L57 RelPol 250

Zionism

Spring 2017, 11:00AM–1:00PM

This course traces the emergence of a number of different “Zionisms” that would lead to the creation of the modern state of Israel.

WUCRSL
line drawing of three people teaching superimposed on each other
Biography

In this course, we trace the emergence of a number of different “Zionisms” that would lead to the creation of the modern state of Israel. And we explore how the political principles at the core of these ideologies have fared in the 65 years since the founding of the modern Jewish state. The course is at its heart applied political theory: a case study of the way that ideas emerge from historical events, take on a life of their own, and then shape real outcomes in the world. The readings will weave together history, philosophy, literature and government.

This course takes morality and the question of “what’s right” seriously as a lens through which to understand and assess modern American history.