Israeli Studies
Our mission is to provide Palestinian and Arab academic knowledge production with researchers capable of contributing original, critical knowledge about the various aspects of Israeli society. At the core of our educational philosophy is to strengthen critical awareness of power, hegemony, and the moral-political aspects of knowledge production in confronting occupation, settler colonialism and violence.
- To train scholars for researching and writing about the various (political, security, economic, social, cultural) aspects of Israeli society and its settler-colonial structure, and understanding its international and regional contexts, and its impact on the Palestinians and the Arab region.
- Provide our graduates with excellent academic research, theoretical, and critical-thinking skills.
- Contribute to the general knowledge and public debates within the university community and the community at large.
We expect our students to have a good sense and knowledge of:
- Judaism and Jewish history at large.
- Modern Zionist identity production, its ethnic tensions, and its settler-colonial context.
- The history of Zionist settlement in Palestine and its impact on the Palestinians, and the Arab-Israeli struggle.
- The basic debates on the various aspects of Israeli society, culture, law, ideology, politics, military and security apparatus, views on international and regional relations, settlements and occupation, etc.
- Understanding power-discourse relations and developing a critical Arab and Palestinian perspective on Israeli studies.
- Using Hebrew sources in academic research.
- Understanding and applying the various research methodologies.
- Excellent skills in academic writing and criticism.
Our graduates will be qualified to seek jobs at:
- Research institutes in Palestine and in the Arab region.
- Various media organs and newspapers.
- Official government bodies and international organizations
Program Requirements
- Passing the requirements for continuation of studies in the MA programs as specified in the Faculty for Graduate Studies Guidelines.
- Passing the Hebrew qualification exam at the end of the second semester.
- The students are required to pass a total of 36 credit hours, 18 of which are requirements, 12 elective, and 6 credit hours either for writing and successfully defending an MA thesis or two research seminars. The program, however, encourages students to opt for the thesis option.
- Remedial courses can be determined on a case-by-case basis, if necessary.
1. Compulsory courses: (18 credit hours)
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Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
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Research Methods |
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Settler Colonialism and Israel |
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Judaism and Jewish History |
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Zionism: Ideology and Movement |
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Israeli Political System |
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Political Economy of Israel |
2. Elective courses: (12 credit hours)
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Course No. |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
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The Palestinians in Israel |
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Geography and Demography in Israel |
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Israeli Legal System |
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Israeli Media |
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National Security in Israel |
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Women and Gender in Israel |
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Education and Scientific Research in Israel |
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Israel and World Jewry |
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Ethnic Divisions in Israel |
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State and Religion in Israel |
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Introduction to Culture and Literature in Israel |
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Special Topic |
3. Hebrew Language: The students are required to take intensive Hebrew language courses offered by the program to prepare them for a qualification exam at the end of the first year. These courses are not part of the program's credit hours. Students with prior Hebrew language skills can take the exam at the beginning of their studies and thus be exempted from these courses.
4. Track “A” or Track “B”:6 Credit Hours; Thesis or two Seminars
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Course Number |
Course Title |
Prerequisite(s) |
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Track A |
Thesis |
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Track B |
Seminar 1 |
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Seminar 2 |
- BA degree in one of the branches of the social sciences, the humanities (such as sociology, anthropology, politics, history, geography, education, economics, development studies, international studies, and law) from an accredited university. Graduates from other academic fields may be given exceptions for admission based on a decision by the program's committee, and students may be requested to take up to nine credit hours of remedial courses.
- Good English language skills.
