Courses
Curriculum
- The International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation curriculum offers students a comprehensive study of conflicts and their resolution from a variety of perspectives. In addition to providing a theoretical foundation, the curriculum emphasizes development of practical skills through courses in negotiations, mediation and facilitation.
First Semester
- The first semester is dedicated to obtaining in-depth knowledge about the theoretical and practical components of conflict resolution. Lecturers derive from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to international law, political science, public policy, social psychology, cultural anthropology, and religious studies. In the first semester, all students are registered for a course in negotiation skills. A total of seven core courses are taken in the first semester. Students also complete the Interdisciplinary Seminar, which exposes students to experts and leaders in conflict resolution as well as educational trips throughout the year.
Mediation Workshop
- Conducted in between the first and second semesters, the Mediation Workshop builds upon the material covered in the first semester while strengthening the students' negotiation skills through role playing and simulations.
Second and Third Semesters
- During the second and third semesters students choose from a variety of electives and seminar courses according to their interests. Noteworthy electives include advanced negotiations and facilitation and consensus building. These skills are integral to any future work environment. Emphasis is placed on research and analysis during these semesters. A total of two seminars and five electives are taken between these two semesters.
Courses offered by other TAU International Programs
- The International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation also allows students to take up to 5 credits (approximately 2 courses) offered by other Tel Aviv University International Programs based on the student’s learning goals and based on course availability. Note that not all courses are available every year. Each year a list of available elective courses are provided by the other international programs and students are notified of those courses towards the end of the fall semester. This may includes courses from the following programs: Security and Diplomacy, Emergency and Disaster Management, Middle Eastern Studies, Migration Studies and others.
Thesis Option
- Students have the option to write a thesis upon completion of their MA. For further information, click here.
Credits
- Students complete a total of 38 credit hours.
List of Offered Courses
Courses and/or lecturers vary from year to year and are subject to change.
CORE COURSES
Principles and Processes of Negotiation in Conflict Resolution (2 credits)
Lecturer: Yonatan Kowarsky, Academic Director for Israel Center for Negotiation and Mediation, mediator/lawyer, and Supervisor and Trainer for National Mediation Program
Course Description: The course provides an in-depth understanding of the negotiation process, including the principles of multi-party negotiation and the ability to resolve disputes independently without third-party intervention. Students will learn to apply a systematic approach to negotiation preparation, cultivate long-term business and workplace relationships, and understand the cognitive processes involved in negotiating. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the skills to overcome deadlocks, prevent unnecessary conflicts, and achieve effective negotiation outcomes.
Research Methods (3 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Udi Sommer, Professor, Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University
Course Description: The purpose of this course is to equip students with practical tools for conducting empirical research in the social sciences and critically evaluating scholarly literature that employs diverse research methods. Students will learn to translate theoretical problems into empirical models through hypothesis testing, data collection, research presentation, and the reading and writing of research papers. By the end of the course, students will be able to evaluate scholarship on conflict resolution and mediation, design research projects using appropriate theoretical and methodological approaches, gather and assess relevant information, and effectively present their findings.
History of the Middle East (3 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Joel Parker Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.
Course Description: This course examines the historical, political, and ideological origins and development of the Arab-Israeli conflict from the late nineteenth century to the present, exploring key turning points, competing narratives, and broader regional and global contexts through thematic units and case studies. Students will analyze the historical roots of Zionism and Arab nationalism, evaluate primary and secondary sources, and compare competing narratives and historiographical interpretations of the conflict. By the end of the course, students will be able to synthesize historical knowledge and demonstrate critical thinking through analytical writing and discussion.
Political Approaches to the Management and Resolution of International Conflicts (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Ben Gurion University and senior editor at Haaretz newspaper
Course Description: This course examines the causes of international conflicts through major theoretical frameworks in international relations and explores the principles of bargaining and conflict management theory through relevant concepts and case studies. Students will develop the ability to critically analyze international conflicts and international interventions in domestic conflicts, as well as propose policy solutions to address their underlying dynamics. The course will also equip students to recognize the political and practical limitations of applying theoretical frameworks to real-world situations.
Socio-Psychological Approaches to Conflict and Conflict Management (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Nimrod Rosler, Tel Aviv University School of Social and Policy Studies
Course Description: This course introduces students to central socio-psychological theories and approaches to understanding intergroup conflicts, examining how psychological and social factors, including stereotypes, prejudice, social identity, emotions, and leadership, contribute to the emergence, persistence, and transformation of conflicts. Through theoretical frameworks, empirical research, case studies, and student-led discussions, students will apply these concepts to analyze current conflicts around the world and explore reconciliation and intergroup contact as pathways toward peaceful conflict transformation. By the end of the course, students will be able to explain key socio-psychological concepts and theories, critically evaluate empirical research, and apply their knowledge to the analysis of real-world conflicts.
