Environmental Studies Summer Program

  Israel

Tel Aviv

Description: Israel's Water: Environmental Perspectives from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea
Course Description

With the sea to the west, coral reefs to the south, waterfalls in the north and a freshwater system throughout, Israel's environment is deeply affected by issues of water use and conservation. Water supply, marine conservation, river rehabilitation and coastal management are only some of the water-related issues that have huge implications for the country's already fragile environment. Moreover, water in the Middle East is no longer just an environmental concern but also a fraught political issue, as allocation of water resources and wastewater treatment develop into additional sources of conflict between Israel and its neighboring countries.

The Porter School's summer course in Environmental Studies offers 6 academic credits to participating students. Three weeks of classes and field trips to the Mediterranean Sea, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Ein Gedi and the Red Sea in Eilat will give participants a thorough introduction to the state of Israel's environment with an emphasis on its freshwater and marine water systems. The course will be interdisciplinary in nature, taking students through the various elements (including, amongst others, ecological, ethical, political, and legal) that form the backdrop to environmental tensions in the region.

The Israel Summer Course is organized by the Porter School of Environmental Studies (PSES) at Tel Aviv University together with the Overseas Program at TAU. PSES is Israel's only interdisciplinary environmental graduate school, running masters, doctoral and post-doctoral programs aimed at advancing excellence in environmental teaching and research through the diversity of disciplines that impact on the environment.

Highlights: Amongst the classes being offered are:

Environment and Health
The Climate Crisis and the Middle East: a view from the social sciences
Plants, Water and Salt
Geographic Information Systems and their Applications in Environmental Management
Wastewater Engineering: Characteristics, treatment, reuse and concerns
The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee: Geology and Global Climate Change
Water Contamination in Israel
Water Law Around the World and in Israel
Energy for a Sustainable Future
The Tragedy of the Commons: A View on Water
The Northern Red Sea Reefs: An ecosystem at the edge of global coral distribution
Point Source Pollution: Effects on the Mediterranean stream ecosystem

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Israel Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript