BBST465 INTEGRATION SEMINAR: ISRAEL-PALESTINE CONFLICT
Ronald W. Pierce • Biola University • Bible & Theology
DrRonPierce@gmail.com • 562-903-4821 • Feinberg Hall 103
BLACKBOARD LEARNING CENTER
The first thing to do for this class is to visit our Blackboard website and update your personal
user information on Blackboard (http://biola.blackboard.com/webapps/login/), especially
your current email address (your BUBBS address is default), and then sign-up for a
Discussion Group. All of the pertinent class materials (including you grades (click My
Grades), web-links, supplementary readings, PowerPoint slides, staff contacts, etc.) are
available there in a quick, user-friendly, click andview format. Please send all emails related
to this class to DrRonPierce@gmail.com.
COURSE BASICS
Description
This course pulls together several complex issues in a unifying way: (1) biblical and
systematic theologies regarding the "Holy Land," (2) 4000 years of history from Abraham to
the present day, and (3) the varied cultures, religions and politics of Arabs and Jews, Israelis
and Palestinians, Christians and Muslims, as well as other mediating views. Our goal is to
form fair, compassionate, and well-informed opinions regarding this continuing struggle.
Class readings come from a wide variety of positions and perspectives. The tone of the
seminar is intentionally irenic, with an aim toward ultimate reconciliation in Christ
Learning Outcomes
After taking this course you should be able to…
1. Articulate the role that biblical history and teaching play regarding the Holy Land in the
modern Israel-Palestine conflict.
2. Integrate the extra-biblical histories of the Jewish and Palestinian people as these relate to
the contemporary struggle.
3. Formulate your own personal, Christian response to the present situation, within the larger
context of other Christian responses.
4. Interact in a meaningful, respectful and constructive way with persons whose views differ
from your own regarding this issue.
Required Textbooks
Gary Burge, Whose Land? Whose Promise? (Pilgrim, 2003).
Sandra Teplinsky, Why Care About Israel? (Chosen, 2004).
Elias Chacour, Blood Brothers (Chosen, 1984, 2003).
Naim Ateek, A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation (Orbis, 2008).
Jimmy Carter, We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land (Simon & Schuster, 2009).
Glen Stassen (ed.), Just Peacemaking: Revised Edition (Pilgrim, 2008).
BIOLA UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS
Disability Services
Students desiring accommodations for your class on the basis of physical learning,
psychological or emotional disability are to contact The Learning Center which houses both
learning assistance and disability services. The Learning Center is located upstairs in the
Biola Library, upper level, Room U-137, and can be reached by calling 562-906-4542 or
extension 4542 from on campus.
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Grading Standards for Written Work
Whereas Biola University desires to maintain the highest standards with respect to the
composition of all written work, any student paper exhibiting poor grammar, spelling errors,
typographical errors, or other substandard academic expression shall have the overall grade
for that paper reduced accordingly. Generally, a paper will be deemed substandard and
ineligible to receive an "A" grade when it averages three or more compositional errors per
page. Moreover, at the discretion of the professor, the substandard paper may be returned to
the student for correction and resubmission with appropriate grade penalties. Students
deficient in writing skills may seek assistance at the Biola Writing Center.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism means claiming another's words or ideas as yours, or working together with
another person on an assignment without permission from the instructor. Papers for this
course must be submitted through SafeAssign, which checks them against an online database.
The penalty for one offense is an “F” for the course. In addition, a report will be filed with the
university and further action may be taken. Biola University sees any form of plagiarism as a
serious problem with serious consequences. Please refer to the academic integrity statement in
the Student Handbook, Academic and Behavioral Standards section (pp. 9-11).
GRADING SYSTEM
Outstanding
93 through 100% = A
90 through less than 93% = AGood
87 through less than 90% = B+
83 through less than 87% = B
80 through less than 83% = BAverage
77 through less than 80% = C+
73 through less than 77% = C
70 through less than 73% = C-
Poor
67 through less than 70% = D+
63 through less than 67% = D
60 through less than 63% = DFailing
0 through less than 60% = F
Note: These distinctions are precise; there
is no "rounding up" (please, do not ask).
ASSIGNMENTS
Attendance and In-Class Participation (5%)
You are expected to attend regularly, take careful notes of lectures, and contribute to class
discussions. We do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences; but do allow
five class sessions of "free drops" for whatever reason you choose. If you experience an
extended illness (more that five class sessions), please contact your instructor as soon as
possible.
Introductions Essay (5%)
A short essay in which you share your personal background regarding the Israel-Palestine
conflict, including opinions, experiences, education, etc.
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Exam (20%)
An objective exam given early in the semester, covering the basic facts regarding the modern
conflict, including dates, events, persons, definitions, geography, etc.
