Jewish Studies/Political Science 328—The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Professor David Brusin -- Spring 2016
(414) 962-9212
brusin@uwm.edu
How can we explain the persistent and relentless antagonism between
Jews/Israelis and Arabs, both in Palestine and in neighboring Arab countries, whose roots
go back to medieval times—if not before?
Though we will begin our study in ancient times, the focus of this course will be
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the 20 century and our own. In addition to trying to understand the ongoing conflict
from both the Arab/Palestinian and Jewish/Israeli perspectives, we will frame our
discussions around a handful of interconnected central questions or issues:
 Is it a religious conflict between Islam and Judaism in which both sides
are motivated by deep-seated suspicions and hatreds that ultimately rest on
divine mandates, revelations or sacred scriptures?
 Is it an ethnic conflict between competing groups reflecting constantly
changing demographic patterns?
 Is it a conflict motivated by nationalist desires in which rival armies want
to establish a state in the same geographic location?
 Is it a war of self-defense in which a new state is defending itself against
its neighbors whose objective is to destroy it?
 Is it a war of territorial expansion in which one state seeks to expand its
borders at the expense of its neighbors?
 Is it an imperial war that reflects the rivalries and colonial aspirations of
several European countries in the 19th and 20th centuries—and more
recently the United States and Russia—in the Middle East?
 Is it the inevitable consequence of the difficult transition from traditional
societies to modern states, all moving at different speeds, aiming at
different targets, and hence on a collision course at the outset?
 Is the conflict in essence the collision of two sets of historic and moral
rights to the same land? And, if so, does this mean the conflict will never
be resolved?
Not all these questions can be answered. But understanding their role in events
unfolding in the Middle East is crucial if we are to find a way to bring some measure of
peace and stability to the region and to the Israelis and Palestinians in particular.
To get a broader perspective on the conflict, we’ll be viewing several films
throughout the semester.
GER Humanities Course criteria and UW System Shared Learning Goal:
Humanities are the academic disciplines that investigate human constructs and values.
The humanistic disciplines – such as art history, history, language and literature,
philosophy, religious studies, film and media studies – are concerned with questions,
issues, and concepts basic to the formation of character and the establishment of values in
a human context. They also provide literary, aesthetic, and intellectual experiences that
enrich and enlighten human life. In these courses, students will use humanistic means of
inquiry, such as: the critical use of sources and evaluation of evidence, the exercise of
judgment and expression of ideas, and the organization, logical analysis, and creative use
of substantial bodies of knowledge in order to approach the subject of study.
Written assignments [Reflection Papers and Final Paper] will address the University of
Wisconsin System Shared Learning Goal of Critical and Creative Thinking in the
broadest sense of the term, including the ability to question, address, challenge,
investigate, problem solve and explore the issues of culture and civilization, religion and
politics in ways that highlight the complexity and multifaceted nature of these domains.
Study Group Presentations and In-Class Small Group Activities will address the
University of Wisconsin System Shared Learning Goal of Effective Communications
Skill including listening, speaking, reading and information literacy in terms of the
student’s ability to interact with and respond to one another’s understanding and reaction
to material studied and presented.
Course Learning Goals:
This course meets the criteria for GER in Humanities at UWM by engaging
students in the study, analysis, and comprehension of one of the most persistent and
ongoing political struggles in the last hundred years: the Arab/Palestinian-Israeli
Conflict. Understanding this conflict will provide students with a foundation for
engagement in the future with issues arising in many disciplines, including political
scienc, philosophy, history, religion and ethics.
Specifically, a student completing this course will be able to:
--Critically compare and contrast the two competing narratives and the values and history
that underly these opposing perspectives;
--Decide whether the Arab-Israeli Conflict is essentially about religion or politics and
what that means for our understanding of other national conflicts that end in violence;
--Understand the orgins of the Arab-Israeli Conflct from both the Israeil and Palestinian
perspectives and draw conclusions about what that means for understanding our
complicated world;
--Decide if the conflict is in essence the collision of two equally legitimate sets of
hisorical and moral rights to the same piece of geography and, if so, what does this teach
us about the nature of conflict and war in human history;
--Decide if Israel can be both a Jewish and a democratic state, and in either case, what
this means for the people of Israel and the West Bank and Gaza;
--Draw conclusions about what the Arab –Israeli Conflict teaches us about other wars and
disagreements between countries or peoples both past and present.
--In addition to class time, students should expect to spend about three to four hours a
week preparing for class and/or completing assignments.
