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
Latest Fit News
Beyoncé’s Featured Dancers Les Twins Partners With Kids Write Network to Promote Mental Health
ATLANTA, July 19, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Kids Write Network's "RISE for Mental Tour with Les Twins" (RMH) has received praise from educators, parents and students across North America during visits to schools, community centers and hospitals. The Kids Write Network (KWN) and world-renowned dancers Larry and Laurent Bourgeois, known as Les Twins, aim to raise awareness about mental health and improve access to treatment and services.
In November 2022, Les Twins collaborated with KWN to develop workshops for schools and received widespread attention, with over 500 schools seeking to host the RHM tour. Through the power of dance, Les Twins demonstrate how they use body movement to cope with mental struggles, promote empowerment and show resilience.
The U.S. leg of RMH will launch Oct. 16 in Atlanta at the end of the current world tour that features Les Twins and their breathtaking performances. KWN will also release its AI app, which helps users measure progress in their mental health journeys.
KWN is a scientifically developed and medically approved in-school program that combines positive psychology, neuroscience, literary and art disciplines and the KWN Scyibl six-step program to provide students the tools to understand and better communicate about their mental health. KWN has received recognition from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who recommends the KWN program to Canadian schools.
The ATL Year of the Youth initiative is the reason the U.S. debut of RMH will be in Atlanta. KWN, Les Twins and Atlanta want to ensure youth have all of the resources they need to thrive.
Atlanta is also home to music industry veteran and philanthropist Shanti Das' nonprofit organization "Silence the Shame" (STS), dedicated to eliminating mental health stigma, and to reducing health disparities, and suicide rates among vulnerable populations. STS creates positive experiences, relationships, and environments, promoting positive youth development and empowering young people to prioritize their mental well-being. As an advocate for innovative solutions to engage in marginalized communities, STS is pleased to serve as an outreach partner for the RMH tour. "Mental health conditions are a public health issue in our community, and we are dedicated to offering tools to support good mental health for youth," says Das. A live taping of the "Silence the Shame" podcast and KWN Les Twins demo is scheduled for Aug. 13, 2023.
Due to its dedication and commitment to leading independent schools in best practices around mental health, Atlanta's Pace Academy is the first school on the RMH US tour. "Pace is thrilled to partner with Kids Write Network and Les Twins to support mental wellness, engage young people, and promote positivity, joy and art through this unique program. Mental health is a focus of Excellence in Every Endeavor, our school's 2022-2027 strategic plan, and our community is honored to serve as the launch site for RISE for Mental Health's U.S. tour," states Fred Assaf, Head of School, Pace Academy.
Contact Information:Kimiko Queguiner
board member, KWN
kimi@kidswritenetwork.com
(404) 316-7642
Helen Georgaklis
Founder, Kids Write Network
info@kidswritenetwork.com
Original Source: Beyoncé's Featured Dancers Les Twins Partners With Kids Write Network to Promote Mental Health