Discussion Forums (25%)
Online posts of short essays and responses regarding your understanding of the driving issues,
key arguments (agree and disagree), and usefulness of each of the six class texts. About five
persons per forum.
Witness Paper: A Better Witness to Jewish and Arabic People (20%)
An evaluation of how your church is doing and what you could do better in your witness to
these people groups as it relates to the conflict.
Position Paper : Promise, Problem, and Prospects (25%) .
A careful analysis of the biblical promises, contemporary problems, and prospects for the
future, based on the class lectures, discussions, films, and readings.
CALENDAR
Outline of Lectures and Discussion
I. Introductions: Facts on the Ground
II. Old Covenant Land Promises and Ancient Israel
III. New Covenant and a New Community
IV. Church History: Israel, Palestine and the Nations
V. Contemporary Israel-Palestine Conflict
Key Due Dates for the Semester
Feb. 2: Browse and update Blackboard; sign-up for a discussion group.
Feb. 9: Post: "Personal Background and Opinion"
Feb. 18: Exam: "Facts-on-the-Ground"
Feb. 21-27: Post and respond: Burge, Whose Land? Whose Promise?
Mar. 7-13: Post and respond: Teplinsky, Why Care About Israel?
Mar. 21-27: Post and respond: Chacour, Blood Brothers
Mar. 30: Witness Paper: "A Better Witness to Jewish and Arabic People"
Apr. 11-17: Post and respond: Ateek, A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation
Apr. 25-May 1: Post and respond: Carter, We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land
May 9-15: Post and respond: Stassen, Just Peacemaking
May 25: Position Paper: "Promise, Problem, and Prospects" (special time: 1:00-3:00 pm)
Late Penalties
Dates indicate weeks of the semester, beginning with the day of the first class meeting that
week. Assignments are due before class on the date indicated, unless otherwise noted. A late
penalty of 10% is applied each week (or part thereof) after an assignment is due. Assignments
will not be accepted later than two weeks after their due dates. If you have a serious illness or
emergency during this course, it may be possible to arrange a Report Delay (RD). Please talk
to your professor about this as soon as possible.
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EXAM: FACTS ON THE GROUND
This purely objective, Scantron exam will be given in class on Thursday, Feb. 18th. It will be
like learning a basic alphabet and vocabulary as you begin to learn a language. It will cover
class lectures until that time, where the important details will be discussed in an overview
fashion. Your first reading (Gary Burge, Whose Land? Whose Promise?) discusses most of
these issues in a overview fashion (start reading early). Burge also has an excellent Index of
subjects, names and websites. Finally, we are currently developing a class Glossary on
Blackboard as another helpful reference tool. So, begin during the first week of class getting
familiar with this list, and ask questions of anything you don't understand.
Territories
Sinai Peninsula, Israel Proper (1948-67), Palestine: Gaza and West Bank (Judea & Samaria),
Golan Heights.
Regions
Negev, Coastal Plain, Hill Country, Jezreel Valley, Jordan Valley, Galilee.
Cities
Gaza, Hebron, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ramallah, Nablus, Haifa.
Foreign Capitals
Cairo, Egypt; Amman, Jordan; Damascus, Syria; Beirut, Lebanon.
People Groups
Jews, Arabs, Israelis, Palestinians, Zionists — and combinations.
Current Political Parties Israel
Labour (doves), Kadima (moderate) and Likkud (hawks).
Political Parties Palestine
Original: Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); current: Fatah (moderate) and Hamas
(militant).
Military Israeli
Original Haganah (moderate) and Irgun (radical); current: Israel Defense Force (IDF).
Military Palestinian
Original: PLO; current: Hamas (moderate) and Hezbollah (radical).
Israeli Leaders
Founder of Zionism Theodore Hertzel; first PM David Ben Gurion; current Prime Minister
(PM) Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian Leaders
Founding chairman Yassar Arafat of PLO; current Pres. Mahmoud Abbas and PM Ismail
Haniyeh of Palestine National Authorities (PNA or PA).
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Other Current Leaders
King Abdullah II (Jordan), Pres. Hosni Mubarak (Egypt), Pres. Bashar Assad (Syria).
Documents
British Mandate, Partition Plan, Balfour Declaration, White Papers, UN resolutions 242 and
338.
Wars
Independence (1948), Suez (1956), Six-Day (1967), Yom Kippur (1973), Lebanon (1982,
2006), Intifada (1987, 2000).
Sacred Sites
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Dome of the Rock, El-Aqsa Mosque, Western Wall, Temple
Mount.
