This is the kind of school I always wanted to go to. It is a group of scholars in the classical sense of the word and I’ve met people who I hope to be friends with for the rest of my life.
Students take a course load of 4-5 academic courses per semester. Courses focus on the areas of water management, renewable energy, ecology, sustainable agriculture, environmental politics, and more. Courses are offered at an undergraduate level, with some graduate courses available. Each course is for 3 academic credits.
*All details are subject to change.
Spring 2025
Taught by Dr. Tali Zohar
Modern society relies on stable, readily available energy supplies. Renewable energy is an increasingly important component of the new energy mix. The course covers the history, utilization, and storage of renewable technologies such as wind, solar, biomass, fuel cells, and hybrid systems. The course also touches upon the social, cultural, and environmental consequences of energy production and consumption, both renewable and fossil, the impact on climate change, and the transition towards a sustainable society.
Taught by Dr. Elli Groner & Dr. Uri Shanas
This course is aimed in providing students with the experience of doing field work and learning how to assess nature into meaningful results and discussion. The expedition of this course will be over 5 days together with 3rd year Biology students from Oranim Academic College.
The aim of this course is to provide the students with a hands-on experience in
biodiversity. The world-wide sharp decline in biodiversity is a human made crisis that ecologists are trying to solve. Some of the important questions are: “What and how many species exist?”; “How do we evaluate the abundance and the richness of species?”; “How do we set priority regions for conservation based on biodiversity?” We will deal with these questions and others before, during and after sampling several taxonomic groups in the research area of the Arava institute. The students of this course will take part in a long-term monitoring research of a specific landscape unit in the Arava valley.
Taught by Dr. Miri Lavi-Neeman
This class we will examine how social scientists have adopted and/or interrogated a number of concepts and keywords relating to the contemporary global environmental change. Together, these keywords form a climate change general vocabulary: a shared body of words and meanings that were developing, overlapping, changing and assimilating in the course of general societal discussion in the past 15 years. Among these concepts, the recent explosion of critical social science literature on “the Anthropocene” is the most prominent example of cross-disciplinary borrowing; further concepts such as resilience, adaptation, vulnerability and attribution are more recent keywords in the lexicons of political ecology and cognate fields.
Taught by Dr. Shimrit Maman
This introductory course aims to provide students with an integrated overview of the science of climate change through various aspects: physical and anthropogenic. The science of climate change will be presented, drawing attention to state of the art research and technologies. Diplomatic and policy efforts and trends will be discussed. And lastly, social changes, adaptation and activism issues that will be presented and analyzed.
Taught by Dr. Rina Kedem
The course examines theories, models, and examples of the conflict-cooperation
continuum in the political arena of the Middle East. The course includes an
interdisciplinary approach to development, geography, environment, and peace and conflict studies.
The course aims to:
- Review and analyze the formal and informal environmental relationship
between two countries while focusing on the Israeli- Palestinian environmental history and/or the Jordanian- Israeli environmental history of conflict and cooperation. - Study patterns and trends of cooperation and conflict. Which factors hinder
cooperation, and which induce conflict? - Analyze case studies with an emphasis on local case studies and the topics of
climate, water, energy, and biodiversity. - Provide a platform to discuss contemporary matters and anecdotes in the
environmental relationships between the countries in the Middle East (including a perspective on the recent Abraham Accords).
Taught by Dr. Elise Machline
With momentum building for an expansion of architectural and urban design practices that respond to the environmental challenges of our time, it is worth considering the socio-economic implications of what has come to be known around the world as sustainable urbanism. In this course, we bring together a series of topics aiming to address the socio-economic impacts of ‘green’ building policies focusing on Israel but through an international overview. In sum, this course aims to answer a crucial question: If sustainable urbanism does offer individual as well as societal benefits, can it be affordable to those who
need it the most?
More specifically, this course will focus on (i) the sustainable urbanism policies
implemented to prevent climate change; (ii) “green building policies and practices (iii) the socio-economic impacts of “green” building policies. (iiiiv) the analysis of case studies addressing sustainable urbanism.
Taught by Dr. David Lehrer
This course will survey economic thinking on environmental issues. A wide
range of topics will be considered, including economic approaches to pollution
control; the extent to which environmental regulations impede production of
conventional goods and services; water markets; valuation of environmental
resources; natural resource damage assessment; climate change; loss of
biodiversity; circular economies; and sustainability. The course will seek to
introduce students to the insights that economics can provide as well as make
them aware of the pitfalls of economic approaches.
Taught by Dr. Inbal Zaibel
This course is designed to provide a framework for students interested in pursuing an independent research project. The course will introduce students to methods for designing, analyzing, writing and presenting both quantitative and qualitative research. It provides a unique opportunity for students to work on an individual basis with experts in their field of interest and engage in issues which are specific to the Middle East.
