Institute for the Study of Modern Israel
of Emory University

1256 Briarcliff Road A-427N Atlanta, GA 30306    404.727.2798 tel    404.727.2441 fax

"The Israeli Economy"
HIST 351/ECON 351-000/JS 370/MESAS 370R
Spring 2008 Semester
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       This course traces the history of the pre-independence and modern economy, examining the role of population growth and immigration; problems of inflation and stabilization; the balance of payments and sectoral developments. It analyses the role of the Histadrut, the defense budget; the economics of the peace process of the 1990s and Israel’s integration into the world economy. The effects of the second Intifada and the current rapid growth of the economy are also examined.

"The International Oil Market and the Political Economy of the Middle East"
HIST 351/ECON 351-00P/MESAS 370R
Spring 2008 Semester
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      This course examines the connections between world’s reliance on oil and the political economy of the Middle East. The first part of the course examines world energy markets and their development, with emphasis on the USA. It then places oil consumption into the wider energy context. The rise of China and India as energy consumers is also examined and some environmental issues are analyzed. The second part looks at the Middle East as an oil supplier: what was the role of the West and how rentier states have come into being. Economic and strategic conclusions are drawn.

"Contemporary Issues in Israeli Politics"
HIST 489SWR/POLS 490SWR
Spring 2008 Semester
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This colloquium looks at developments in Israeli politics, society and constitutional arrangements from the 1990s until present day. The main topics that will be covered in the course are the changing agenda and nature of the Israeli politics, the role of the Israeli Supreme Court in shaping political realities, new dimensions of political extremism, gender politics, and interest groups. A relevant historic review about each topic will precede each topic and will provide understanding of Israeli politics, society and law along specific topics. No previous knowledge of Israel is required.

"History, Politics and Diplomacy of the Arab-Israeli Conflict"
HIST/POLS/JS 169
Fall 2007 Semester
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       This course is an introductory survey to the history, politics, and diplomacy of the Arab-Israeli conflict. The first half of the course will deal with the historical origins and development of the conflict to the establishment of Israel in May 1948. The second half will focus on more recent political, social, and economic aspects of the conflict, including the evolution of Palestinian national identity, the 1956, 1967 and 1973 Middle East Wars, and the various diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving the conflict. Reading and analyzing documents related to the conflict's 100-year history is a central feature of the course. Please note: students who have taken History 369 or 370, or equivalent courses on the Arab-Israeli conflict at another university or institution, may not enroll in this course unless granted written permission by the instructor.

"History of Israeli Politics: Institutions and Society"
HIST 385-004/POLS 385-005/JS 371-001
Fall 2007 Semester
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This course explores the Israeli political system, its institutional characteristics and components, and its main political dilemmas. The course aims to provide knowledge about Israeli political history and society. Topics included will be the origins and the development of the political system, electoral histories, and government formation. Attention is given to the dynamics between institutional arrangements and social cleavages in Israel and their interrelated effects. The course also discusses some of the main socio-political issues and tensions resulting from the dual definition of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, religion and politics, and the effects of armed conflicts on politics and society. The course requires no previous knowledge about Israel.

"Land of Israel 1882-1948: Sources, Narratives, Perspectives"
HIST 489SWR-000/JS 490SWR/MESAS 370SWR
Fall 2007 Semester
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       This junior/senior seminar will examine the pre-1948 history of the country which for Jews is ancestral Eretz Israel and the Arabs call Palestine. We will review the two parties' divergent outlooks at the point of departure, their views of on each other, the dialogue/antagonism between them, and political implications throughout this turbulent period. Students will use secondary as well as primary sources, including (to the extent possible) sources in Arabic and Hebrew. We will conclude by assessing the impact of these disparities on later Jewish-Palestinian relations.

"The Palestine Mandate: 1920-1948"
HIST 489/JS 371/MES 370-SWR
Spring 2007 Semester
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       This junior/senior colloquium will review the thirty-year history prior to the creation of Israel in 1948. We shall try to answer the question: why and how did the Zionists succeed in building a national home? Using primary and secondary sources, it will review social, economic, and political issues which influenced the development of Zionism, affected the creation of Israel, and saw the emergence of Palestinian national identity, the creation of Israel and Palestinian refugees, and the unfolding of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Students will concentrate on understanding the internal workings of Arab, British, and Zionist communities and their relationships with one another. Students will use a variety of historical sources, including unpublished dissertations, period newspapers, memoirs, monographs, biographies, and novels of the era.

"The Arab-Israeli Conflict"
JS110/PS 182 Sec 27
Spring  2006 Semester
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       This is an advanced survey of the Arab-Israeli conflict’s history, politics, and diplomacy. Divided at 1948-49, the first half of the course deals with the conflict’s social, political, ideological, and diplomatic origins; the second half with the period since, focusing on Israeli and Palestinian national emergence, Arab-Israeli wars, the subsequent diplomacy from each, and the impact of American, European, and Cold War engagement upon the conflict’s unfolding. Integral to the course are analyses of documents associated with the conflict's 100-year plus history.

"History of Modern Israel"
HIST 190
Spring 2006 Semester
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       This undergraduate freshmen seminar will review the history of modern Israel from the inception of Zionism to the present. The four periods of study will be the ideological formations (to 1917), Zionist autonomy in Palestine and nation-building (to 1949), the problems and successes of sovereignty (to 1977), and the quest for identity and normalization (to the present). Issues to be discussed will include the structure of the old and new Yishuv, immigrations to Eretz Yisrael, British rule in Palestine, relationships with the great powers, sociological associations and cleavages,  Israel-Diaspora relations, American Jewry and Israel, religion and state policy interaction, the political and economic systems, constitutional issues, Arab-Israeli wars, American-Israeli relations, the negotiating process, and quest for recognition from  Arab neighbors. Several guest speakers will participate in the class.

"Topics in 20th Century Middle Eastern History"
HIST 489/ JS490/ MES 370
Spring 2006 Semester
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       The purpose of this course is twofold. First, it is designed to acquaint students with an in-depth understanding of the major issues affecting the Middle East in the 20th century. Students will review the origins and development of the modern Middle East and understand the social, economic, and political foundations that set the stage for the region this century.  Second, students will become familiar with original source material that frame the key issues in the modern Middle East and engage in non-partisan discussion through written and oral presentations. 

Course topics will include, among others, evolution and development of Arab political culture, the legacy of Islam, the socio-economic-demographic underpinnings of the modern Middle East, the transformation of the ME in the 1908-1923 period, the controversial legacies of European colonial and imperial presence in the region during the first half of the 20th century,  establishment of independent Arab states, political economies, Islam in contemporary politics,  Palestinian nationalism, Jewish political culture, Zionism and Israel, evolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the cold war in the region, inter-Arab politics,  American/European interests toward the Middle East, chances of democratic reform, the explosion of the media upon Middle Eastern societies, the role of the foreigner in shaping change, and understanding how historical narratives are created and written.