A seminar on the history of Jerusalem from biblical times to the present, though the emphasis will be on Jerusalem in the modern State of Israel. Students will gain a basic knowledge of Jerusalem’s past and present, its religious meanings in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and its role in the modern conflict in the Middle East. Instead of simply covering the long history of Jerusalem in chronological fashion, the course aims to provide students with the critical tools necessary to develop their own analysis of Jerusalem today. The thematic emphasis of our class will be on the integration of the old and the new, on the interconnection of history and modern life. We will pay close attention to how the history of Jerusalem continues to shape the city and life in the city today.

A video by Matthew Hrncir
My Journey to Jerusalem
Published on Apr 4, 2019

Video of RELI 392 class at Rice University based on the GoPro videos I took on the class trip in March of 2019.