Palestine, Zionism, Israel: 150 Years of Conflict

Catalog description

We will examine some salient issues in the history of Palestine, Israel, and the Zionist-Palestinian conflict from the late 19th century to the present. Topics include: Palestine and Palestinian nationalism, modern Zionism as ideology and settlement project, British colonial rule in Palestine, founding of the State of Israel, the wars of 1948 and 1967, the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, the Gaza wars. No prior knowledge of Middle East history is required. The course will enable you to articulate the positions of the major parties to the conflict (understanding that there is no single, unified Zionist, or Jewish, or Palestinian, or Arab position). Vigorous debate is strongly encouraged. All perspectives will be respected. The class will emphasize critical reading, writing, and argumentation expressed in a civil tone. These are fundamental skills for exercising educated citizenship and essential to interpreting information and making good policy.