UCC1: New Course Transmittal Form

Department Name and Number

Recommended SCNS Course Identi cation Pre x Level Course Number Lab Code Full Course Title Transcript Title (please limit to 21 characters)

Eective Term and Year Rotating Topic yes no

Amount of Credit Contact Hour: Base or Headcount S/U Only yes no

Repeatable Credit yes no If yes, total repeatable credit allowed

Variable Credit yes no If yes, minimum and maximum credits per semester

Course Description (50 words or less)

Prerequisites Co-requisites

Degree Type (mark all that apply) Baccalaureate Graduate Professional Other

Category of Instruction Introductory Intermediate Advanced

Rationale and place in curriculum

Department Contact Name Phone Email

College Contact Name Phone Email

Rev. 10/10 University of Florida

Israelis and

Professor: Tamir Sorek Office hours: 206 Walker Hall, Tuesday 1-3, or by appointment

E-mail: [email protected]

This course discusses the Israeli-Palestinian interactions focusing on the way collective identities are shaped by the conflict. It combines historical outlining of the conflict's development from the beginning of Zionist immigration to Palestine until the current day, with thematic analysis of its dynamics. The course juxtaposes different subjective points of view and motivations of the various actors involved and analyzes the socio-political process as products of these interrelated positions. The lectures and reading demonstrate how the internal structures of both societies influence and are influenced by the dynamics of the conflict. Special emphasis is given to the significance of interdependency of culture and politics; national symbolism as both product of the conflict and an element that maintains it; and the significance of heroism, victimhood and martyrdom in shaping the conflict and the identities of the parties involved. Class meetings include lectures, movies, and discussions.

Assignments and Grading:

Reading: The course will use three different textbooks, each of which tells the Palestinian- Israeli interaction in a different way. We will pay attention to the ways political sympathies are reflected in the vocabulary as well as in the emphasis on various events and aspects of the conflict. The following required books are required:

• James L. Gelvin, The -Palestine Conflict: One Hundred Years of War, Cambridge University Press, 2007.

• Allan Dowty, Israel/Palestine, Polity Press, 2008.

• Paul Scham, Walid Salem, and Benjamin Pogrund: Shared Histories: A Palestinian-Israeli Dialogue, Left Coast Press Inc, 2006

Each one of these books highlights general themes of the conflict, but none of them provides a detailed history of the conflict. If you are interested in more details, the following book is recommended: Benny Morris, Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict, 1881-2001, Vintage books, 2001.

1 Other items on the list are available through the library’s electronic reserve system or the provided web links.

On-line Reading reports (20%): Students are expected to post a short but thoughtful commentary (150-200 words) on the reading items – before class. Please remember – a summary is not a commentary. There will be 22 reading reports for the semester.

Class participation (12%): You are expected to take an active part in the classroom. If you do not feel comfortable talking in public you can substitute it by commentary on the discussion board of the course website. Consistent attendance is a necessary but not sufficient condition for getting the maximum participation grade. Up to twelve points will be awarded for participation according to quality and frequency of participation in class and web discussions.

Quizzes (28%) During the semester you will be required to take four quizzes. Each quiz will take 10 minutes and will be worth 7% of the final grade.

Take home (24 hours) mid-term exam (15%)

Final take home exam (25%): During the last class meeting, students will receive specific instructions for a final take home exam. The exam will in the form of an essay in which students are expected to implement the knowledge they acquired in the classroom and the reading materials. The grade will reflect the student’s knowledge of the course materials, the way she/he implements the theoretical concepts, and the level of organization and clarity of the arguments. Students will have three days to complete the assignment.

GradingPolicy

Information on t h e current UF grade-point scale can be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx

Grading Scale A 93-100 A- 90-92 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 C- 70-72 D+ 67-69 D 63-66 D- 60-62 E 0-59

2 Attendance Policy Class attendance is mandatory. Legitimate reasons for absence include documented medical conditions, UF sanctioned reasons for absence, or absences pre-approved by the instructor. Frequent unjustified absences will negatively affect the student’s grade. After one unexcused absence, you will lose one percentage point from your final grade for each additional absence. After four unexcused absences, you will lose 2 points from your final grade for each additional absence. http://www.registrar.ufl.edu/catalog1011/policies/regulationattendance.html

Make-up policy The grade components above are mandatory. No other quizzes, exams, assignments, or extra- credit will substitute for them. Exceptions:

1) Students who miss a quiz, exam, or assignment for a justifiable reason according to UF policy will be able to make it up after providing the appropriate documentation.