In the first week of the course students will choose a research project either from ongoing research or an original research project of their choosing. Each student will either seek their own academic advisor or be assigned an academic advisor in the region who will guide them throughout the semester. Simultaneously, for the first few weeks of the semester, students will be required to attend a two-hour seminar which will teach the steps involved in conducting both qualitative and quantitative research from surveying the relevant literature to presenting the final results.
The second part of the course will focus less on frontal lectures and more on practical tutorials which will help students to progress with their individual research projects. Students will be divided according to the type of research they are conducting (qualitative, quantitative or a combination of the two) and work both in groups and individually with one of the two lecturers of the course. By the end of the semester students will have learned the skills necessary for writing a research proposal, surveying relevant literature, gathering and analyzing data, presenting the results and writing a research paper.
Soils form a unique and irreplaceable essential resource for all terrestrial organisms, including man. Soils form not only the very thin outer skin of the earth’s crust that is exploited by plant roots for anchorage and supply of water and nutrients. Soils are complex natural bodies formed under the influence of plants, microorganisms and soil animals, water and air from their parent material, solid rock or unconsolidated sediments. Soil composition under variable conditions, usually differ strongly from the parent (parent = original) material, and normally are far more suitable as a rooting medium for plants. In addition to serving as a substrate for plant growth, including crops and pasture, soils play a dominant role in the cycling of water, carbon, nitrogen and other elements, influencing the composition and turnover rates of substances in the atmosphere and the hydrosphere.
The course will include laboratory and field work (soil sampling and field analysis), worksheets, exercises, readings, etc. In addition to participating in the lab and class discussions, students will have a midterm exam. The main reading of this course will be provided by the instructor.
Taught by Dr. Oren Hoffman
The course offers an overview of approaches to sustainable agriculture. In this course, farming methods and the agronomic and environmental consequences are explored through lectures and gardening. Subjects include crop diversity, ancient crops, organic vs. conventional management, water- saving techniques, soil ecology, and co-cropping. The students will have the opportunity to visit and help in the experimental fields while exploring various approaches towards agricultural sustainability. As they learn, they will document and share something they learned on social media (or present in class). The social media assignment offers the opportunity to engage with a wider audience, including friends and family, on the important topic of sustainable development. Aside from being an important skill, posting to social media enables access to more information and knowledge sources.
The students will be exposed to various research questions currently being studied in the Center for Sustainable Agriculture, revolving around resource conservation in desert agriculture. They will take part in setting up and running experiments in the student garden and/or the experimental fields of the CSA in Ketura. Their assignments will include hands on tasks and writing a report about the experiments. They will write and hand in parts of the report throughout the semester. The first part will be a short introduction/literature review (based on max 5 papers), the second part will include the students’ methodology and the final report will include the results and some discussion.
Taught by Dr. Clive Lipchin
This course will introduce the major issues hindering or allowing for efficient water management in the Middle East. As water scarcity is a reality in the region, it is critical to explore the ways and means for sustainable management of this resource in the face of growing demand and dwindling supply and the associated regional plans for water allocation among the countries of the region. The course will concentrate on the Jordan River and Dead Sea Basin and associated groundwater resources and how these waters are managed and shared. The course will focus on the water resources of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. The goal of the course is to provide students with an overview of the challenges facing policy makers and water experts in effectively managing these shared resources and negotiating over their equitable allocation.
NON-ACADEMIC COURSES
Facilitated by Clara Maria Huergo
All students and interns participate in the Dialogue Forum, reflecting the Arava Institute’s mission to generate capacity-building for conciliation and cooperation, even during conflict. Dialogue Forum participants engage in weekly dialogue sessions overseen by three facilitators (Israeli, Palestinian, International). Together, they discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including its historical roots, the current situation as experienced by both sides, and possible futures. They share personal experiences and family stories from different sides in the conflict, raising universal questions about identity, national ideologies, power and privilege, coexistence and personal responsibility. In this process, students are challenged to examine critically their own views, cultural values and understanding of history.
Every student, no matter the country of origin, has the opportunity to contribute significantly to this ongoing dialogue. By engaging with these issues in a multi-cultural group setting, Dialogue Forum participants develop competencies in intercultural understanding and empathy. The weekly dialogue sessions are enriched by guest speakers, films on the conflict, and an intensive mid-semester trip. Workshops on storytelling, active listening and other communication skills help students in the dialogue process, and contribute to developing respectful interactions within the student community.
The Dialogue Forum is not meant to lead to political agreement among the participants. In fact, the open dialogue reveals many ideological differences within the Conflict, as reflected by the students themselves. In the Dialogue Forum, we explore how to live within these differences, as individuals and groups. This builds on the Arava Institute’s belief that the social and political relationships within and between groups in this region have a significant influence on environmental practices, public policies, and grassroots activism. The Dialogue Forum takes advantage of the Arava Institute’s own community as a microcosm of the region, building the tools and understanding necessary to foster environmental sustainability, social justice and respect in the broader society.
