JERUSALEM
FIELD STUDY
2010
The Road to Jerusalem University College along the Wall of the Old City
Class Name
JERUSALEM FIELD STUDY: Geographical and Historical
Settings of the Bible
Dates
Orientation Meetings, 31 August & 2 November 2009
Field Study in Jerusalem, 4-24 January 2010
Debrief Meeting, 14 February 2010
Course Codes
BCM = BIB391/HIS392; MA = BB594X/HS594X
Organisation
9 Credit Points; 162 Demand Hours
Coordinator
Dr Eric Newberg
Contact Info
eric.newberg@scc.edu.au
Office hours
Monday 10am-Noon; 2-4pm; Friday 10am-Noon
Description of Field Study Program
This class features a three-week field study program in Jerusalem,
designed to provide students with a first-hand introduction to the
geography, history, and archaeology of Israel. It is offered by
Southern Cross College through a consortium arrangement with
Jerusalem University College.
Assignments using materials furnished by Jerusalem
University College will be completed prior to departure for
Israel. Students will have two briefing sessions prior to the field study in Jerusalem. At
one of these sessions they will view the video, “Beyond Beersheba,” which tells the
story of the participation of the Anzac forces in the battle for Jerusalem in the First
World War. At the Jerusalem campus, students attend lectures designed to integrate
assignments with field study. Daily regional field studies, including an optional regional
study in Jordan after the regular program, involve field trips of one to three days. These
constitute the main body of the program. Following the time in Jerusalem, students will
participate in a debrief session and submit a critical book review which asks them to
reflect on their experience in Jerusalem. The pre- and post-Jerusalem sessions are
offered face to face at the Chester Hill campus and online via Moodle.
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Studies and walks in Jerusalem emphasize important aspects of the city in biblical and
modern times and reconstruct the features of the city and its environs during the times of
David, Solomon, Hezekiah, the Maccabees and Jesus. Time spent in the Galilee region helps
students understand the geography as well as the culture during the time of Christ and other
periods of biblical history.
Course Outcomes
Students should be able to:
 Display a basic acquaintance with the physical and historical geography of Israel.
 Identify the location of significant events in Israel that are recorded in the Old
Testament Scriptures, the New Testament, and Greco-Roman-Judean history of the
first century.
 Develop a better understanding of the culture and religions of the area, especially
Judaism, Islam and the variety of Christian traditions, so that they may appreciate the
value of interfaith dialogue.
 Describe the ideologies that are at play in the peace process in Israel/Palestine.
 Relate their academic studies to the biblical perspective, a Christian world view, and
their vocational interests.
Teaching and Learning Strategies:
Field Education – includes map work, lectures, extensive field research, examinations, and
international travel.
Course Requirements
Students are required to enrol by 1 October 2009. Participation at two orientation meetings
and a debrief session at Southern Cross College (or online) is required. This course is worth 9
credit points, which translates into 162 demand hours. These demand hours equate to the
time each student is notionally committed to complete the subject. The break down as follows:
 Weekly Lectures (3 hours weekly)
45
 Assigned Reading (3 hours weekly)
45
 Other non-assessable work
24
 Assessable work
48
Total
162
Required Readings
Paul Charles Merkley, Christian Attitudes toward the State of Israel. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s
University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-7735-2188-7
Map Handbook
Students can order the book by Merkley from Koorong (www.koorong.com.au) or Amazon
(www.amazon.com). The map handbook will be supplied by Jerusalem University College
upon enrollment and payment of fees. Other required readings will be distributed to students
at Jerusalem University College.
Course Assessment
Each student will complete the following assessments:
1. Reflection essay (10%)
2. Mapping prior to departure (10%)
2. Regional mapping, reports, and examinations (60%)
3. Critical book review (20%)
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All writing assignments must comply with the correct style for academic writing as set forth in
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007.
1. Reflection Essay (10%, diploma 500 words; bachelors 750 words; masters 1000
words)
Write a creative reflection essay in response to the video, “Beyond Beersheba.” Topic:
What does Australia have to do with Israel? Due: 31 August 2009 at first orientation
meeting.
2. Mapping prior to departure (10%).
Using mapping material provided by Jerusalem University College, students will identify
locations of biblical Israel. Due: 2 November 2009 at second orientation meeting.
3. Regional mapping, reports, and examinations (60%)
Students will submit mapping assignments and reports, and take examinations related to
the following onsite studies: Jerusalem, regional trips throughout Israel, geographical,
historical, and archaeological previews of each trip, hikes and biblical walks, scenic
overviews, nature reserves, archaeological sites, traditional church sites, museums, and
Due: 2-24 January 2010 at Jerusalem University College
4. Critical book review (20%, diploma 750 words; bachelors 1000 words; masters
2000 words).
Write a critical review of Paul Merkely, Christian Attitudes towards the State of Israel. In
your review, you will:
 Highlight the main themes of the book
 Discuss the author’s perspective
 Critique the scope and depth of the arguments presented
 Interact with alternative viewpoints on the same topic
 Offer a personal reflection on the relevance of the book to your experience in
Israel.
