History

Time and Place: 1948: The Arab-Israeli Conflict

Module code: V1449
Level 5
15 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Lecture, Seminar
Assessment modes: Coursework

This module is an introduction to the history, politics, and diplomacy of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We will examine the beginning of the conflict, the rise of Jewish and Arab nationalism from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, and the failure of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in 2000.

You will study:

• the conflict’s social, political, ideological, and diplomatic origins
• the growing conflict between the two national movements, Zionist and Palestinian
• the involvement of the Arab states in the conflict
• the process that culminated in the 1948 war
• the disappearance of the Palestinian national movement from the Middle Eastern political map and the on-going Israeli-Arab wars
• the diplomatic process that followed each war
• the impact of the 1967 war on the region and the re-emergence of the Palestinian national movement
• the impact of the Cold War on the conflict
• how the Israeli-Palestinian struggle became the heart of the conflict.

Module learning outcomes

• Critically evaluate the historiography around a particular moment.
• Critically evaluate the applicability of historical concepts to particular cases.
• Supply evidence of these skills in extended essay form.
• Demonstrate ability to use limited amounts of primary source material in extended historical argument.