One Way to Live: British Soldiers in Palestine
HIS 366N, GOV 360N, JS 364, MES 343
39792, 38904, 40362, 42167
Fall 2014
Calhoun Hall (CAL) 221
Wednesday, 6pm-9pm
Instructor:
John M. Meyer
Office Hours:
Mezes 3.112, JohnnyMeyer@utexas.edu
Tuesday 3:30-5pm and by appointment.
Table of Contents
I. Course Description .......................................................................................................... 1
Ethics and Leadership Flag .............................................................................................. 2
Writing Flag ................................................................................................................... 2
II. Classroom Format and Procedures .................................................................................. 3
Feedback Statement ....................................................................................................... 3
III. Tentative Course Schedule ............................................................................................ 3
Course Plan ................................................................................................................... 3
IV. Course Requirements: ................................................................................................... 4
Class attendance and participation policy: ........................................................................ 4
Course Readings/Materials: ............................................................................................. 4
Assignments, Assessment, and Evaluation ........................................................................ 6
Essays ........................................................................................................................... 6
Final Grade .................................................................................................................... 7
Use of Blackboard in class ............................................................................................... 7
V. Academic Integrity ......................................................................................................... 8
University of Texas Honor Code ....................................................................................... 8
VI. Other University Notices and Policies ............................................................................. 8
Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students ....................................................... 8
Documented Disability Statement .................................................................................... 8
Q drop Policy ................................................................................................................. 9
Emergency Evacuation Policy .......................................................................................... 9
I. Course Description
This course uses the 'theme' of British soldiers in Palestine to introduce students to the ideas
and discussions surrounding human nature and organized violence: Why do human beings go
to war? Why do human beings form governments? Do governments make the world more or
less dangerous? This course also explores the ethical issues surrounding human violence and
human political action, especially within the context of the Near East. Our particular tools for
investigating these issues will be historical and literary biography, as well as archived audio and
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video materials. In addition to the required reading listed below, each student creates a unique
reading list in consultation with the instructor; most of the books on the student's unique
reading list will either be histories that look at British Palestine, or else books that examine
human violence as a discreet phenomena or ethical problem.
The main requirements of the course are met by students reading a book each week and by
submitting a weekly critique of the reading. Each of the weekly critiques is circulated to all the
other members of the class who make annotations on style as well as substance. Thus, the
class also serves as a lesson in professional writing practices.
The required readings begin with two short books to introduce particular themes and familiarize
students with the region: English's Modern War and Bunton's The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.
We then use biography and autobiography to focus on two of the most mythologized soldiers in
the history of the British Empire: T.E. Lawrence and Orde Wingate. Lawrence advocated for
Arab nationalism in the First World War, while Wingate marshaled Zionism in the Second. The
readings thereafter become more diverse, and the students have some influence on the
process.
Following the approach of Professor William Roger Louis, the course seeks to enhance (1)
intellectual curiosity; (2) conceptual clarity; (3) intellectual flexibility; (4) accuracy and attention
to detail; (5) critical engagement; (6) capacity for hard work; (7) enthusiasm for history,
literature, and politics; and (8) historical imagination and understanding, that is, the possession
of appropriate historical knowledge and the capacity to deploy it. Students of psychology,
violence, rhetoric, imperialism, political science, British history, and Middle Eastern studies will
find the course useful.
Ethics and Leadership Flag
This course carries the Ethics and Leadership flag. Ethics and Leadership courses are designed
to equip you with skills that are necessary for making ethical decisions in your adult and
professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from
assignments involving ethical issues and the process of applying ethical reasoning to real-life
situations.
Writing Flag
This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students
experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly
during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your
instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or
more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should
therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing
Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication,
Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board.
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II. Classroom Format and Procedures
I expect each student to come to class having carefully read the assigned material.
