Near East Studies

This course examines the development in oral and written comprehension and expression in modern Persian as spoken in Iran. General content includes: examination of the phonetics and phonology of the Persian alphabet as it is written in the Arabic script; examination of Persian grammar and syntax; study of Persian vocabulary and the similarities/cognates that are found between Persian and other Indo-European languages such as Spanish and English.

This course begins with an examination of the Zionist idea; its common denominators and variegated factions. Due consideration is given to the late-nineteenth century European context in order to appreciate the socio-economic, political, and cultural factors that impacted upon the Zionist movement. The course explores how competing visions for the Jewish state responded to the realities of Palestine, its local Arab population, Ottoman rulers, and existing Jewish population. The class discusses the McMahon-Hussein correspondence, the Sykes-Picot agreement, and the Balfour Declaration in order to appreciate whether Palestine was “a twice promised land.” The class examines the various British attempts to restore law and order and placate the ambitions of the Arab national movement whilst at the same time not giving the appearance of abandoning its commitments to the Zionist movement. The course studies the Peel Commission partition plan (1937) and the reactions of the Zionists, Palestinian Arabs, and emerging Arab states. The course discusses Arab and Zionist approaches towards the Allied war effort as well as their respective attitudes towards the future of the territory in a post-war settlement. The course explains the various claims as to why the British left Palestine, the recommendations of the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine, and its majority proposal for the partition of the territory. Students discuss the first Arab-Israeli war, the refugee crisis, and the Rhodes armistice agreements. Students are introduced to the writings of the New Historians and their critics. At this half way point the course turns its attention to internal and external dilemmas that faced and indeed continue to face the Israeli state. The schism surrounding religious – secular relations is studied both in its manifestation in the early years of statehood as well in ensuing years. The claim that Israel adopted a position of consociational politics in this arena is examined. A further field of study will be the approach of the hegemonic Labor movement towards the Mizrachi-Oriental immigrations of the 1950s and early 1960s. Expressions of alienation and discrimination are explored as well the claim that the ethnic gap remains real and not only symbolic in contemporary Israel. The course proceeds to examine other competing voices in Israeli society including those of its Arab citizens. It asks whether existing tensions can be accommodated by a reaffirmation of the Jewish-democratic characterization of the state or whether alternative paradigms might be considered. The various expressions of the Israel-Arab conflict are given due consideration as well as the efforts at peace making, particularly those with Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinians. The failure of the negotiations at Camp David in 2000 are addressed as well as the second intifada. Classes take the form of lectures, discussion based on the assigned readings, and one on-site visit.

This course introduces students to intellectual, political, social, and cultural trends in the Middle East (19th-20th centuries). Important political, social, and cultural developments in the region are studied. In this case, Lebanon serves as a case study for various trends that influenced the Middle East during the period in question.

This course focuses on the objectives, methods, and consequences of media involvement in armed conflicts and the importance of armed conflict for the media, in both historical and contemporary perspectives. The course provides tools to analyze and understand different cultural, social, and technical aspects of the relationship between the media and armed conflicts, while also maintaining strong practical components. These practical components include the workshopping based introduction of key journalistic skills including developing sources, interviewing techniques, and writing with a focus on application within active conflict zones. This course includes multiple field visits and interviews with those involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other Middle Eastern wars and offensives. The course considers media interaction in low, medium, and high intensity armed conflicts.

This course focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: it looks at the roots and history of the question contextualizing it into regional and international political developments. The course covers the most important events that characterized the conflict providing a solid historic background for analyzing contemporary developments. Moreover, the course analyzes the role of international and regional actors into the making of the conflict while also highlighting the impact of the Palestinian issue into the Arab world. The first class provides the theoretical tools for a critical analysis of the conflict, the different actors, and their political role. This approach challenges the traditional mainstream paradigms around the Arab-Israeli crisis. The following classes are also informed by this critical approach: the analysis of important events such as the Suez crisis, the 1967 and 1973 Wars, the emergence of Palestinian resistance, the impact of the Cold War, and the role of international players explore the political dynamics behind the mere facts. Regional events impacted by the Arab-Israeli conflict such as the Black September and the Lebanese civil war are discussed in
order to highlight the influence and relevance of the Palestinian question on regional politics. Having built a historical background and critical understanding of the conflict, the last part of the course focuses on contemporary events and the emergence of new actors, new diplomatic strategies, as well as the popular mobilization that is characterizing current political developments. Finally, the course discusses possible solutions.