Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel
| Module title | Gender, Sexuality and Violence in Palestine/Israel |
|---|---|
| Module code | ARA3200 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Katie Natanel (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 35 |
|---|
Module description
This module takes a critical approach to the study of ‘conflict’ in Palestine/Israel by focusing on the relationship between gender and political violence in the region. We will first problematise the dominant frames of ‘conflict’ and ‘occupation’, looking instead to the model of settler colonialism as a gendered and sexualised practice. We will then explore key themes including nationalism, space, embodiment, everyday life, feminism, queer politics and resistance, which illustrate how gender relations are central to violence in Palestine/Israel. Through engaging with gender as a political and analytical category you will investigate the range of mechanisms that sustain political violence, as well as how individuals and communities practise resistance and imagination.
The course is seminar-based, consisting of short lectures followed by in-depth class discussions and workshops. No prior knowledge of the subject is required; the module is suitable for interdisciplinary pathways.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module aims to provide you with the skills of critical gender analysis, which will allow you to explore how settler colonialism and political violence are sustained and subverted in Palestine/Israel. You will learn to analyse how gender roles, relations, codes and norms become central to the production of violence, as well as how women and men experience, understand and resist this violence on individual and collective levels. You are expected to take an active role in creating and leading our learning community. The module encourages politically active learning through discussion of topical events and project-based assessment.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Develop an in-depth understanding of how gender sustains settler colonialism and political violence in Palestine/Israel.
- 2. Identify and critically assess how gender shapes diverse modes of resistance in Palestine/Israel.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Analyse and assess academic texts and dominant frameworks (i.e., conflict or occupation) critically.
- 4. Distinguish between a range of methodological approaches as well as variety of genres, i.e. anthropological and sociological texts, (auto)biographical writings and fiction.
- 5. Demonstrate an awareness of, and be sensitised to, the various processes by which gender (i.e., femaleness and maleness) is socially constructed and impacts politics.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Engage in independent study and group work, including the presentation of material for group discussion
- 7. Digest, select and organise material to produce, to a deadline, a coherent and cogent argument, developed through the mode of assessment.
- 8. Critically examine and review existing literature.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
Gender, Sexuality & Settler Colonialism
Gendering Political Violence
Nationalism & the Construction of Collective Identities
Borders, Boundaries & the Politics of Space
Displacement & Diaspora
Embodiment: Experiences of Control & Carcerality
The Politics of Everyday Life: Normalcy & ‘Getting By’
Feminist Praxis & Women’s Activism
Queer Politics: Pinkwashing & Homonationalism
Resistance: From Ordinary Actions to Popular Protest
Anti-colonial Politics & De-colonial Projects
Toward New Political Futures: Imagination and Cultural Production
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 27.5 | 122.5 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 27.5 | Classroom hours (11 x 2.5-hour seminars) |
| Guided Independent Study | 55 | Weekly reading 5 hours per week |
| Guided Independent Study | 12.5 | Class/seminar preparation (including researching and posting news forums links) |
| Guided Independent Study | 28.5 | Project (18.5 hours researching/coordinating, 10 hours writing/preparing presentation) |
| Guided Independent Study | 26.5 | Essay (16.5 hours reading, 10 hours writing) |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class discussions & workshops | Weekly | 1-6 | Verbal feedback |
| Project proposal | 700 words | 1-6 | Written & Verbal feedback |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective Diary | 45 | 2,000 words | 1-8 | Written feedback |
| Summative project (group or individual) | 45 | Written submission of 2000 words OR 15 minute pre-recorded presentation. Submissionswill be in a DIGITAL format [e.g., film review, exhibition review, op-ed article, short film, podcast, video or photo essay, poetry, play script, Instagram page, blog, etc.]. This list is not exhaustive. | 1-8 | Written feedback; verbal feedback (if required) |
| News article posts (3) | 10 | 3 x online links to existing news articles, posted to our class forum | 4-6, 8 | Verbal feedback in seminar discussion |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflective diary | Reflective diary (2,000 words) | 1-8 | August/September re-assessment period |
| Project | Written submission of 2000 words OR 15-minute pre-recorded presentation. | 1-8 | August/September re-assessment period |
| News article posts (3) | 3 x online links relevant to topics from our course | 4-6, 8 | August/September reassessment period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Abdo, Nahla, Women in Israel: Race, Gender and Citizenship, 2011.
Abdo, Nahla and Yuval-Davis, Nira, Unsettling Settler Societies: Articulations of Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Class, 1995.
Boyarin, Daniel, Unheroic Conduct: The Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man, 1997.
Gordon, Neve, Israel’s Occupation, 2008.
Kanaaneh, Rhoda Ann, Birthing the Nation: Strategies of Palestinian Women in Israel, 2002.
Kanaaneh, Rhoda Ann and Nusair, Isis (eds.), Displaced at Home: Ethnicity and Gender among Palestinians in Israel, 2010.
Kuntsman, Adi, Figurations of Violence and Belonging: Queerness, Migranthood and Nationalism in Cyberspace and Beyond, 2009.
Lentin, Ronit, Thinking Palestine, 2008.
McClintock, Anne, Imperial Leather: Race , Gender and Sexuality in the Colonial Conquest, 1995.
Natanel, Katherine, Sustaining Conflict: Apathy and Domination in Israel/Palestine, 2016.
Puar, Jasbir, Terrorist Assemblages: homonationalism in queer times, 2007.
Shalhoub-Kevorkian, Nadera, Militarization and Violence against Women in Conflict Zones in the Middle East: A Palestinian Case Study, 2009.
Sharoni, Simona, Gender and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Politics of Women’s Resistance, 1995.
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Videos/films, TV programmes, online materials (news sites, blogs, social media), images, podcasts, play scripts, music, memoirs.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 23/12/2016 |
| Last revision date | 11/08/2020 |