2) Students who miss more than six meetings for a justifiable reason will be able to make up for this absence by submitting a paper based on the instructor’s guidelines.

Plagiarism Using others' ideas and words without clearly acknowledging the source of that information is considered plagiarism and is a serious violation of the honor code of the University of Florida (please see http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/honorcode.php for details). Submitting plagiarized work will automatically result in a failing grade in this course and will be reported to the relevant authorities in the university. In order to prevent plagiarism, papers submitted in this class, including your reading reports and movie reviews, will be checked by the Turn-it-in software. Students with disabilities

Students requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the Instructor when requesting accommodation.

Class schedule and reading assignments

Week 1: Different ways to tell the story Reading: 1) “The Land and its Lure”, Ch. 1 (pp. 1-12) from Gelvin 2) "Introduction: Two Worlds Collide", Ch. 1 from (pp 1-20) from Dowty 3) Pages 7-10 from "Shared Histories"

Week 2: Palestine before the conflict1 and the origins of the Zionist movement Reading: "The Jewish Story" and "The Arab Story", Chapters 1+2 (pp 21-68) from Dowty "Cultures of Nationalism", Chapter 2 (pp. 14-45) from Gelvin 3

Week 3: First encounters Reading: 1) Excerpts from Herzl: Old New Land, 119 - 125 2) Excerpts from: Yitzhak Epstein, The Hidden Question, first appeared in HaShiloah (Odessa), 17 (July–December, 1907) 193–206. Translated by Alan Dowty, in: “A Question That Outweighs All Others: Yitzhak Epstein and Zionist Recognition of the Arab Issue”, in: Israel Studies 8 (Spring 2001): 34-54 (only pages 42-53 are required). 3) Ottoman voices against Zionism (translated by Michelle U. Campos), from the course website.

Week 4: Arabs and Jews under British Mandate in Palestine

Reading: Ch. 4 (pp. 76-91) and 5 (pp. 92-115) from Gelvin

Week 5: Palestine in WWII and the partition plan of 1947 Reading: Pages 116-125 from Gelvin

Week 6: The Holocaust and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Reading: Shared Histories, pages 135 – 176: a. The Holocaust, the creation of Israel, and the shaping of Israeli society (Dalia Ofer); b. The Holocaust in the Palestinian perspective (Ata Qaymari); c. Discussion 4.

Week 7: The 1948 War: Nakba and Independence

Reading: 1) Meron Benvenisti, Sacred Landscape: The Buried History of the Holy Land since 1948, University of California Press, 2002, pp. 101-172

4 2) Pages 177-250 from Shared Histories

Week 8: The Arab-Israeli War and Re-emergence of Palestinian nationalism

Reading: 1) Pages 165-211 from Gelvin.

2) The Palestinian national covenant: http://www.mideastweb.org/plocha.htm

Week 8: Israel and the PLO in Lebanon Reading: 1) 126-130 from Dowty 2) “Hitler is Already Dead, Mr. Prime Minister”, pages 396-404 from: Tom Segev, The Seventh Million: The Israelis and the Holocaust

Week 9: The occupation of the and the Reading: 1) Land Grab (Summary): http://www.btselem.org/English/Publications/Summaries/200205_Land_Grab.asp and Chapter 1: http://www.btselem.org/Download/200205_Land_Grab_Eng.pdf 2) Diplomatic and Legal Aspects of the Settlement Issue: http://www.jcpa.org/brief/brief2- 16.htm Clips: 3) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-849124133667622483 4) Land Confiscation in Ertas: http://corky.net/~eran/yossi/Ertas%20200507%20Forweb.WMV

5) Elias Rishmawi, “Tax Revolt in Beit Sahur” in Lynd et al, (eds.) Homeland: Oral Histories of Palestine and Palestinians, pp. 271-281 6) “Public Opinion and Political Change: Israel and the Intifada”, Asher Arian; Michal Shamir; Raphael Ventura, Comparative Politics, Vol. 24, No. 3. (Apr., 1992), pp. 317-334.