I will begin each class session with introductory remarks. We follow this with a very brief
student-led presentation and an instructor-led discussion. We will then discuss key themes from
that day's reading, and prepare for the upcoming assignment.
Here are a few clear rules regarding classroom behavior:
You must raise your hand if you wish to enter into our discussions. But I may call on you
even if you do not have your hand raised; I wish to encourage broad (but civil) participation.
No work submitted by email will be accepted.
 Please turn your cell phones off, and do not take them out at any time before or during
class.
Please do not open or use a computer in the classroom without an official note from Student
Services.
Feedback Statement
During this course I will be asking you to give me feedback on your learning in informal as well
as formal ways, including through anonymous surveys about how my teaching strategies are
helping or hindering your learning. It’s very important for me to know your reaction to what
we’re doing in class, so I encourage you to respond to these surveys, ensuring that together we
can create an environment effective for teaching and learning.
III. Tentative Course Schedule
**This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester,
those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes,
communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.
Course Plan
I will give the specific assignments for each class as we go along, but the schedule below suggests
the general shape of the course. During weeks marked with a '*', the students will select a book to
read based on consultation with the instructor.
Week 1 Introduction
Week 2 Richard English's Modern War or Martin Bunton's The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.
In class: Onion Article, 'Everyone in Middle East given own country.'
Week 3 Scott Anderson's Lawrence in Arabia, Part I.
Week 4 Scott Anderson's Lawrence in Arabia, Part II.
Week 5 T.E. Lawrence's Revolt in the Desert
Week 6 Mack's A Prince of our Disorder. Watch 'Lawrence of a Arabia' in class.
Week 7 Mack's A Prince of our Disorder, continued. Finish watching 'Lawrence of Arabia.'
Week 8 *
Week 9 Bierman and Smith's Fire in the Night or Trevor Royle's Orde Wingate: a Man of Genius.
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Week 10 *Instructor will provide a list of Wingate associated books.
Week 11 Audio interviews with soldiers who worked with Orde Wingate
Week 12 *
Week 13 *
Week 14 *
Week 15 *
Week 16 *
Week 17 *
Week 18 * Self-assessments due at end of class. Revised copies of all critiques due at end of class.
IV. Course Requirements:
Class attendance and participation policy:
Religious Holy Days
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to
the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work
assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity
to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.
Course Readings/Materials:
(a) Required Texts: The following texts are available at the University Co-Op or online
retailers. You will also find copies of the books on reserve at the PCL. Some of the course
content is available exclusively online; I have provided the web addresses below. If for some
reason you have trouble securing a copy of any required text, please speak with me as soon as
possible.
English, R. (2013). Modern War: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bunton, M. (2013). The Palestinian-Israeli conflict: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Anderson, S. (2013). Lawrence in Arabia: War, deceit, imperial folly and the making of the
modern Middle East.
Mack, J. E. (1976). A prince of our disorder: The life of T.E. Lawrence. Boston: Little, Brown.
Lawrence, T.E. (1926; 2011). Revolt in the Desert. New York: Tauris Parke Paperback.
Royle, T. (1995). Orde Wingate: Irregular soldier. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Bierman, J., & Smith, C. (2000). Orde Wingate: Fire in the night. London: Macmillan.
Required Audio Materials:
IWM interview with Fred Howbrook. http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004579
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IWM interview with John Evetts http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004411
IWM interview with Ivor G Thomas http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80004505
IWM interview with Arthur Lane http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010075
IWM interview with Gawain Bell http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/80010036
Recommended Reading:
Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.
T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom.
Antonius, G. (1965). The Arab awakening: The story of the Arab national movement. New York: Capricorn
Books.
Sykes, C. (1967). Crossroads to Israel. New York, N.Y: New English Library.
Arson Shlomo, (2014) David Ben-Gurion and the Jewish Resistance.
Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews.
