Israel Studies Courses available for undergraduate and graduate students
Prof. Hagit Lavsky History of the State of Israel from 1948 to the Present History M184D Undergraduate lecture course Monday and Wednesday, 3.30-4.45 p. m Midterm and end-term papers of 5 pp. End-term exam. This lecture course will survey the history of Israel, starting with its forerunners - the Zionist movement and the Jewish national home in Palestine under the British Mandate. We shall survey political, social, economic, and cultural developments, focusing on unresolved issues, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the relations between state and religion, the absorption of mass immigration and the question of multiculturalism, and the stance of Israel in the international arena and the Jewish world. The readings accompanying the lectures represent a variety of interpretations and up-to-date studies. The lectures will strive to evaluate the different attitudes and will be followed by discussions based on the weekly readings of the students. Some of the lectures will be accompanied by source materials, analyzed prior to, or in the class
Prof. Hagit Lavsky Colonization and Nationalism: Jewish Settlement in Palestine-Israel, 1882-1948 History 201R, Graduate seminar Tuesday 4.00-6.50 p.m. The seminar deals with the Jewish colonization in Palestine during the first half of the 20th century, focusing on issues relating to the interrelations between nationalism, immigration and colonization, such as: what distinguished the Zionist orchestrated settlement policy? To what extent did national settlement resemble imperial colonization? Did immigration dictate or had it been dictated by the national settlement policy? How much was the national enterprise involved with socialism? What were the mutual impacts between national colonization and the Arab-Jewish conflict? The seminar will be based on intensive individual readings of the students, and each session will be opened by students' presentations. Each student will have to submit by the end of the term/year a seminar paper of about 25-40 pages, which will be worked out under the guidance of the teacher.
Dr. Nahshon Perez Democracy and Human Rights in Israel. Political Science 119 Tuesday, Thursday 8-10 This course aims to discuss the status of democracy and human rights in Israel. The first two classes will concisely present the basic laws and political structure of Israel. Following this short introduction, we shall examine more closely several aspects of the Israeli political system, including the freedom of religion, minority rights, the right of return, social and economic rights (vis--vis the changes transpiring in Israel in this context), security and human rights and several others. The method and readings of the course will include both readings from Israel studies and from political theory. The aim is to acquaint the students with both sufficient knowledge about Israel, and with critical normative tools that would enable reflection about Israel.