Education
Gratz College Launches America’s First Master’s Degree in Antisemitism Studies
PHILADELPHIA, February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - Gratz College is launching the first Master of Arts degree program in Antisemitism Studies in the United States in Fall 2024. This ground-breaking program will help fill the vacuum of knowledge about antisemitism across Jewish, non-Jewish, and governmental organizations responsible for generating policy to combat prejudice at a time of unprecedented Jew hatred.
It will:
• Provide an academic home for those seeking to develop both a deep theoretical and practical understanding of antisemitism;
• Help generate new and impactful research on the factors that contribute to growing antisemitism and test interventions that can successfully combat it; and
• Arm educators and practitioners with the most effective antisemitism pedagogy and programming.
Through degree concentrations in teaching, advocacy and research, graduates of this program will be uniquely qualified for prominent careers in education, think tanks, government relations, public policy, and community organizations (Jewish and non-Jewish).
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is eager to see this program take shape:
“We’re seeing a dangerous rise in antisemitism, hatred, and bigotry across our country – and it’s more important than ever that Pennsylvanians be equipped with a thorough knowledge of our shared history and the skills to discern fact from fiction. Gratz College is already renowned for its Holocaust and Genocide Studies programs, and I am encouraged the College is expanding upon that work with a new Master’s degree in Antisemitism Studies. I wish the faculty, staff, and especially the inaugural class of Antisemitism Studies students, great success in their work.”
The program is directed by Dr. Ayal Feinberg, antisemitism studies expert and Director of the Center for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights at Gratz College. The program boasts a distinguished interdisciplinary faculty from academia and leading public advocacy organizations. Despite its infancy, the degree has been endorsed by nearly one hundred scholars and public policy experts from around the world. Professor of Political Science at Kalamazoo College R. Amy Elman asserts, “With an emphasis on operationalizing knowledge, informed teaching and ethical advocacy, Gratz’s innovative graduate program fulfills a deep need in countering antisemitism.”
Gratz’s Antisemitism Studies program is also establishing ground-breaking partnerships with the world’s most prominent Jewish organizations and programs to combat antisemitism in the classroom, on campus, and in professional workspaces. In the first such partnership, Gratz and The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History have joined forces to launch the National Education Fellowship on Antisemitism. The aim of this fellowship is to generate and assess paradigm-shifting middle and high school curriculum to reduce Jew-hatred and prejudice more broadly.
As an early adopter of online education, a 128-year history of Jewish learning, and home to the world’s largest graduate program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Gratz is uniquely qualified to take on this necessary and overdue program.
On March 4, 2024, the master’s degree program will kick-off with a series of public lectures, including by scholars serving as affiliate faculty for the program. On April 2, 2024, Dr. Avinoam Patt, inaugural director of NYU’s Center for Study of Antisemitism and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Holocaust Studies, will deliver a keynote lecture, titled, "Awake My People": Jewish Responses to Antisemitism in the Modern Period.” Additional talks will take place before the program officially begins in August.
Prospective students eager to start may apply now and take courses as early as March 2024 with electives in Antisemitism Studies already developed as a preview to the program.
Gratz College is grateful to the Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation for generously supporting the launch of the Antisemitism Studies program. Jay Myers, Board Chair, shared: “The Isidore and Penny Myers Foundation, a family foundation guided by Jewish American values, sees great worth in educating future generations about the roots of Antisemitism, and by doing so, working to combat it. This degree program will create scholars who can devote their talent to meet this challenge. Our Foundation is proud to support this work and by so doing, meet our obligation to help repair the world.”
Contact: lcohen@gratz.edu for more information.
Contact Information:Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing and Design
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182
Original Source: Gratz College Launches America's First Master's Degree in Antisemitism Studies
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Survey Reveals Language Learner Preferences: Human Instructors vs. AI – Lingoda’s Findings
MIAMI, October 31, 2023 (Newswire.com) - The world of education is undergoing a profound transformation with the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, a recent survey conducted by Lingoda, the leading online language learning platform, reveals that language learners still place a high value on human interaction in the language learning process.
The survey, which encompassed the responses of over 2,000 adults in the United States, unveiled an overwhelming preference for human interaction among language learners. A staggering 85% of respondents indicated that they believe human interaction is either "very important" or "somewhat important" in new language learning experiences.
Key Findings:
- 85% of respondents consider human interaction essential in language learning.
- 39% of participants favored a combination of human and AI tutors.
- Only 8% of survey respondents believed that human interaction in language learning was "not very important" or "not important at all."
The study also delved into preferences across different age groups and genders. Younger learners, in the 18–24 age group, were particularly inclined towards human tutors, with 35% expressing a preference for human tutors only, as opposed to just 14% who favored AI-only learning. Importantly, respondents of all age groups displayed a preference for a combination of AI and human interaction, with the 45–54 age group showing a strong inclination towards an equal combination of both methods at 49%.
