LFU:online

Acquisition of basic skills for dealing with historic sources and presentations of Contemporary History as well as skills in presenting the newly acquired knowledge orally as well as in writing. Acquisition of basic knowledge and application of relevant methods aiding scientific research.

The events of October 7 in Israel are already being seen by commentators as a turning point in the history of the State of Israel and the Middle East. But what is a historical turning point? And how can we know which event has the potential to radically change the course of history? In this Proseminar we will closely examine central episodes in the history of Israel such as the Suez Crisis (1956), the Six-Day War (1967) an the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (1995). Through reading sources in class we will try understand better not only the history of Israel, but also the ways in which it is being perceived in different periods of time.

Readings, oral presentation with handout, written paper, discussions, formal lecture, exercises

Course with continuous performance assessment: attendance at all sessions, active participation in discussions, oral presentation, written paper (16-18 pp.)

Literature/reading-list will be discussed in class. Guided research of selected literature will be part of the required tasks.

Positive assessment of compulsory module 1.

Although the readings and discussions will be in English, both presentations and final essays could be held/written in German.