Course Syllabus


Israel: A Geo Political Perspective

Course Description

The course is a thorough overview of Israel’s policies and the world influences that shape them. It is taught by Ambassador Danny Ayalon and was written by five academic experts in their fields of foreign policy. The course will look at the different intellectual currents of modern Zionism, Israel’s policy on core issues, starting with modern Israel reborn out of conflict, and dealing with political, military, economic, and legal aspects. Each session will analyze a different significant area, examining world influences for concrete insight. Topics include Political Zionism, the United Nations, the founding of the European Union and specific world leading nations’ policies towards the Middle East and Israel - and also chart their impact on modern Israel. 


While this course can be an electoral course for all students, it is especially relevant for students who are interested in: political science, government, international relations, journalism and current events, public affairs, business, diplomacy, history, and the Middle East.


The course is a thorough overview of Israel’s policies and the world influences that shape them. It is taught by Ambassador Danny Ayalon and was written by five academic experts in their fields of foreign policy. The course will look at the different intellectual currents of modern Zionism, Israel’s policy on core issues, starting with modern Israel reborn out of conflict, and dealing with political, military, economic, and legal aspects. Each session will analyze a different significant area, examining world influences for concrete insight. Topics include Political Zionism, the United Nations, the founding of the European Union and specific world leading nations’ policies towards the Middle East and Israel - and also chart their impact on modern Israel. 


While this course can be an electoral course for all students, it is especially relevant for students who are interested in: political science, government, international relations, journalism and current events, public affairs, business, diplomacy, history, and the Middle East.

Objectives:
Students Should Understand

  • The strategic objectives of foreign policymaking
  • The interwoven interests: economic and trade, military, security and domestic issues
  • Bi-lateral and multi-lateral relations shape foreign policies
  • Foreign relations are formalized by Treaties, Foreign Trade Agreements and Int'l Conferences
  • The complexities of the Middle East in foreign policymaking
  • The power of natural resources such as oil and water influence policies
  • The balance of power between countries and regions influences policy making of a country
  • The vicissitudes of the global political environment in the past and till today

Structure

Access your course anywhere, anytime. The course contains a series of educational videos that can be watched, paused, or reviewed as many times as you want. You have a dedicated advisor to help answer your questions regarding the course, grading, and course requirements. 

The course is divided into 8 lessons, each one having significant issues to comprehend. Students should figure on completing this course over a 12-week semester period. However, students do have twenty weeks in which to complete the course requirements. The lessons are made of a combination of lecture videos, full written text and audio link, and source materials. The lessons are cumulative and are best understood in the context of the previous lessons. Each lesson is followed by a quiz. These are submitted online in the form of multiple choice/American style.
How the Course Works

Quizzes and Final Exam (on the entire semester material):

The student’s course grade will be determined by the quizzes and the final exam. Students must pass the final exam in order to pass the course. Quizzes are fully based on the material you just covered and were created by your faculty for fair testing. The exam may only be taken after all assignments have been submitted. If students have studied the course material as instructed, and have taken the time to review, then students should be well prepared for the final exam. A proctor approved by the Theological Research Institute administers this final exam. You’ll take them through ProctorU for automated scheduling, monitored test-taking, and verified results.

Grading System

45% Chapter Quizzes
55% Final Exam

A letter grade will be assigned on the following scale: 
A 90-100 Excellent 
B 80-89 Good
C 70-79 Passing
D 60-69 Poor

Bibliography

Yossi Alpher. Periphery: Israel’s Search for Middle East Allies N.Y. Rowman & Littlefield. 2015.

ISBN 978-1-442203101-6


Yehezkel Dror. Israeli Statecraft: National Security Challenges and Responses. New York.

Routledge. 2011. ISBN 9780415832311


Charles D. Freilich. Zion’s Dilemmas: How Israel Makes National Security Policy. N.Y. Cornell UP. 

2012. ISBN 9780801479762


Steven Carol. From Jerusalem to the Lion of Judah and Beyond: Israel’s Foreign Policy in East Africa. Universe. 2012.


Michael Oren. Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide. N.Y. Random House. 2015.


Dennis Ross. Doomed to Succeed: The U.S.-Israel Relationship from Truman to Obama. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 2015.


Dennis Ross. The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2005.


Charles Krauthammer. Things that Matter (Crown Forum, 2013).


Bernard Lewis, “The Anti-Zionist Resolution”, Foreign Affairs 55/1, October 1976 issue, pp. 54-64