Religious Approaches to Conflict Resolution (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Benjamin Mollov, Bar Ilan University Israel
International Law and Dispute Resolution (2 credits)
Lecturer: Brig. Gen. (res.) Roni Katzir, Former Head of the International Law Division, Israel Defense Forces
Course Description: This course explores the role of international law in armed conflict and its relationship to conflict resolution, using Israel’s recent multi-front war involving Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, and beyond as a case study. It examines the relationship between law and force, asking how international law shapes the conduct of armed conflicts and whether it contributes to their resolution. Students will study the foundations and key principles of international law, including its sources, the prohibition on the use of force (jus ad bellum), and the law governing the conduct of hostilities (jus in bello). By the end of the course, students will understand the main fields and actors of international law, the legal and diplomatic mechanisms for managing and resolving armed conflicts, and the international legal dimensions of Israel’s recent conflicts.
Interdisciplinary Seminar (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Nimrod Rosler, Tel Aviv University School of Social and Policy Studies
The Interdisciplinary Seminar Series is a mandatory 2 credit course whose goal is to enhance student’s knowledge of the conflict resolution and mediation fields and build practical skills towards excellence and mastery of the subject matter.
Over 13 sessions, this course will:
- expose students to experts and leaders in conflict resolution from a variety of fields;
- give students the opportunity to pursue their own interests through research and classroom presentations;
- fill gaps in knowledge and skills development that they would not receive in core and elective classes.
Students form a committee to decide on which activities, guest speakers, etc. to organize. Attendance is required.
Mediation Workshop (4 credits)
Lecturer: Professor Brian Polikinghorn and team
Course Description: This workshop introduces students to the mediation and co-mediation processes, providing foundational knowledge of each stage, from initial intake to the final implementation of an agreement, as well as communication, process management, and mediation techniques. Through role-plays and practical exercises, students will develop the tactical skills required of effective mediators and explore different mediation styles while practicing progressively more complex scenarios involving multiple parties and issues. By the end of the course, students will have successfully co-mediated a case from beginning to end and deepened their understanding of the knowledge and skills required for effective third-party intervention.
Graduates of this course receive a certificate of completion in International Mediation from Tel Aviv University.
Students choose 2 seminar courses from the list below, for a total of 6 credits.
Environment, Conflict, and Cooperation in the Middle East (3 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Clive Lipchin, Director, Center for Transboundary Water Management, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies
Course Description: The objective of the course is to review and discuss types, sources and aspects of environmental conflicts at the city, regional, national and mostly international level. These conflicts will be analyzed and classified by structural and subjective approaches with respect to related issues such as environmental justice, environmental awareness and planning policy as well as with respect to strategies and instruments of their resolution.
Socio-Psychological Aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (3 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Nimrod Rosler, Tel Aviv University School of Social and Policy Studies
Course Description: The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has always been a fascinating case study allowing for the comparative study of difficult inter-group conflicts. As many other conflicts, it rages over contradictory goals and interests in different domains and it is real. But since human beings are the ones who initiated it, take part in it, and try to resolve it, the psychological and social aspects of this conflict have to be studied as well in order to comprehend its dynamics and the various powerful forces which fuel and maintain it. This course provides students with knowledge of its psycho-social constructions as well as its functions for the involved societies. For each one of the topics that will be addressed along the course, we will present the general theoretical framework for explaining and understanding it, and subsequently implement it in the Israeli-Palestinian case using up-to-date empirical studies and opinion polls, as well as other diverse materials, class discussions and students' presentations.
Israeli Politics and Society
Dr. Udi Sommer Professor, Department of Political Science, Tel Aviv University (3 credits)
This seminar will present a rather broad, and yet very brief, introductory survey of some of Israel's major social, economic, cultural and political aspects in their respective historical developments. It will attempt to present an evenhanded view of the achievements, difficulties and failures in all these domestic areas. More specifically, it will deal with Israel's changing social, ethnic, national, religious and ideological schisms and the various policy impacts of this multicultural composition, as well as with its governmental, political, legal and military institutions and other public organizations, their functioning and their operation.