G. de Gaury, Three kings in Baghdad, 1921–1958 (1961)
P. R. Graves, ed., Memoirs of King Abdullah (1950)
Anglim, S. (2010). Orde Wingate and the British Army, 1922-1944. London: Pickering & Chatto.
Wasserstein, B. (1992). Herbert Samuel: A political life. Oxford [England: Clarendon Press.
Wasserstein, B. (1988). Britain and the Jews of Europe: 1939-1945. London: Institute of Jewish Affairs.
Wasserstein, B. (1978). The British in Palestine: The mandatory government and the Arab-Jewish conflict
1917-1929. London: Royal Historical Society.
Archibald Wavell (1941). Allenby: A Study in Greatness.
Louis, W. R., & Stookey, R. W. (1986). The End of the Palestine Mandate. Austin: University of Texas
Press.
Ronald Zwieg. Britain and Palestine during the Second World War (Royal Historical Society Studies in
History), Royal Historical Society, February 27, 1986. ISBN 0-86193-200-5
Ben-Ze'ev, E. (2014). Remembering Palestine in 1948: Beyond National Narratives.
Allawi, A. A. (2014). Faisal I of Iraq.
Thucydides, ., & Woodruff, P. (1993). On justice, power, and human nature: Selections from the History
of the Peloponnesian War. Indianapolis: Hackett.
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S. S. Boyle, Betrayal in Palestine: the story of George Antonius (2001)
Collins, L., & Lapierre, D. (1972). O Jerusalem. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Elizabeth Monroe (1963). Britain’s Moment in the Middle East. John Hopkins University Press.
Shlaim, A. (2000). The iron wall: Israel and the Arab world. New York: W.W. Norton.
Tuchman, B. W. (1984). Bible and sword: England and Palestine from the Bronze Age to Balfour. New York:
Ballantine Books.
Assignments, Assessment, and Evaluation
The class requires serious and sustained reading, weekly writing assignments, and active class
engagement. Grades are determined by attendance and participation in class discussion (10%)
and quality of the weekly critiques (80%). As a class, we will also watch and critique two films
relevant to British Palestine (5%). The course concludes with a written self-assessment, which
is 5% of the grade. Letter grades will be assigned using the plus/minus system.
Essays
Weekly writing assignments constitute 80% of the grade.
Every week, each student will complete an extensive reading assignment, and then write a onepage critique of the reading assignment. Each student must then distribute a paper copy of
their one-page critique to the instructor, and to the other members of the class. During the
following week, the students review and make suggestions on the one-page papers that their
peers have written. At the next class session, we go over each person's paper.
The next week, you'll collect the marked up copies of your essay, edit your paper, and the next
class period turn in a corrected copy and the edited proofs. The papers must be stapled
together.
At the end of the semester, students have the opportunity to revise their papers one final time.
Thus, each one-page paper is turned in a total of three times. The final grade for each onepage paper is based on the final product that the student turns in at the end of the semester.
The labor for the course is distributed evenly throughout the semester, week to week. There is
no final paper or research essay. Instead, we focus on writing concise and professional papers.
We develop our critical tastes, and we learn how to give (and receive) critical feedback.
This process may sound complicated. In practice, it works quite fluidly.
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For each short essay you will initially receive an F, C, or A as determined by the quality of the
argument, the writing style, and evidence of thoughtful revision. I will convert the grades to an
ordinal scale at the end of the semester, such that:
F=0
C = 75
A = 100
At the end of the semester, you have the opportunity to improve your grade on each one-page
essay by submitting a new version of the paper to instructor.
The University of Texas hosts an Undergraduate Writing Center. The UWC provides free
consultations to help undergraduates improve their writing skills and complete assignments at a
college-level standard. The UCW is located at the Flawn Academic Center (FAC) in room 211.
