Abstract
The course, Israel and Palestine: Contested Homelands and Connected Diasporas, will not only be the lone Israel Studies course offered at Texas A&M University-Commerce, but it will also be the first substantive experience the vast majority of enrolled students will have with Israel and Palestine. In this course, I will explore the histories and contemporary political dynamics of Israel and Palestine through the eyes of Israelis, Palestinians, and the Jewish and Palestinian diasporas. While emphasizing Israeli and Palestinian history, the course is also designed to illuminate key concepts to studying group identity, conflict, transnational dynamics, and international relations across the social sciences.