Understanding Israel and Palestine: One Land, Two People
| Module title | Understanding Israel and Palestine: One Land, Two People |
|---|---|
| Module code | POC2088 |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Aneta Brockhill (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
This module invites students who wish to understand the present-day situation in Palestine-Israel and be part of the classroom that is a site of decolonial learning, engagement and transnational solidarity. The module decentres the mainstream discussion on Palestine–Israel, dominated by the top-down, masculinist and nationalist discourses and histories, and it engages with the bottom-up approach and indigenous sources of knowledge. Through various research activities, such as ‘Connecting Penryn with Israel and Palestine’, you will be given the opportunity to engage in a conversation with people in Palestine and Israel who are actively involved in efforts to create a just and decolonised future, with justice and dignity for all parties.
No prior knowledge skills or experience are required to take this module, and it is suitable for specialist and non-specialist students.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will:
- Introduce you to indigenous voices and sources of knowledge on the question of Palestine-Israel through novels, poems, testimonies, personal memories, films, documentaries, oral history archives and online sessions with people in the region.
- Introduce you to the debates that interrogate the conjunction of intersectionality, decoloniality and transnational solidarity in the context of Palestine-Israel.
Provide you with the opportunity to develop a range of study skills, including the ability to work individually and in a group, evaluate and constructively critique peers’ work, and to construct a coherent and well-reasoned critical analysis of the issues discussed in both oral and written forms.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate a knowledge of the present-day situation in Palestine-Israel;
- 2. situate, assess and analyse the question of Palestine-Israel within the wider context of global justice issues;
- 3. understand, analyse and evaluate the conditions of transnational solidarity within the context of Palestine-Israel, its challenges and opportunities
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. demonstrate a knowledge of the present-day situation in Palestine-Israel;
- 5. apply indigenous concepts to empirical data and vice versa;
- 6. understand assessment criteria, engage in constructive peer-evaluation and produce feedback and suggestions for improvement
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 7. develop oral presentation and communication, group interaction, and analytical writing skills;
- 8. locate, research and critically evaluate relevant information from various academic and non-academic sources to form a critical analysis;
- 9. articulate and defend positions on the seminar topics;
- 10. understand assessment criteria, engage in critical, yet constructive, peer-evaluation and produce feedback and suggestions for improvement;
- 11. study independently and in groups.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Al Nakba
- Settler Colonialism
- Bio-Politics and Permanent State of Exception
- Politics and Geographies of Violence
- International Law and Palestine-Israel
- Security Culture
- Resistance
Global Palestine: Transnational Solidarity
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22 | 11x2 hour lecture and discussion facilitated by the convenor |
| Guided independent study | 33 | 3 hours of preparation for each seminar |
| Guided independent study | 23 | Preparation of portfolio presentation |
| Guided independent study | 50 | Research and writing-up of portfolio assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research Paper Presentation | 500-word portfolio proposal, 5 minute presentation, plus Q&A | 1-11 | Written feedback from tutor and written peer-review in class |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 100 | 2,500 words | 1-11 | Written |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | Portfolio (2,500 words) | 1-11 | August/September re-assessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
Said, Edward W. The question of Palestine. Vintage, 1992.
Khalidi, Rashid. The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917–2017. Metropolitan Books, 2020.
Khalidi, Rashid. Palestinian identity: The construction of modern national consciousness. Columbia University Press, 2010.
Pappe, Ilan. The ethnic cleansing of Palestine. Simon and Schuster, 2007.
Pappe, Ilan. The idea of Israel: A history of power and knowledge. Verso Books, 2014.
Barghouti, Mourid. I Saw Ramallah. Bloomsbury,2005.
Karmi, Ghada. In Search of Fatima: A Palestinian Story. Version Books, 2002.
Abdo, Nahla, and Nur Masalha, eds. An oral history of the Palestinian Nakba. Zed Books Ltd., 2018.
Masalha, Nur. The Palestine Nakba: Decolonising history, narrating the subaltern, reclaiming memory. Zed Books Ltd., 2012.
Khalidi, Rashid. The iron cage: The story of the Palestinian struggle for statehood. Beacon Press, 2007.
Abdo-Zubi, Nahla. Captive revolution: Palestinian women’s anti-colonial struggle within the Israeli prison system. Pluto Press, 2014.
Davis, Angela Y. Freedom is a constant struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the foundations of a movement. Haymarket Books, 2016.
Halper Jeff. Decolonizing Israel, Liberating Palestine. Zionism, Settler Colonialism, and the Case for One Democratic state. Pluto Press, 2021
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Web-based and electronic resources:
- ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages
B'Tselem - The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories-www.btselem.org/
Machsom Watch- https://machsomwatch.org/en
Grassroots Al-Quds- https://www.grassrootsalquds.net/
Aswat- https://www.aswatgroup.org/aswat
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Other resources:
My Neighbourhood (2012, Julia Bacha and Rebekah Wingert-Jabi)
The Gatekeepers (2002, Dror Moreh)
Occupation 101 (2006, Abdallah Omeish, Sufyan Omeish,)
State 194 (2013,Dan Setton)
Paradise Now (2016, Hany Abu-Assad)
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/09/2016 |
| Last revision date | 26/01/2022 |
