Module MEIS2061: THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE QUESTION

Department: GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS (MIDDLE EASTERN AND ISLAMIC STUDIES)

MEIS2061: THE ISRAEL-PALESTINE QUESTION

Prerequisites

• Satisfactory completion of at least one level 1 module in Politics or MEIS1031 Introduction to Middle East Politics.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To introduce students to the contemporary politics of Israel-Palestine, placing them in appropriate historical perspective.

Content

• Ottoman Palestinian society is the starting point for some of the most traumatic political developments of the modern Middle East. Firstly the impacts of the British Mandate, Zionism the Jewish colonisation of Palestine, and the United Nations, culminating the creation of the state of Israel are studies. Thereafter, the early policies of Israel are developed before tuning to the effects of the wars in 1948-1967 and 1973 on Israeli and Palestinian politics. The various efforts at peace (and their failures) are followed resulting in the outbreaks of the intifadas in 1987 and 2000. The course finishes by looking at contemporary developments and attempting to assess what the future holds.

Learning Outcomes

• Through the module students should acquire:
• An understanding of the historical development of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, within a regional and international context;
• An understanding of the major debates and discourses that have emerged regarding the historiography, the sociology, the politics and the international relations of the conflict;
• An understanding of the essential political ideas and ideologies that have motivated and guided the principal actors in the conflict, and to enable the student to analyse these with reference to empirical material; and
• An understanding of the socio-economic and political dynamics that have driven the conflict to take shape as and when it has.

• Through the module, students should be able to:
• Accurately and effectively engage with contemporary analyses of the conflict and to take account of varying interpretations of events, actions, dynamics and motivations;
• Accurately and effectively engage with the different perspectives surrounding the events, actions, dynamics and motivations relevant to Palestine and Israel;
• Show awareness of the key events, actions, dynamics and motivations relevant to Palestine and Israel.

• Appropriate assessment and use of sources students have been directed to and those they have discovered for themselves.
• Planning and completion of a variety of assessment activities to length and on time.
• Effective written communication and analysis of information.
• Time Management.
• Flexibility in using knowledge and responding to changing requirements.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Each week, there will be a one-hour lecture which will provide the student with a summary of historical and contemporary events and discourses and guide the student through their interpretation. In some instances, videos will be used to provide archival film footage and enable the student to visualise the people, places and contexts of events and analyses, Lectures will be supported by reading lists and other resources, such as hand-outs, that will enable students to consolidate the factual knowledge delivered in lectures and assist students in developing their analysis of events.
• Seminars will provide a basis for further enhancing the analytical aspects of the module, entailing small group and class discussions, student presentations, videos, and other activities. Seminars will enable students to critically analyse arguements, texts, and events, including through the presentation of work to others.
• Assessment by essay will test students' knowledge of a particular topic and their ability to research, plan and sustain an analytical argument about an important aspect of the Israel-Palestine question using a suitable academic framework and in accordance with scholarly expectations. Examinations test knowledge of the topic and the ability to respond flexibly to a address appropriately specific questions without recourse to notes and under significant time pressure.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One 2000-word essay.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University