Macalester College, a private liberal arts college in Saint Paul, Minn., is offering a sociology course in the upcoming fall semester called “Palestine.” with central topics of discussion including on Israel’s “continued territorial expansion” and the “ongoing genocide of Palestinians.”
According to the college, the course, listed as a three-hour evening class taught by sociology professor Khaldoun Samman, covers “the history of the conflict from the rise of Zionism and resistance to it, including both Palestinian resistance and the contemporary voices of dissenting American Jews.”
“Students will learn and apply concepts such as biopolitics, necropolitics and more, in the context of Israel’s historical and contemporary policies, and will analyze the United States’ regional role,” the course description states. It is approved to meet the school’s Internationalism requirement.
The course says students will use primary and secondary sources to assess policy strategies, regional power dynamics and the historical forces shaping the region. The required reading list includes three books, among them How to Sell a Genocide by Adam Johnson and Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd.
Students Supporting Israel, which is calling on the college to cancel the course, stated that El-Kurd’s book “argues that focus on condemning Hamas and rising antisemitism distracts from Israeli violence and portrays accusations of antisemitism as a tool used by Israel and Zionists to silence Palestinians.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League, El-Kurd “justified” the Hamas-led attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and “mocked” the Israeli hostages taken that day. He has also stated that “Zionism is genocidal,” per the ADL.
SSI also pointed to Macalester’s handling of a 2024 student divestment campaign proposed by the Mac for Palestine student group, saying the college had “drawn a line before.” The Board of Trustees unanimously rejected the proposal in November 2024, instead approving “a series of institutional investments in peacemaking and conflict resolution.”
“A course that begins by presenting the ‘ongoing genocide of Palestinians’ as fact and assigns materials that ‘dismantle Zionist propaganda,’ dismiss concerns of antisemitism, and rationalize armed resistance does not advance meaningful conflict resolution,” SSI stated. “It replaces education with ideology.”
“Though Macalester does not currently have an SSI chapter, we will not stay silent in the face of educational abuse,” the organization added.
Lisa Anderson-Levy, executive vice president and provost at the college, told JNS that the school “respects the principle of academic freedom.”
“Our faculty are free to teach a wide range of materials, including subjects that may prompt thoughtful discussion or differing perspectives, without interference from the college administration,” Anderson-Levy said. “Likewise, our students are free to choose the courses that best align with their academic interests and values.”
