KIVUNIM
STUDY THE PAST/EXPERIENCE THE PRESENT/BUILD THE FUTURE
The College provides academic supervision and issues academic transcripts for students who successfully complete Kivunim’s course requirements. Kivunim requires studentds to take five full year courses: Four majors: Civilization and Society, Perspectives on the Middle East , Arabic Language and Culture, and Hebrew Language and Culture, and an Art minor: Visual Learning, the Art of Seeing.* The College reviews and approves all of Kivunim’s course descriptions, curricula, reading lists, tests and faculty qualifications.
The College then issues official transcripts indicating the academic credit equivalent earned by each student upon successful completion of the course(s), totalling a maximum of 30 credits.
KIVUNIM students have transfer up to 30 credits to a wide variety of North American Colleges. (e.g., University of Michigan, Emory University, University of Maryland, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Illinois, SUNY Binghamton, Colby College, Ithaca College, Columbia University (List College), University of California at Berkeley, McGill University, etc.) (The official Hebrew College transcript requires payment of an additional fee of $1200.)
* “Civilization and Society” is our core curriculum providing a fascinating inter-disciplinary introduction to the countries that we visit during the year. We study the basic history of each country, its religious life, economic structure, geography, social/political structures and the Jewish historical experience and contemporary life within that country.
“Perspectives on the Middle East” is an intellectually open approach to the issues that divide the Arab and Jewish worlds. The course is designed with the belief that developing understanding of the “other” will enhance the possibilities for greater peace and less violence in the region in the years to come. Recognizing that today’s KIVUNIM students will be tomorrow’s professional, business, finance, political and religious leaders, this course in Middle East Studies opens the door to the development of new and creative thinking in looking to the future development of the region as a whole.
One of KIVUNIM’s many innovations is the inclusion of the study of Arabic in addition to Hebrew in a Jewish educational program. Our language courses are taught by experienced professional language teachers. Teaching Arabic to KIVUNIM students reflects our commitment to help to build a Middle East of greater dialogue and peaceful coexistence.
Being in Israel for a year provides the opportunity to enhance already established Hebrew language levels of some of our students while beginning or improving those with little or no previous background. Hebrew is taught on multiple levels and tutorials are provided where necessary and beneficial.
“Visual Thinking: The Art of Seeing” is a unique course taught by Artist-in-Residence Tobi Kahn who uses photography to enhance our students’ sense of what surrounds them. People, places and things all command a greater regard when Tobi has completed his inspirational work.
KIVUNIM’s extensive faculty include many noted academics, journalists, writers, artists, and political leaders of Israel and the other countries on our travel schedule.
KIVUNIM's ACADEMIC PROGRAM
KIVUNIM students receive a full year of college credit transferrable to and accepted by most colleges and universities across North America. KIVUNIM’s Academic Program consists of five courses that support the basic goals and objectives of our extensive travel schedule. Formal academic credits are provided by Hebrew College of Boston MA, which is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.