Final Grade
In order to calculate your final grade, I will sum all of the points you have received in the class
and convert the points back into letter grades using the following scale:
93-100 = A
90-92 = A87-89 = B+
83-86 = B
80-82 = B77-79 = C+
73-76 = C
70-72 = C67-69 = D+
63-66 = D
60-62 = DBelow 60 = F
I will round up scores of 0.5 and higher and round down scores of less than 0.5. I do not allow
extra credit assignments and no exceptions will be made to the above system of converting
points into letter grades. Students who wish to contest a grade must do so in writing within two
weeks of the day on which the exams or papers were handed back in class.
Use of Blackboard in class
In this class I use Blackboard—a Web-based course management system with passwordprotected access at http://courses.utexas.edu —to distribute course materials, to communicate
and collaborate online, to post grades, to submit assignments, and to give you online quizzes
and surveys. You can find support in using Blackboard at the ITS Help Desk at 475-9400,
Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., so plan accordingly.
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V. Academic Integrity
University of Texas Honor Code
The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom,
leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected
to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and
community.
Each student in this course is expected to abide by the University of Texas Honor Code. Any
work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work.
You are encouraged to study together and to discuss information and concepts covered in
lecture and the sections with other students. You can give "consulting" help to or receive
"consulting" help from such students. However, this permissible cooperation should never
involve one student having possession of a copy of all or part of work done by someone else, in
the form of an e-mail, an e-mail attachment file, a diskette, or a hard copy.
Should copying occur, both the student who copied work from another student and the student
who gave material to be copied will both automatically receive a zero for the assignment.
Penalty for violation of this Code can also be extended to include failure of the course and
University disciplinary action.
During quizzes, you must do your own work. Talking or discussion is not permitted during any
quiz, nor may you compare papers, copy from others, or collaborate in any way. Any
collaborative behavior during a quiz will result in failure of the quiz, and may lead to failure of
the course and University disciplinary action.
VI. Other University Notices and Policies
Use of E-mail for Official Correspondence to Students
All students should become familiar with the University's official e-mail student notification
policy. It is the student's responsibility to keep the University informed as to changes in his or
her e-mail address. Students are expected to check e-mail on a frequent and regular basis in
order to stay current with University-related communications, recognizing that certain
communications may be time-critical. It is recommended that e-mail be checked daily, but at a
minimum, twice per week. The complete text of this policy and instructions for updating your email address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/help/utmail/1564 .
Documented Disability Statement
Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should
contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-3293986 (video phone). Faculty are not required to provide accommodations without an official
accommodation letter from SSD. (Note to Faculty: Details of a student’s disability are
confidential. Faculty should not ask questions related to a student’s condition or diagnosis
when receiving an official accommodation letter.)
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Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible
(e.g., instructional videos need captioning, course packets are not readable for proper
alternative text conversion, etc.).
Please notify me as early in the semester as possible if disability-related accommodations for
field trips are required. Advanced notice will permit the arrangement of accommodations on
the given day (e.g., transportation, site accessibility, etc.).
Contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video
phone) or reference SSD’s website for more disability-related information:
http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php
Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)
If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns
Advice Line to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service
is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling
and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University
of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.
Q drop Policy
The State of Texas has enacted a law that limits the number of course drops for academic
reasons to six (6). As stated in Senate Bill 1231:
“Beginning with the fall 2007 academic term, an institution of higher education may not
permit an undergraduate student a total of more than six dropped courses, including any
course a transfer student has dropped at another institution of higher education, unless the
student shows good cause for dropping more than that number.”
Emergency Evacuation Policy
Occupants of buildings on the UT Austin campus are required to evacuate and assemble outside
when a fire alarm is activated or an announcement is made. Please be aware of the following
policies regarding evacuation:
Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of the classroom and the building. Remember that the
nearest exit door may not be the one you used when you entered the building.
If you require assistance to evacuate, inform me in writing during the first week of class.
In the event of an evacuation, follow my instructions or those of class instructors.
Do not re-enter a building unless you’re given instructions by the Austin Fire Department, the
UT Austin Police Department, or the Fire Prevention Services office.

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