Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Description
The object of this course is to provide a basic understanding of modern Israeli politics, culture, and identity through lectures, discussions and projects. Among the topics to be explored are: Israel’s political system and society; Jewish-ethnic relations in Israel; the Arab minorities in the Jewish state; Israeli technology; Israeli occupation and settlement projects; the struggle for Israel’s identity. A broad array of genres and modes of expression—not only academic writings, but also literature, popular music, film, documentaries, and art—will be incorporated into our discussion.
Learning Goals
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Define and describe major events in the history of modern Israel
- Define and describe Israel’s political regime (political parties, municipal and regional administration, etc.)
- Define, describe, and appraise the major analytical terms used in our course
- Integrate course data into a coherent narrative(s) of current Israeli identity(ies)
Grading and Assignments
| ASSIGNMENTS | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Readings’ assignments (4) | 40% |
| Class participation (including the staged Israeli-Arab-Palestinian peace conference) | 15% |
| Classroom presentation | 15% (bonus) |
| Final paper | 45% (or 30% if the presentation was good) |
Attendance is mandatory. For more detail, see the Assignments section.
Readings
General background books
Shapira, Anita. Israel: A History. Brandeis University Press, 2014. ISBN: 9781611686180. [Preview with Google Books]
Bunton, Martin. The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780199603930. [Preview with Google Books]
Dowty, Alan. Israel / Palestine. 4th ed. Polity Press, 2017. ISBN: 9781509520787. [Preview with Google Books]
Kimmerling, Baruch, and Joel S. Migdal. The Palestinian People: A History. Harvard University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780674011298. [Preview with Google Books]
For additional readings, see the Readings section.
