POL498H1F L0101

Graduate Course Code: POL2801H1F L0101

Intensive Course

Israel in the Global Context

Themes

This course will examine in depth four dimensions of Israeli society and politics in a comparative and international context. The first will involve the complex economics of Israel, including its move towards high-tech industries, growing economic inequality (and the social protests that erupted in 2011), and historical changes in the economy. Second, the course will delve into the social composition of Israeli society, analyzing questions of division and unity, particularly within the Jewish majority. Third, the state of Palestinian Israelis, relations between Jewish and Arab citizens in Israel, and relations between Palestinians in the occupied territories and Israel will be examined. Special attention will be paid to the costs to both sides of occupation. And the course will inquire as to why occupation has persisted so long. Finally, Israel will be analyzed within the regional and global contexts. The course will look, particularly, at Israel within the context of the current disintegration of neighboring states and the country’s relationship to the United States.