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The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Department: History

Instructor: Semih Gokatalay
Instructor Emails: sgokatal@ucsd.edu
Dates: July 7 - July 27
Schedule: 9am - 4pm (Lunch from 11:30am - 1:30pm)
Location: TBD
Room: TBD

Course Description

This course traces the Palestine/Israel Conflict from the nineteenth century to the present time. The coursebegins with an overview of the First Aliyah, Zionism, and Arab Nationalism in the Late Ottoman Empire and continueswith Arab-Jewish conflicts in Mandatory Palestine. The second part examines the formation of Israel, Arab-Israeli Wars,Pan-Arabism, Intifadas, peace negotiations, the 2006 Lebanon War, and the 2023 Israel–Hamas War. This course endswith two case studies by looking at the place of women and cinema in Arab-Israeli conflicts.


This course is not limited to future students of humanities and social science. It was also designed for those whowant to study other disciplines. Instead of memorizing certain names and remembering facts, we will take a look atbroader themes and international phenomena that heavily shaped the modern Middle East. We will utilize lectures,small group discussions, slides, short videos, and game-based learning platforms. Dialogue and even disagreement areencouraged, provided they are done so respectfully. You will need to participate in discussion boards, produce multiplestep written assignments, and complete individual projects. If you are uncomfortable expressing yourself in front of theclass, let me know, and we can work out a way for you to share your ideas.

Learning Outcomes

  • The course has two main purposes
    • to improve your understanding of the Arab-Israeli conflict, with the help of discussions, group activities, lectures,and readings, and
    • to improve your ability to analyze various societies based on course content.
  • When you successfully complete this course, you will be better able to
    • articulate how relations between Israelis and Arabs have changed in the last decades
    • engage in critical thinking and substantive and respectful discussion of course concepts with peers read, analyze,and discuss course-related texts in their contemporary and rhetorical contexts
    • reflect on your course learning.

Course Topics

  • Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and Orientalism
  • Arab nationalism and Zionism
  • The Cold War
  • Pluralism
  • Extremism and collective violence
  • Cinema and music in the Middle East
  • Social media


Prerequisites 

None.

 

*Courses vary by experience and exposure to content. Instructors have the ability to change content and pace to serve the needs of students. Courses have been modified for online teaching.