When it comes to the preferred approach to language learning, 39% of survey participants expressed a desire to learn a language with an equal combination of both human and AI tutoring.
Why Human Tutors Remain in Demand:
Despite the growing prevalence of AI in education, the survey results highlight the irreplaceable role of human tutors in the language learning process. Human tutors possess qualities that AI cannot fully replicate, such as the ability to empathize with students, identify when they are facing difficulties, and adapt their teaching methods accordingly. They provide students with a full immersion experience in the language and prepare them for real-world interactions.
While AI technology offers valuable support and enhances language learning, human teachers bring empathy, cultural insights, and interpersonal connections that are challenging for AI to fully replicate. The ideal language learning experience, as indicated by the survey, often involves a blended approach, where AI complements the efforts of human teachers. This combination provides students with a well-rounded and highly effective language learning experience.
In an era where technology is becoming increasingly integrated into our daily lives, the survey unequivocally affirms the enduring importance of human interaction in language education.
For more details and to access the full report, please visit Lingoda’s survey and research page.
ABOUT LINGODA
Lingoda is one of the top online language schools. Founded in Berlin, Germany in 2013, we provide convenient and accessible online language courses in German, English, Business English, French and Spanish to over 100,000 students worldwide. Visit Lingoda.com to learn more.
Contact Information:Susanne Börensen
International PR Manager
press@lingoda.com
Original Source: Survey Reveals Language Learner Preferences: Human Instructors vs. AI – Lingoda's Findings
Physicians for Informed Consent States, ‘Chicken Pox (Varicella) Vaccine Has Not Been Proven Safer Than Chicken Pox’
Chicken Pox Infection vs. Varicella Vaccine
Death and Permanent Injury Risk Comparison for Children in the U.S.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., October 27, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC) has introduced two new educational documents, “Varicella (Chicken Pox): What Parents Need to Know” and “Varicella Vaccine: Is It Safer Than Chicken Pox?” The educational materials include key scientific data on the risks of chicken pox as well as the risks of the varicella vaccine, assisting parents in making a more informed risk-benefit calculation for vaccination.
“Now, more than ever, parents are motivated to learn more about the risks of childhood infections and their respective vaccines — and they want to know the numbers,” said Dr. Shira Miller, founder and president of Physicians for Informed Consent. "Although many parents remember from experience that chicken pox is generally benign, as the chicken pox vaccine is required for childcare and school attendance in all states, and with no religious or personal belief exemption in five states, including California, we’re pleased to now make available for free a Disease Information Statement and Vaccine Risk Statement for chicken pox."
Important facts from the Varicella (Chicken Pox) Disease Information Statement (DIS) are as follows:
- More than 96% of new varicella infections are benign (1) and not reported to public health departments.
- Fatal cases of varicella are rare in the United States. Before the introduction of the varicella vaccination program, one in 40,000 or 0.003% of varicella cases were fatal.
- Because varicella resolves on its own in almost all cases, usually only rest and hydration are necessary.
- Immune globulin is available to treat immunocompromised patients who are exposed to chicken pox, such as those on chemotherapy.
Key facts from the Varicella (Chicken Pox) Vaccine Risk Statement (VRS) are as follows:
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states, “It is not known how long a vaccinated person is protected against varicella.”
- The Institute of Medicine has not ruled out the possibility that varicella vaccination can lead to stroke as well as several neurological and autoimmune disorders, including encephalopathy, cerebellar ataxia, transverse myelitis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, small fiber neuropathy, arthropathy, and thrombocytopenia.
- A study published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal shows the varicella vaccine may cause permanent injury 44 times more often than fatal varicella.
- The chicken pox (varicella) vaccine has not been proven safer than chicken pox.
To safeguard children’s health, parents need access to balanced educational information on infectious diseases and vaccines. PIC makes scientific data freely available through its education program, a growing collection of concise, reader-friendly educational materials that support parents, physicians, and policymakers in calculating the risk-benefit ratio of vaccination. To read the newest DIS and VRS documents on chicken pox and the varicella vaccine, visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org/varicella.
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Epidemiology and prevention of vaccine-preventable diseases. 13th ed. Hamborsky J, Kroger A, Wolfe S, editors. Washington, D.C.: Public Health Foundation; 2015. 359, Appendix E5. https://physiciansforinformedconsent.org/cdc-pink-book-13th-
edition-and-appendix-e-2015-combo; "in the early 1990s, annually there were about 4 million cases, of which about 150,000 (3.75%) were reported."
Greg Glaser
General Counsel
info@picphysicians.org
925-642-6651
Original Source: Physicians for Informed Consent States, 'Chicken Pox (Varicella) Vaccine Has Not Been Proven Safer Than Chicken Pox'
