Undergraduate Course: Promised Land or Land of Conflict 3/4 (REST10022)
Course Outline
| School | School of Divinity |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course will cover the development of Zionist thought and the events leading to the foundation of the State of Israel, various aspects of Israeli culture (language, literature, religion), and current Israeli political problems. |
| Course description |
Academic Description:
This course introduces different aspects of Jewish thought and culture by offering a twofold approach of historical overview and in-depth study of particular issues. The course is designed to develop insights into a range of historical and intellectual developments in Jewish identifications, in particular since the beginning of the Emancipation of the Jews at the end of the eighteenth century as these relate to the Land and State of Israel. The development of Zionist thought and the events leading to the foundation of the State of Israel will be studied. The course then focuses on various aspects of Israeli culture (language, literature, religion), and current Israeli political problems. The course aims to offer an insight into the complexity of Israeli society and the place of religion within the state. Students will also gain insight into the history and current developments of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Syllabus/Outline Content:
Students will read a variety of sources, ranging from early Zionist texts written in the nineteenth century, political texts addressing current affairs, as well as literary and other cultural products (for example films, poetry, music) to gain an understanding of the development of Israeli society and its diversity.
Student Learning Experience Information:
The course consists of a two hour weekly seminar which may be taught as a 'flipped classroom'. In the first hour students will engage in a discussion of the source text(s) for the week. To prepare students are asked to study in depth the key texts assigned for each week. These consist of a primary source and appropriate scholarly literature. There will be a formative aspect to the study of source texts which feed forward to the assessed essay and exam. The second hour of the seminar will take the form of a lecture to prepare students with an overview of issues relevant to the following week's source text. A class essay and a final exam test the learning outcomes for this course.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Or by permission of the Course Manager. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Divinity/Religious Studies courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the problems faced by the Jewish people at the beginning of the modern era and why Zionism arose as one possible solution and, through the Zionist movement, eventually succeeded in founding the State of Israel.
- Competently outline the various ideological trends within the State of Israel and especially the role of religion within the State.
- Explain the role played in the establishment of the State by the revival of the Hebrew language and the literature and cultural production based on it.
- Demonstrate awareness of the complexities of the Israeli-Arab conflict.
- Identify key terms and their meanings and show good judgment about how to assess the relative importance of items on course bibliographies.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Empathy and imaginative insight, with a tolerance of diverse positions
- Independence of mind and initiative
- Capacity for reflexive learning
- Ability to attend to others and respect others' views
- Ability to gather, evaluate and synthesise different types of information
- Writing skills, including clear expression and citing relevant evidence
- Ability to engage critically with the meaning of documents and recognise that meanings may be multiple
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| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Hannah Holtschneider
Tel: (0131 6)50 8933
Email: |
Course secretary | Mr Jamie Smith
Tel: (0131 6)50 8913
Email: |
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