REQUIRED BOOKS [Books Available Only At the Panther Bookstore—formerly
the Neebo Bookstore, 3132 N. Downer--on the corner of Hampshire and Downer]
Charles D. Smith, Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: A History with
Documents, Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013, Eighth Edition,
paperback
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Sami Adwan, Dan Bat-On, and Eyal Naveh, editors, Side by Side: Parallel
Histories of Israel-Palestine, New York: The New Press, 2012, paperback
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
--Regular attendance is very important. Sometimes missing class is unavoidable,
but if you miss more than two classes, it is your responsibility to contact me to arrange to
make up a missed class (typically a two or three page paper or written version of a class
activity). Absences that are not made up will affect your final grade.
--Students are expected to have read all assignments before coming to class.
--Students with special needs should contact me at the beginning of the course so
appropriate accommodations can be arranged.
--Feel free to contact me, by phone or email, for any reason; if necessary, we can
arrange to meet before or after class.
GRADING
Attendance and Participation:
Two Reflection Papers (4 to 6 pages each):
Study Group Presentations, beginning Week #5
Final Research Paper, about 7 to 9 pages, due Week #15:
25%
25%
25%
25%
CLASS SCHEDULE, READING AND ASSIGNMENTS
Week #1 – Intro & Logistics/Reading/Assignments/Getting on the Same Page
[1/25 & 1/27]
Reading: Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict [hereafter PAIC],
Prologue, pp 1 – 11
Side by Side [hereafter SBS], “The Dual Narrative
Approach,” pp ix - xvi
Week #2 – Ottoman Society, Palestine and Zionism
[2/1 & 2/3]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 1 and Document 1.2 & 1.3
Week #3 – World War I, Great Britain and The Peace Settlements
[2/8 & 2/10]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 2 and All Documents
SBS, Chapter 1
Week #4 – Palestine Between the Wars
[2/15 & 2/17]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 3 and All Documents
SBS, Chapter 2
Weeks #5 & #6– World War II, The Holocaust, State of Israel
[2/22 to 3/2]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 4 and All Documents
SBS, Chapters 3 & 4
Study Group #1—Monday, February 22 [Week #5]
First Reflection Paper Due Week #6—February 29 or March 2
Week #7 – Modern Roots of the Conflict
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[3/7 & 3/9]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 5 and All Documents
SBS, Chapter 5
Study Group #2—Wednesday, March 9
Spring Break—March 14 & 16
Week #8 – From Suez to the Six-Day War
[3/21 & 3/23]
Reading: PAIC, Chapters 6 and All Documents
SBS, Chapter 6
Week #9 – Diplomacy, the PLO, Yom Kippur War, Lebanon
[3/28 & 3/30]
Reading: PAIC, Chapters 7 & 8 and All Documents for Both
SBS, Chapter 7
Study Group #2—Monday, March 28
Week #10 – The First Intifada, Gaza, Gulf Crisis
[4/4 & 4/6]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 9
SBS, Chapter 8
Study Group #4—Wednesday, November 4
Second Reflection Paper Due Week #10—November 4 or 6
Weeks #11 & #12 – The Art of Negotiation
[4/11 to 4/20]
Reading: PAIC, Chapter 10 and All Documents
Study Group #5—Monday, April 11 [Week #11]
Weeks #13 & #14 – The Unraveling of Oslo, the Second Intifada
[4/25 to 5/4]
Reading:
PAIC, Chapter 11 and All Documents
SBS, Chapter 9
Study Group #6—Wednesday, April 27 [Week #13]
Week 15 – The Future of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
[12/7 & 12/9]
Reading: PAIC, Epilogue, pp 550 - 553
SBS, Teachers’ Personal Trajectories, pp 395 -39
FINAL PAPER DUE WEEK #15—Monday, May 9
Major/Minor in Jewish Studies This course is part of the Jewish Studies major and
minor. The major offers two tracks: Hebrew Studies and Jewish Cultural Studies (which
does not require Hebrew language). With its combination of core courses and electives,
the Jewish Studies program allows students to create a course of study that can focus on
religion, culture, Israel, Holocaust, media, or immigration. A dynamic and innovative
major, Jewish Studies prepares students to work in our multicultural world. For more
information on the Jewish Studies major and minor, please the coordinator, Dr. Rachel
Baum, rbaum@uwm.edu; 229-5156.
Religious Studies If you are thinking about a major or a double major in Religious
Studies, please contact either Peter Paik, Director, at pypaik@uwm.edu or Dr. Judith
Beall, Associate Director, at jbeall@uwm.edu.
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