southampton

Module overview

Modern Israel is the topic of this third level History Special Subject module, running over two semesters. Contemporary images of Israel are often informed by general political attitudes, and the many – different – realities of life in Israel tend to disappear behind these images. The history of the pre-state Jewish community in Palestine and of the State of Israel has to be seen in a variety of wider contexts: European interests in the Middle East; Jewish life in Europe and the rise of Zionism; the emergence of a Palestinian Arab political consciousness; the British Mandate and the League of Nations; World War I and its impact on the region; World War II and the Holocaust. These contexts will be discussed, but the focus of the course is Modern Israel itself – its history, its political situation, inner-Israeli divisions and the role of historical consciousness. Part 2 of the module will take a closer look at Israel’s cultural history.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Analyse, interpret and use historical evidence
Explore key debates that have informed historians discussion of Modern Israel

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

Current debates and frictions inside of the Israeli society (along the lines of Jewish/Arab, secular/religious, European/Oriental divisions).
The geo-political situation of the State of Israel between “Europe” and the “Orient”.
The main political developments since 1948 and their reflection in historical writing.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Critically assess large amounts of complex material
Work independently preparing for class work and written assignments
Display effective time management in preparation of class and coursework assignments

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include:

Seminars

Essay workshops and tutorials

Learning activities include:

Preparing introductory and background reading for each seminar
Preparing oral presentations
Analysis of source material

Study time
Type	Hours
Preparation for scheduled sessions	72
Wider reading or practice	80
Completion of assessment task	100
Seminar	48
Total study time	300

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin (2001). History Textbooks and the Limits of Israeli Consciousness. Journal of Israeli History 20, 2/3, pp. 155-72.

Textbooks

Oz Almog (2000). The Sabra: The Creation of the New Jew. University of California Press.

Derek J. Penslar (2007). Israel in History. The Jewish State in Comparative Perspective. London and New York: Routledge.

Miron Benvenisti (2000). Sacred Landscape. The buried history of the Holy Land since 1948. Berkeley/London.

Eric Stephen Zakim (2005). To build and be built: landscape, literature and the construction of Zionist identity. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Shmuel Eisenstadt (1985). The Transformation of Israeli Society: An Essay in Interpretation. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.

Gil Anidjar (2003). The Jew, the Arab. A History of the Enemy. Stanford UP.

Raja Shehadeh (2007). Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape.

Tom Segev (1986). 1949: The First Israelis. New York: Free Press.

Ron Kuzar (2001). Hebrew and Zionism: A Discourse Analytic Cultural Study. Berlin and New York: de Gruyter.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Written assignment	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Written assignment	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External

Modern Israel Part 1