Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POL2051: War and Peace in the Middle East

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

This module aims to:

familiarise you with the key issues and main developments in the politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict;
introduce you to the literature on the conflict and to contradictory interpretations of the conflict;
introduce you to the main issues concerning the politics of the Middle East peace process;
introduce you to the basic data and the relevant literature available; and
familiarise you with a range of perspectives held by different authors on the process.

The module will also aim to:

sharpen your presentational skills (e.g. argumentation, discussion, presentations);
introduce you to the complexities and skills required for effective diplomacy;
improve your written skills through briefing papers and essays; and
develop your appreciation of team work and openness to other’s ideas.

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 key issues in contemporary Middle East politics; 2. demonstrate an understanding of the actors, dynamics and trends in the peace process in the Middle East; 3. demonstrate an understanding of the peace process negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians; 4. demonstrate a knowledge of key issues in the Palestinian- Israeli conflict: refugees, settlements, Jerusalem, one state-two state solution;
Discipline-Specific Skills	5. find, use and analyse secondary and primary data relevant to specific issue areas; 6. place contemporary political issues into larger contexts; 7. deploy critical arguments in analysing political issues and evaluating sources;
Personal and Key Skills	8. demonstrate independent and group work including the presentation of material for group discussion articulating and defending positions on tutorial topics; 9. demonstrate analytical skills and the ability to digest, select and organise material; 10. produce well organised and coherent essays to a deadline.