UNDERSTANDING THE SOUTHERN SHORE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

The course is part of the first year of the postgraduate curriculum MIM "Crossing the Mediterranean: Towards Investment and Integration". The course contributes to the achievement of the CdS training objectives in the area of historical, critical, cultural and humanistic competences. The main objectives of the course are to acquire a critical knowledge of the Middle East, with special reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; to acquire the tools to analyze and deconstruct its diverging narratives, with particular reference to the themes of violence and nonviolence. The objective will be met by analyzing various historical moments and watersheds from different points points of view and through different disciplinary methods (history, international relations, international law, studies on memory, studies on the diaspora, cinema and literature).


There will be some guest speakers

Knowledge and understanding:
- Learn and understand the main characters and historical events in the history of the Modern and Contemporary Middle East in general, and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in particular.
- Learn and understand concepts and instruments of historiography and critical studies about this.
- Deepen the understand of this historical period through films and documentaries.

Applying knowledge and understanding
- learn how to analyse and interpret some relevant historical sources
- understand the difference between primary and secondary sources and learn how to use them;
- learn how to uses historiography critically in some of its main concepts (narration, normativity, canon)

Making judgements:
- learn how to make critical judgements on historical, political and social phenomena pertaining to the history of the Middle East and of the Israeli-palestinian conflict, making use of critically and historiographically solid arguments
- learn how to examine critically various types of sources (primary, secondary, photographic video, documentaries, films etc.)
- become aware of one's own inevitable bias and overcome it

Communication
- learn how to express and re-elaborate the contents of the program in written form, in a concise and effective way.

Lifelong learning skills :
- learn how ot integrate critically the study of different materials (notes, slides, texts, creative works, academic articles)
- be able to study autonomously materials and subjects which have not been covered in class
- improve ability to learn materials in English
- improve ability to use online learning tools
- be able to participate in an informed way to a scientific discussion on the subject among peers.

working knowledge of English and French B2

the syllabus will be distributed on the first day of class.
Please take due note that the calendar below is provisional and migh be subject to change as to the names of the guest speakers and as to the mode of teaching (given the uncertainies connected to the Covid-19 pandemic.

1. Intro + History of the Israeli-palestinian conflict 1947-1949 (in class) (Simoni)
2+3: the many sides of 1948 (flipped classroom; blended) (Simoni)
4: History of the Israeli-palestinian conflict 1967 (in class) (Simoni)
5+6: The many consequences of 1967 (flipped classroom; blended) (Simoni)
7-11: Place des système coercitif et de la violence au Moyen Orient (in class) (H. Bozarslan)
12-15: The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Different narratives - Historical Origins and Meanings (in class) (S. Tamari)

a reference list will be distributed on the first day of class

Active partecipation in class and within one's own group: 10%
2 reaction papers for Prof. Simoni: 30% (15% 30% (15% ciascuno)
Participation within the forum: 10%
Evaluation of visiting colleagues: 50% (25% each)

This course has been approved for 2021-22 as 50 % blended. The frontal lectures and the discussions in class will be flanked with individual and collective work on written and video material. According to the methodology of the "flipped classroom", the work done by students at home will be verified in cless during the following meeting.

English

language of instruction
english and french

written

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "International cooperation" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development