- What is a telecourse?
A telecourse is a series of live, online webinars in which an international panel of experts on particular topics discuss an issue in an informal, interview format. - Who teaches the courses?
Each session has 3-4 different speakers or panelists. They do not deliver lectures but are instead interviewed by Elana Sztokman in interview format. Think of it like a Jewish feminist, online version of an Oprah show. Elana does not teach but rather moderates the conversation in an informal panel format. - How long are the sessions?
The Dynamics of Jewish Feminism telecourse is 90 minutes, from 11AM – 12:30 PM EST on Sundays. The DESIRE telecourse is 60 minutes, from 1PM-2PM EST on Wednesdays. We chose these time in order to experiment with different ways to try and accommodate the most time zones – Israel, UK, East Coast, West Coast. We also really wanted to include Australia but it’s so far been the most challenging time zone to include. We are truly sorry about that. Our hope is that we will be able to mix it up in the future and make times available in different ways.
- Will the sessions be recorded?
- The sessions will be recorded and made available to registrants
- Will parts be made available to the general public for free?
- Each week there will be snippets collected into a 5-10 minute summary made available to the general public.
- Will there be room for people to ask questions?
YES. The structure of each sessions is as follows:
5 minute introduction to the subject
10-12 minute interview with each of the expert speakers
10-15 minutes of panel interaction, speakers responding to each other
10-15 minutes of questions from the ‘class’, submitted via chat.
- Will there be ongoing discussion?
For each class, there will be closed online discussion in between sessions, either on Facebook or on the website.
- Is the course open to men as well?
Of course! It is open to ALL! No preconditions!
- Can I get continuing education credit?
We are working on this. We hope to have a positive answer soon, but it is a process.
- Are there scholarships available?
YES, there ARE scholarships available. Contact Elana directly for more details.
- Wait – so you’re planning more of these?
YES!! This is just the beginning! We are planning many more telecourses on a whole bunch of interesting topics – like education, body image, Jewish feminist art, Jewish feminist literature, feminism in liturgy, feminism in Jewish law, feminist midrash, Jewish feminism in the developing world, interfaith feminisms, and SO MUCH MORE! We are having a great time planning for next year! This course is hopefully the first of many, and will help us tweak issues around technology, structure, and more.
And BTW – if you have ideas for courses you would like to see, PLEASE tell us! We want to hear from you! Contact Elana directly with any and all ideas and suggestions –
- That’s so great because I know someone who would be GREAT for one of these courses!
Awesome! Send the info along –
- Can I watch the sessions with friends?
YES! We think it’s a great idea to watch the telecourse with friends. Especially if you have a large screen near some comfy couches. Make yourselves comfortable, make a cup of coffee or tea, and watch together and discuss as you go. We want community-building and connection-building to be an integral part of this project.
Anything else? Contact Elana anytime –