MID 320 - Conflict and Change in the Middle East

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This course examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or what many scholars now call “the 100 years war.” Beginning with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the course traces the origin of the conflict from the early encounters between Arab and Jew in Palestine to the contemporary struggle to achieve a final status agreement between Israelis and Palestinians today. Students learn about the complexity and difficulty of reaching peace in an otherwise tiny space shared by two peoples with competing civilizational visions. While current conflict between the two peoples may prohibit travel to Israel/Palestine, the course usually includes a ten day on-site component in Israel/Palestine in order to give students first-hand experience seeing and hearing the important people and places that make this conflict so difficult. This component is subject to change based on safety considerations. Finally, another important part of the course includes an intense negotiation simulation in Cairo, where students take on role characters, Israeli and Palestinian respectively, and actively engage their counterparts across the table in final status talks related to Jerusalem, borders and security, refugees, water, and settlements.

Notes: Enrollment is limited to students admitted to the Middle East Studies Program, a study abroad semester program based in Cairo, Egypt.