Week 10: The Oslo Process Reading: Ch. 10-11 (315-397) from Kimmerling, Baruch and Joel S. Migdal, The Palestinian People: A History. Cambridge. MA: Harvard University Press, 2003

Week 11: Arabs in a Jewish State Reading: 1) Ch. 1 (pp. 1-13) and 8 (150-182) from: Tamir Sorek, Arab Soccer in a Jewish State Cambridge University Press, 2007

2) The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel, The National Committee for the Heads of the Arab Local Authorities in Israel, December 2006: http://www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/dec06/tasawor-mostaqbali.pdf (pp. 9-18)

Week 12: The relation between internal and external conflicts Reading: 1) Shenhav, Yehouda “The Jews of Iraq Zionist Ideology and the Property of the Palestinian Refugees of 1948: An Anomaly of National Accounting”. International Journal of Middle East Studies 31: 605 – 630, 1999 2) Excerpts from the movie: "The Dimmis: To Be a Jew in Arab Lands" 5 3) Rabinowitz, Dan "Strife in Nazareth: Struggles over the Religious Meaning of Place", Ethnography, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 93-113, Mar 2001

Week 13: Religion and martyrology Reading: 1) Yael Zerubavel, “The Battle of Tel Hai,” Recovered Roots, pp. 39-47 2) "Suicide Bombers: Dignity, Despair, and the Need for Hope: An Interview with Eyad El Sarraj", Journal of Palestine studies, 2002 vol:31 iss:4 pg:71-76

3) Kimmerling, Baruch: “Religion, Nationalism and Democracy in Israel,” Constellations, 1999, 6, 3:339-363

4) Document: The Covenant of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas): http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm

5) "Dear God, this is Effi" Ari Shavit interviews Effi Eitam, , March 21, 2002. http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=143671

Week 14: Solutions? Reading: 1) Chapter 8 (Pages 204-216) from Dowty 2) Gush Shalom Forum, “Two States or One State”, A debate between former Member Uri Avnery and Dr. Ilan Pappe, May 8, 2007 http://gush-shalom.org.toibillboard.info/Transcript_eng_improved.mht

6 CLAS Course Approval Checklist

A. Departmental Review: This course has been reviewed (see http://www.clas.ufl.edu/curriculum/new- courses.html#guidelines for instructions) and approved by:

______, Title______

E-mail______; Phone number______

B. External Consultation Results: (sign off from other departments with potential overlap or interest in proposed course, if any)

1. ______Department______Title______

E-mail______; Phone number______

2. ______Department______Title______

E-mail______; Phone number______

3. ______Department______Title______

E-mail______; Phone number______

Brief summary of their comments:

C. Further information about the course (see CLAS Departmental Review Guidelines) UCC: Syllabus Checklist

All UCC1 forms and each UCC2 form that proposes a change in the course description or credit hours must include this checklist in addition to a complete syllabus. Check the box if the attached syllabus includes the indicated information.

Syllabus MUST contain the following information: Instructor contact information (and TA if applicable) Course objectives and/or goals A topical outline (at least tentative) of subjects to be covered Required and recommended textbooks Methods by which students will be evaluated and their grades determined Policy related to class attendance Policy related to make-up exams or other work Statement related to accommodations for students with disabilities Information on current UF grading policies for assigning grade points

It is recommended that syllabi contain the following information: 1. Critical dates for exams and other work 2. Class demeanor expected by the professor (e.g., tardiness, cell phone usage) 3. UF’s honesty policy 4. Contact information for university counseling and mental health services

The University’s complete Syllabus Policy can be found at: http://www.aa.u .edu/policy/SyllabiPolicy.pdf

Rev. 10/10