PSCI 426
The Arab-Israeli Conflict Fall 2024
Division II W Writing Skills

Class Details

The Arab-Israeli dispute receives more attention than arguably any other ongoing conflict in international politics, and for very good reason. The fact that it has lasted as long as it has–well over a century–been characterized by a remarkable (and depressing) degree of intensity; involved competing nationalisms, as well as different religions, cultures, and ethnicities; centered on territorial claims over land that is of special significance; and been connected to a number of important geopolitical questions, including ones involving great power competition, has made it a major focus of scholars of the Middle East, international relations analysts, and, of course, the general public. The issue is also of special interest, for a variety of reasons, in American political discourse. This seminar will examine the conflict in depth, beginning with its origins in the late nineteenth century, and ending with how it might run its course in the future. Specifically, the course will begin with an overview of the dispute’s history and most salient aspects. Thereafter, it will cover Zionism and the Palestinian nationalist cause; the creation of the state of Israel and the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli war; the June 1967 war; the debate, and controversy, over the “Israel lobby” in the United States; the October 1973 war and its aftermath; the road to the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty; the arguably underappreciated role that nuclear weapons have played in the conflict; the rise and collapse of the Oslo peace process in the 1990s, as well as the outbreak of the Second Intifada in 2000; and the future of the dispute.
The Class: Format: seminar
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 1946
Grading: no pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: class participation, three critical analytical essays, peer critiques/exchanges, final paper
Prerequisites: PSCI 120 and at least one other PSCI course from the international relations subfield
Enrollment Preferences: Political science majors, especially seniors, will be given priority for enrollment.
Distributions: Divison II Writing Skills
WS Notes: Students will need to do a large amount of analytical writing in this course, as well as critique and edit one another's papers. There will also be a component of the class that involves doing writing workshops.
Attributes: PSCI International Relations Courses

Class Grid

Updated 8:07 am

Course Catalog Search


(searches Title and Course Description only)
TERM




SUBJECT
DIVISION



DISTRIBUTION



ENROLLMENT LIMIT
COURSE TYPE
Start Time
End Time
Day(s)