Israel/Arab Peace Agreements
(1) Pres. Jimmy Carter (USA); PM Menachem Begin (Israel) and Pres. Anwar Sadat (Egypt)
in 1979; (2) Pres. Bill Clinton (USA); PM Yitzhak Rabin (Israel) and King Hussein I (Jordan)
in 1994.
INTRODUCTIONS ESSAY
This initial "post" consists of a 250-word introductory essay with your name and the word
count of the essay at the top of the page. Share your personal background, study, education
and experiences — as of the first day of class — regarding the topic of the Israel-Palestine
Conflict. Remember, this post can be read by everyone in the class, and requires no responses.
To post your essay, go the Blackboard and click Introductions Essay, Introductions, Create
Thread, and then put "Introductions" in the subject box. When you have finished writing
and/or pasting your essay, click Submit. An example of my own essay is already posted.
DISCUSSION GROUPS
To sign-up for a Discussion Group, click that link on the Blackboard homepage and follow
the online instructions.
TEXTBOOK DISCUSSION FORUMS
Read (not skim) each of the class texts per the course calendar. Then, post a 500-word essay
with (1) your name, (2) an honest indication of the percentage of the assignment you have
read, and (3) a word count of your essay, noted at the beginning of the first page. Finally,
address these questions under these headers:
A. What did you perceive as the driving issues for the writer?
B. With which sustained arguments did you agree and disagree the most? Why?
C. In what ways was this book helpful to you for understanding the conflict?
To post your essay, simply click Discussion Board, choose the correct Forum, and then click
Create Thread. For the first post, put "Introductions" in the Subject box; for the Textbook
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post, put the last name of the author of the text in the Subject box. When you have finished
writing and pasting your essay, click Submit.
After other essays have been posted, respond to specific statements in two other postings (100
words each). Do not respond to secondary responses. Please make your posts and responses
during the week indicated (click Calendar left for specific dates). You must post your essay
by class time on the Tuesday of that week, and then respond to two other posts by the end of
day on the following Saturday.
Please note, you may not edit your posts once they have been submitted. So, write and edit
first in a word processing program (with a 12-point Arial font), and then paste them into their
respective forums on Blackboard when they are due.
PAPERS: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
Academic essays for a senior-level, university course should represent your best thinking and
writing! This principle will be taken seriously when grading both your short essays and your
longer position papers.
Format
Both essays must be submitted in a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf);
no other formats will be accepted. Put your full name, ID, title and word count at the
beginning. Single-space the essay with a manual extra space between paragraphs. Use a
twelve-point, Arial font. Put all reference notes in parentheses at the end of the sentence that
includes the quote or idea borrowed. Use short references (Burge, p. 123) and include a
complete bibliography of works cited at the end of your essay. No specific sources or number
of sources are required. Reputable Internet sites and interviews with knowledgeable persons
are permitted. Keep the length of your direct quotations to a minimum.
Submitting your essay through Blackboard
Upload your essays through Blackboard by clicking >> View/Complete (at the bottom of each
assignment below), Browse (to find, select, and attach your electronic file), SafeAssign
agreement (required), and Submit. SafeAssign is an anti-plagiarism software and is required
for assignments in this class. After you have submitted each essay, a green box with a "!" will
appear in "My Grades" in the Position Paper column. It is your personal responsibility to
check this to be sure your work was received on time.
PAPERS: SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
1. Witness Paper: A Better Witness to Jewish and Arabic People
This Spiritual Formation Project asks you to reflect on your personal background,
experiences, and education that you bring with you to this class. Please indicate a word count
at the top of the essay, and then address these issues under these headers:
A. Give a positive and negative example of how a specific church (reference by town and
state only) is being a witness regarding this issue.
B. Suggest improvements that could be made based on the three requirements by God in
Micah 6:8.
C. Discuss two-three things you have learned about being a better witness this semester.
Include a brief introduction and conclusion. This paper must be between 1000 and 1500
words. Due date is Mar. 30 (before class).
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2. Position Paper: Promise, Problem, and Prospects
Analyze the factors that you believe have significantly contributed to the modern IsraelPalestine conflict. Please indicate a word count at the top of the essay, and then address these
issues under these headers:
A. Promise: The Bible's teaching related to promise and covenant.
B. Problem: The nature of the essential issues blocking a resolution of the conflict today.
C. Prospects: What Israelis, Palestinians, and evangelical Christians could do to improve the
situation.
Include a brief introduction and conclusion. This paper must be between 1500 and 2000
words. Due date is May 25 (before class).
POWERPOINT SLIDES AND OTHER RESOURCES
You may download the PowerPoint slides from class lectures from our Blackboard Learning
Center. They are available in a "sixs-slide-per-page" format only. Please do not ask for other
formats. In addition, there is a wealth of resource material available under Resources and
Glossary.