Fall 2025
Taught by Noam Weiss, Dr. Elli Groner & Dr. Omer Polak
The course includes three spheres: terrestrial marine, and air. It starts with an introduction to deserts of the world and why deserts are considered hazards for life. The course then covers adaptations to the hazards of deserts, the desert food web and ecosystem, and human-nature interactions including ecosystem services and desert management. The Arava is located on a globally important bird migration flyway, and the course will study bird migration, birds as an asset to human life in the desert, and how to protect it. The course also covers the Red Sea and the coral reef ecosystem.
Taught by Dr. Rina Kedem & Dr. Suleiman Halasah
Transboundary Environmental Cooperation (TEC) refers to working across national borders to address environmental issues that affect more than one country/sovereign entity. There is a growing literature on TEC and its potential peace-enhancing effects in conflict settings and post-conflict natural resource management. This field is called Environmental Peacebuilding (EPB). The course will explore the theory and application of the young and fast-growing field of EPB: its premises, case studies, challenges, and opportunities. The course will discuss the environment-conflict-cooperation nexus and delineate the impact of global climate change on environmental cooperation and conflict and vice versa.
Taught by Dr. Clive Lipchin
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the policy options for addressing environmental challenges at the local, national, regional, and global scale. The course considers how environmental problems are defined as a product of both social and environmental conditions, and then explores the ‘tool box‘ of policy types, their applications, strengths, and weaknesses. Various case studies from the Middle East are used to deepen understanding.
Taught by Dr. Elise Machline
Taught by Dr. David Lehrer
Conflict over natural resources is often described as the defining feature of our age. As global demand for energy, consumer goods, and high-tech increases, geopolitical contests intensify. Technological development continues to change the definition of resources, the nature of conflicts, and the way resources are valued, extracted, exchanged, and controlled across the globe. This course equips students with tools to understand the relationship between conflict, natural resources, and the effects of this relationship on development, peace, and security.
Taught by Dr. Aviva Peeters
This course is an introduction to the concepts and application of geographic information systems and science (GIS). It is designed for students without former GIS experience but is also beneficial for those who have taken a course before. The course focuses on the use of GIS for scientific inquiry and real-world problem-solving, covering different types of GIS spatial analysis such as suitability analysis, surface analysis, and 3D analysis.
Plants and pollinators have co-evolved for nearly 200 million years, resulting in the diversity of flowering plants and pollinating animals we see today. However, the stability of plant-pollinator interactions is rapidly being undermined by climate change, habitat loss, pollution, and agrochemicals. Considering that nearly 80% of the food we consume relies on pollination services, there is an urgent need to understand these interactions and explore approaches for plant-pollinator conservation and sustainability.
Taught by Dr. Miri Lavi-Neeman
Political Ecology has emerged as a powerful interdisciplinary critique of ecological change, mapping political, economic, and social factors onto questions of environmental degradation and transformation. This course introduces core tenets and perspectives of political ecology, key debates in the field, and evaluates the power of political ecology to explain and analyze historical and current conflicts and processes involving Israelis, Palestinians, and others in the Middle East.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of wastewater treatment processes and technology, tailored for both engineering and social science students. It offers a comprehensive overview of the operation, maintenance, and design of wastewater treatment plants, emphasizing the integration of technical and societal perspectives. Students will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to select, size, and design small-scale wastewater treatment units, with a particular focus on urban water management and the challenges of water reuse.
NON-ACADEMIC COURSES
Facilitated by Clara Maria Huergo
All students and interns participate in the Dialogue Forum, reflecting the Arava Institute’s mission to generate capacity-building for conciliation and cooperation, even during conflict. Dialogue Forum participants engage in weekly dialogue sessions overseen by three facilitators (Israeli, Palestinian, International). Together, they discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including its historical roots, the current situation as experienced by both sides, and possible futures. They share personal experiences and family stories from different sides in the conflict, raising universal questions about identity, national ideologies, power and privilege, coexistence and personal responsibility. In this process, students are challenged to examine critically their own views, cultural values and understanding of history.
Every student, no matter the country of origin, has the opportunity to contribute significantly to this ongoing dialogue. By engaging with these issues in a multi-cultural group setting, Dialogue Forum participants develop competencies in intercultural understanding and empathy. The weekly dialogue sessions are enriched by guest speakers, films on the conflict, and an intensive mid-semester trip. Workshops on storytelling, active listening and other communication skills help students in the dialogue process, and contribute to developing respectful interactions within the student community.
The Dialogue Forum is not meant to lead to political agreement among the participants. In fact, the open dialogue reveals many ideological differences within the Conflict, as reflected by the students themselves. In the Dialogue Forum, we explore how to live within these differences, as individuals and groups. This builds on the Arava Institute’s belief that the social and political relationships within and between groups in this region have a significant influence on environmental practices, public policies, and grassroots activism. The Dialogue Forum takes advantage of the Arava Institute’s own community as a microcosm of the region, building the tools and understanding necessary to foster environmental sustainability, social justice and respect in the broader society.