Due: February 14 at debrief session
Itinerary of Field Study
Jan. 4-24
Geographical and Historical Settings of Israel
Jerusalem Environs
Territory of Benjamin
Judah, Shephelah, and Philistine Coast
Negev and Great Wilderness
Dead Sea Area Field
Sharon Plain and Jezreel Valley
Galilee Region
Northern Approaches
Jordan River
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| Optional Jordan extension, Jan. 24-26
Join others after your regular three-week program
for an adventure into the land of the Moabites,
Edomites, Reuben and Gad. This optional 2.5 day
add on excursion after the regular Historical
Geographical Settings program will have you in the
deep canyons into Petra, the dramatic city carved
out of rock by the Nabateans; strolling the main
street of Jerash, an ancient Roman city of the
Decapolis where you will learn Roman city planning
and see beautiful Byzantine architecture; viewing
the Promised Land from a Patriarch’s viewpoint on
Mt. Nebo; and admiring the famous ancient mosaic
map of Palestine in Madaba.
Class Schedule
Wk
Date
Aug.
31
Topic
Orientation Meeting #1
6:30 pm Chester Hill Campus
Date
Nov.
2
Orientation Meeting #2
6:30 pm Chester Hill Campus
Date
Jan.
4-24
Intensive at Jerusalem
University College
Date
Jan.
2426
Date
Feb.
14
Optional Jordan Extension
Debrief Session
6:30 pm Chester Hill Campus
Required Activities
-Overview of Trip Details
 Itinerary
 Academic Program
 Accommodations
 Airfare
 Costs
-View video, “Beyond Beersheba”
 Anzac monuments in Israel
-Reflection Essay: What does Australia
have to do with Jerusalem?

-Briefing
 Travel Guidelines
 Transportation to Jerusalem
University College
 Security
-Due: JUC Mapping Exercises
Lectures
Field Trips
Regional Mapping & Reports
Examinations
Church visits
Anzac monuments
Arnon Gorge
Medaba
Petra
Due: Critical Book Review
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Costs
The cost of the Jerusalem field study class will depend on whether a student opts for the
Jordan extension and group travel arrangements. See the breakout of costs on the JUC trip
fees page which is included in the applications materials. Fee help is available.
Application Process
Southern Cross College is an associated school of Jerusalem University College. The
application process takes place in two steps: first, you submit an application to Southern
Cross College. Second, SCC acts on your application and then sends it on to JUC.
A completed application will include:
__ Application form
__ Application fee, $50.00 US, non-refundable
__ Deposit, $100.00 US, applicable to total fees
__ Materials fee, $65.00 US, non-refundable
__ Transcripts, supplied by SCC
__ Signed medical report and statements and agreements
__ Church contact information
Post the completed application to:
Dr. Eric N. Newberg
Southern Cross College
PO 125
Chester Hill, NSW, 2162
Information on Jerusalem University College
Location: One hundred yards north of the campus, through the Zion Gate, you’ll
enter Jerusalem’s Old City with its four very distinct sections: the Jewish,
Armenian, Muslim and Christian Quarters. Find your way through a maze of
narrow streets to such sites as the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, the Dome
of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Mount Zion campus
includes classrooms, offices, dormitories, dining hall, student lounge and campus
store, as well as lush gardens overlooking the Hinnom Valley.
Conveyance: Comfortable private travel coaches take students on field studies
to amazing places throughout the region to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells
of the world of the Bible, much of which remains like it was 2,000 years ago.
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities (CCCU): Jerusalem University
College is an international affiliate of the CCCU. Approximately 50% of the
member schools in the CCCU are also members of the Consortium of Associated
Schools of Jerusalem University College.
Government: The University has been recognized in Israel by the Ministry of
Religious Affairs and the Foreign Ministry as an independent degree granting
Christian university level school and functions with the approval of the Israeli
government. In the U.S. JUC is recognized as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit educational
institution, registered in Illinois and originally chartered in Minnesota in 1957.
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Asian Theological Association (ATA): Geographically located in Asia, JUC is
accredited by the ATA. Several Asian and Pacific Rim Consortium member schools
are also accredited by ATA.
Consortium of Associated Schools of Jerusalem University College:
Jerusalem University College also enjoys a self-authenticating accreditation
through the oversight of its Consortium of which membership is only allowed to
those who meet the criteria of regional or professional accreditation in the United
States and Canada or for non North American schools, the national accreditation
standards of their country. A list of member institutions can be found on the JUC
website.
Academic Resources: Students enjoy access to the libraries of Hebrew
University, Hebrew Union College, Ecole Biblique, Tantur Ecumenical Institute,
and the facilities of the Israel and Rockefeller Museums, and our 10,000 volume
library which provides the academic materials for course work and research.
Academic Credit: All for-credit short-term programs offered by Jerusalem
University College are intensive, academically-oriented studies of the land of the
Bible. Unlike traditional tours of the Holy Land, our programs help students
discover ways that Biblical events can be placed in their proper geographical,
historical and cultural context. Our unique approach to understanding the
relationship between the Bible and its world, developed over the last five decades
through a personal interaction with the land, serves graduate students,
seminarians, undergraduate students, ministers and individuals.
Most of the coursework for our short-term programs is
done on-site, in the field. Prior map work and
classroom discussions provide the necessary context
for field-work. Because many of the day-long and
overnight field trips include sustained hiking over
sometimes very rugged terrain, participants must be in
excellent physical condition.
All of our for-credit programs require that each student
successfully complete map work, examinations and
written reflections on regions visited. Course
instructors are far more than "licensed tour guides."
They are academically qualified members of the faculty
of Jerusalem University College or its associated
schools, with specialties in the geography, history and
archaeology of the lands of the Bible.
Entrance Requirements:
Priority will be given to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Contemporary
Ministries and graduate level programs through Southern Cross College.
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
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2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale.
Complete the appropriate application.
Be in good physical condition.
Sign appropriate waivers of responsibility and health statement.
Pay the appropriate fees.
Obtain your transcript from Southern Cross College
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