and Masters programs in the Netherlands and Portugal.