The proposal has been approved. The itinerary is being planned. But the program almost didn’t happen.
Chaplain Jan Fuller proposed the idea of having a Winter Term study abroad course in Israel shortly after she came to Elon University last September, but she initially had reservations.
“As I wrote the proposal for the trip, I threw my hands up in the air several times and thought, ‘What am I trying to do?’” she said. “There were several times when I thought, ‘Just give it up. This is too big.’ But I realized that I want students to grapple with the big things.”
The course, which was accepted less than a month ago, is set to take place during Winter Term 2014. It will focus on the relationship between religion, culture and politics in Israel, specifically through examining the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
One aspect of the course is studying grassroots peace-making communities. The only way the efforts of these communities will make sense, Fuller said, is if students understand the conflict these people live with everyday, which is no easy task.
“There’s nothing simple about this,” she said. “It’s an extremely complex situation — there’s no right and wrong. No one is pure. No one is innocent. No one is evil. No one is wrong. There’s such a complex array of history, religion, human needs and injustice all over the area, and the goal is to try and understand some of that.”
Fuller said she is looking for students who are willing to engage in a respectful dialogue with people they might not agree with, but will withhold any potential judgment in order to listen more carefully.
“I’m hoping we’ll have students who are not only willing to think with their heads but think with their hearts, and who are also willing to be vulnerable with each other,” she said.
Kevin Morrison, assistant dean of global studies in the Isabella Cannon Global Education Center, said he’s glad Fuller is tackling a difficult subject and exposing Elon students to something they probably are not familiar with.
“The complexities of what’s going on are not easily solvable questions,” he said. “I think it’s admirable to delve into difficult topics that don’t have easy answers. You have to be OK walking away not having resolved these issues.”
The class also stands out because it is revolutionary in the Elon community: it’s the first Winter Term class to travel to Israel in Elon’s history.
Morrison said the program is a great start to developing more study abroad programs in the Middle East.
“The Middle East is an area where we are underrepresented in study abroad programs,” he said. “This is partly because of safety issues, and partly because I think it’s an area that we need to develop more curiosity about with our students.”
Fuller said she’s aware that safety concerns may arise. She said she intends to carefully watch the news until the time of the program to make sure no one will be put at risk.
“There are dangers, but I think we will circulate around them,” she said. “We will be smart, and if things get dangerous, we won’t go. But I want to reassure students and their families that the way things look in Western media is not always the way things are. One small corner can be risky, but not the whole place.”
While the course communicates global issues, it inherits a more personal significance from Fuller, who grew up in Lebanon and Jordan.
“I think the people of the Middle East are some of the warmest, most passionate and most beautiful people,” she said. “I can’t wait to introduce the community here to some of my community there.”