Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM170: Understanding Israel and Palestine: Anatomy of Violence

This module descriptor refers to the 2019/0 academic year.

Module Aims

This module will:

  • Provide an advanced level introduction to the causes, dynamics, key issues, and main developments in the politics of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and situate the analysis within key International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies theories, concept and debates on violence.
  • Introduce you to various, often contradictory, interpretations of the conflict going beyond the two 'official' narratives.
  • Provide you with the opportunity to develop a range of study skills, including the ability to work individually and in a group, formulate your own research questions in preparation for the Skype sessions with NGOs in the region, 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)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. Demonstrate substantive and comprehensive knowledge of the main developments, issues and actors in the Israel-Palestine conflict, taking account of varying narratives of events and dynamics of the conflict;
2. Critically engage with and critique different theories and understandings of violence and apply this analysis in the context of the protraction of the Israel-Palestine conflict;
3. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate the political nexuses between different forms of violence and the protraction of the Israel-Palestine conflict;
Discipline-Specific Skills4. Identify, critically discuss, and apply the key theoretical debates in International Relations and Peace and Conflict Studies to empirical data;
5. Find, use, and analyse primary and secondary data relevant to specific issue areas;
Personal and Key Skills6. Critically evaluate ideas and debates;
7. Locate, research and critically evaluate relevant information from academic sources to form a critical analysis;
8. Develop analytical writing skills;
9. Study independently and in collaboration with peers;
10. Understand assessment criteria, engage in critical, yet constructive, peer-evaluation and produce feedback and suggestions for improvement;
11. Develop oral presentation and communication skills;