Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2093: Understanding Israel and Palestine: Seeking Peace

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Aims

This module will:

1. Introduce you to the key actors, dynamics, and main issues, in the peace process negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and key issues affecting the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict

2. Familiarise you with a range of perspectives held by different scholars, politicians and peace activists on the Israel/Palestine Peace Process.

3. Continue to develop your analytical, research and writing capacities, and to develop oral presentation skills through class discussion and individual presentations.

4. Develop IT skills through individual research in preparation for the simulation exercise.

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 Skills	1. demonstrate a knowledge of the actors, dynamics and key issues in the peace process negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, and key stumbling blocks in the resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict; 2. demonstrate an understanding of central issues in the Israel-Palestine conflict: territory, refugees, settlements, and Jerusalem 3. develop and demonstrate a knowledge of key theoretical debates regarding the resolution of the conflict 4. identify and evaluate the role of different third parties in the Israel-Palestine Peace Process, and critically assess their contribution
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. understand the theoretical concepts drawn from the theories of peace, violence, security or conflict resolution, and understand the applicability of these concepts to Palestine-Israel Peace Process 6. find, use and critically analyse secondary data relevant to specific issue areas 7. construct well-structured and rigorous political arguments
Personal and Key Skills	8. to select, organise and process data to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, both orally and in writing 9. work independently and within a group, including participation in oral discussion and simulation exercise 10. work independently, within a limited time frame, and without access to external sources, to complete a specified task 11. develop IT skills through individual research in preparation for seminar discussions, simulation exercise, and examination

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Illustrative seminar topics:

Introduction to the Module: The never-ending conflict?
The Road to Oslo
The Oslo Peace Process: What went wrong?
The Stumbling Blocks: Territory, Settlements, and Water
The Stumbling Blocks: Jerusalem and Refugees
Bad Fences Make Bad Neighbours: the ‘Separation Wall’
Palestinian Violence
Israel and Palestine (un)divided: Internal Conflicts and Prospects for Peace
External Actors
'The Penryn Peace Process'-the UN-sponsored conference: Simulation exercise
Conclusion: Is the end in Sight?

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
22	128

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	11	Lectures and discussion facilitated by the convenor
Scheduled Learning and Teaching activity	11	Seminars guided by questions and readings assigned by the convenor
Guided independent study	35	Reading and preparing for seminars
Guided independent study	11	Research and preparation of student-led seminar
Guided independent study	22	Researching and preparation for simulation assessment
Guided independent study	10	Composition of report on simulation exercise
Guided independent study	15	Reading and Preparing for examination practice
Guided independent study	35	Reading and Preparing for Unseen examination

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

Israel Foreign Ministry- www. mfa.gov.il

Negotiations Affairs Department, Palestine Liberation Organisation- www.nad-plo.org

Foundation for the Middle East Peace- www.fmep.org

Other Learning Resources

Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land (2004,Sut Jhally and Bathsheba Ratzkoff, 2004)

Relentless: The Struggle for Peace in the Middle East (2003, Wayne Kopping)