GVPT309X/ISRL349X Topics in International Relations: Conflict Resolution- The Israeli Palestinian Experiment

Second Summer 2015 [3 weeks ] GVPT309X/ ISRL349X Topics in International Relations: Conflict Resolution - The Israeli Palestinian Experiment

In the twenty years since the promising negotiations that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords, it seems that most of the dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis has been conducted through bombs rather than words. Yet, as a team of academics from across the divide, professors Manuel Hassassian and Edy Kaufman have continued to lecture with the hope of bringing the sides together despite the challenges. Topics covered include the status of Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, water rights, border disputes, and security concerns, while analyzing the conflict through the lens of other ethno-political conflicts.
At the heart of the course is the unique collaboration between the two instructors, both political scientists experienced and involved in official and unofficial diplomacy. Prof. Manuel Hassassian, a Palestinian, has been the Executive Vice-President of the Bethlehem University and is currently the ambassador of the Palestinian Authority to the United Kingdom. Prof. Edy Kaufman, an Israeli, has been the Director of both the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) at UMD and is concurrently teaching at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzlyia and Haifa University. Together, they offer this groundbreaking interactive course, which provides an in-depth understanding of this conflict using simulations exploring contending historical perspectives and the search for common ground.


Meets August 3, 2015 - August 21, 2015
TuTh 6:00pm - 9:20pm
TYD 1101

A unique portion of the class involves a simulation, in which students will model the adversarial discourse between two contending narratives – the Israeli Government’s and the Palestinian Authority’s. Students will be divided into one of these two groups and be tasked to find common ground in regards to the status of refugees during a special two-day weekend section (9:00am-7:00pm, Saturday & Sunday, Aug. 15th & 16th, 2110 TYD). Active and constructive participation in this simulation will greatly help your participation grade.


Contact department or instructor [kaufmane@umd.edu] for details. Students who wish to register for this section after July 17, 2015, please e-mail summer@umd.edu