2017/18 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST2878 The Arab-Israeli Conflict

20 creditsClass Size: 56

Module manager: Dr Nir Arielli
Email: N.Arielli@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

This module is mutually exclusive with

ARAB2066

Palestine and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

The Arab-Israeli conflict is one of the most bitter and enduring disputes of our time. The political and military confrontation is accompanied by heated controversies regarding the past that have led to the formation of conflicting historical narratives. The module will address questions which remain perplexing: where are the roots of the conflict to be found? To what extent was the conflict unavoidable? What role did European and global powers play in its evolution?The module will make use of a wide range of primary and secondary sources, approaching a number of key historical events and themes through different historiographic perspectives. It will trace the emergence of Zionism and Arab nationalism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. A major theme of the module is Arab-Jewish relations and each community's perception of the other during the Ottoman period, under the British mandate and after the establishment of Israel. The module will analyse different historiographic interpretations of the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem. Local and global causes behind the wars of 1948, 1956, 1967, 1973 and 1982 as well as the Palestinian Intifadas will be evaluated. The module will also examine the rise and fall of the peace process.

Objectives

To engage students in some of the lively debates surrounding the Arab-Israeli conflict in both its domestic and international contexts. To do so by drawing on both secondary literature and primary sources in English.

Learning outcomes
On completing this module students will:
a) have a deeper understanding of the origins of and key developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict
b) be able to illustrate these with concrete historical examples, and therefore
c) be able to provide the historical 'long view' on a current issue
d) have a firm grasp of the historiographical controversies surrounding this topic

Syllabus

Lectures:
1. Introduction - historiographic narratives; the land of Israel/Palestine up to the 19th century
2. Late Ottoman Palestine
3. The Balfour Declaration and the British Mandate
4. The Second World War and its aftermath
5. From UN partition to the establishment of Israel
6. The inter-state war of 1948
7. The broader conflict, 1956-1967
8. The broader conflict, 1967-1973
9. Peace, war and uprising, 1978-1990
10. The decade of hope, 1991-2000
11. After Oslo

Seminars:
1. Introduction
2. Zionism and early Arab nationalism
3. The Arab Revolt: national and international dimensions
4. The birth of the Palestinian refugee crisis
5. Group presentations
6. Egypt and Israel, 1949-1978
7. The PLO and the First Lebanon War, 1964-1982
8. The peace process and its demise
9. Revision

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Lecture	11	1.00	11.00
Seminar	9	1.00	9.00
Private study hours			180.00
Total Contact hours			20.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Researching, preparing and writing assessments; undertaking set reading; self-directed reading around the topic.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Weekly tutorial discussions; group oral presentation of students' research in tutorials; written assignments.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	2,000 words to be submitted by 12.00pm on Monday of teaching week 9	40.00
Presentation	Verbal presentation (equivalent of 500 words)	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 11/12/2017

Disclaimer

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