Nationalism and Ethnic Conflicts (3 credits)
Dr. Evgeni Klauber, Tel Aviv University
Nationalism and ethnic conflict are among the defining phenomena of the modern era, yet our understanding of these phenomena remains very limited. This seminar will unfold the main theoretical approaches to understand ethnic conflicts and will try to provide possible solutions for them. It will then investigate the interactions between state-building and nation-building, the relationship between nationalism, citizenship and minority rights, the nexus between nationalism, ethnicity and conflict, the colonial legacies of nationalism (especially among Post-Soviet newly emerged states), the religious nationalism, and the impact of globalization on ethnicity and nationalism. We will also try to integrating ideas of culture, ethnicity, and multiculturalism into conflict resolution.
Students choose a total of 10 elective credits. Note not all electives are 2 credits.
Democracy in Ethnically Divided Societies (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Steven J. Klein, Ben Gurion University and senior editor at Haaretz newspaper
Course Description: The post-WWII era saw the creation of numerous new countries that did not fit the classic nation-state model, often comprising rival ethnic groups. These internal conflicts have presented challenges to the ruling elites when interested in establishing a democratic regime. Factors such as the perceived threat by or manageability of ethnic minorities have influenced the type of democracy pursued and the extent of democratic rights afforded to these minorities. Such experiments of forging the country’s ethnic character while maintaining a certain measure of democratic institutions have had mixed results, often contributing to grievances among minority groups and at times failing to prevent bloodshed.
Lecturer: Dr. Maya Diamant, Faculty of Management, Tel Aviv University
Course Description: A conflict is an interactive situation. The course of the conflict as well as its resolution depend on the decisions made by the various parties involved. Each party, when considering its decisions, should take into account the decisions made by all the other parties. Game theory studies decision making in such interactive environments.
We will present prototypes of various games and study basic concepts required for their analysis like domination and equilibrium. Emphasize will be put on the need to change the "rules" of the game when it results in undesirable outcome, and designing rules to obtain a desired result.
We will highlight the differences between decision making of a single agent and interactive decision making, namely, a game. One of the differences is that in the first case we are aiming at getting an optimal decision. In games optimality does not always apply, and the result of games can be dismal even when all parties behave rationally. Israel, which, as the website of this program claims, is the Silicon Valley of Conflict Resolution is also the Death Valley of Frustratingly Unresolved Conflict. The frustration may partly due to the lack of understanding of the fact that in interactive situations good will and rationality do not necessarily guarantee good results.
Practicum (4 credits)
Lecturer: Uri Gopher
The practicum course offers international students a unique opportunity to gain direct, hands-on experience in Israel's NGO sector. Students will engage with organizations that drive social change and address persistent, deep-rooted social challenges from the ground up. The course bridges academic knowledge with practical application, enhancing students' understanding of theoretical frameworks through real-world engagement. The course includes a course on understanding the NGO world in Israel as well as a requirement to intern for 120 hours at a local NGO.
Palestinian Society and Politics (2 credits)
Lecturer: Dr. Zeina Barakat, Europa-Universität Flensburg
This intensive course explores Palestinian politics, society, and identity, aiming to deepen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in reconciliation and peacebuilding. Through lectures, discussions, multimedia sources, and guest speakers, students will analyze how individual identity and national collective narratives are shaped. The course emphasizes pathways to reconciliation, transitional justice, and dialogue as tools for social and political transformation.
Group Facilitation (2 credits)
Dr. Michael Sternberg
This course explores group facilitation within the context of conflict studies, using a psychodynamic lens. Students will examine how unconscious processes, defensive behaviors, power dynamics, and group narratives impact the escalation and resolution of group-based conflicts. The course combines theoretical study with practical, experiential learning, including participation in a small group experience and practicing facilitation skills in simulated scenarios.
Strategic Communication: Strategies for governance, policy and leadership (2 credits)
Lecturer: Sarah Bard
This course provides students with the skills to develop and execute effective written, spoken and digital communication strategies for careers in the public, nonprofit, and advocacy sectors. Through practical tools and real-world applications, students will learn to craft clear, persuasive, and impactful messages that resonate with diverse audiences and advance organizational goals.
For information on other courses taught in English see https://en-social-sciences.tau.ac.il/courses_in_english
Before the start of the Fall Semester, intensive full-time summer language courses are available for an additional cost. Information about the summer intensive Hebrew language courses can be accessed here.
During the Fall and Spring Semesters, Hebrew classes at all levels are available:
1. Monday to Thursday morning classes (open to all)
2. Sunday Classes (open for Graduate/ Post-Graduate students only)
Fee: $500 for one semester. Note language classes cannot count for program credits. They will appear as an extra course on your transcripts.
Beginners Arabic courses are available as well. For further information, go to the website for Arabic studies.
