by Sally Hicks
DURHAM, N.C. -- Four years ago, Michael Munger was trying to find ways to attract students to international relations courses.
Now the chair of Duke University's political science department is trying to find a room big enough to accommodate all those wanting to take these classes.
"I'm sure it's a result of the events of 9/11," said Munger. "I see a change in students' attitudes -- 'I want to know more about international security and international law' -- and that's where we've seen the enrollment increases."
The political science department is one of several at Duke that have added courses or seen an upsurge in interest in subjects one year after the Sept. 11 attacks.
In the history department, an innovative course on Afghanistan is being offered jointly with North Carolina State University, with interactive videoconferencing that allows students on both campuses to take part simultaneously. An undergraduate "house course" will focus on religion and violence, and students also are signing up for courses offered in the religion department as well as in Arabic.
Two political science courses were created especially to address issues raised by Sept. 11: "Terrorism and Political Violence" and "War and Peace after 9/11." Already established courses on international conflict and war and peace also will address Sept. 11, Munger said.
"I think it's our responsibility to offer these courses. We weren't sure students would want to take them," he said.
But all four of the courses are full -- as are most in the department. He said there has been a general rise in interest in political science in the past four years, fueled by the Clinton impeachment efforts, then the 2000 election, followed by Sept. 11.
The basic international relations course usually has 120 students. Now it's at 180, he said.
The history department is offering a course on the history of Afghanistan -- one the organizers hope will not just educate students, but ultimately provide information to the public as well. The undergraduate course, offered in partnership with N.C. State, will bring some of the world's top Afghanistan scholars to the Triangle to give guest lectures.
"What we want to do is provide some information to people about the past 200 years of history in Afghanistan," said Duke history professor John Richards, one of the faculty members teaching the course. "We're trying to explain the present in terms of the past."
In January, the organizers will hold a scholarly workshop on Afghanistan, and they hope to produce a Web site at the end of the course that will include lectures from the course. The project is supported by the North Carolina Center for South Asia Studies, a federally funded National Resource Center that includes Duke, N.C. State, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University.
Senior Ann Langford, 21, was inspired by her experience leading a faculty/student discussion after Sept. 11 last year to organize a "house course" -- a student-led, half-credit course -- examining conflict and violence across cultures and religions. With the help of faculty in the religion department, the 15 students in the Wednesday night course will examine Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Indian religions, both in ancient and modern times, she said.
"Sept. 11 was not the first time, by any means, that violence occurred because of religion," said Langford, who is head of the Religion Majors Union and is minoring in classical studies. "Hopefully with insight into the history of many different events and time periods, we can better understand what is happening now."
Sept. 11 and its aftermath also have drawn students to existing courses such as those on Islam and Arabic.
Bruce Lawrence, chair of the religion department, said enrollment in the Islamic civilization course he teaches has jumped by nearly 50 percent.
"It's filled to the brim," he said.
The introductory course in the Arabic language is also is full, with 21 students instead of the usual 12 to 15, said Miriam Cooke, chair of the Department of Asian and African Languages and Literature. She will be teaching a course on Arab literature and culture that will deal with the implications of Sept. 11, though she said she won't dwell only on the attacks.
"Having focused almost exclusively on 9/11 during the past academic year, I prefer to let Arab literature speak for itself," she said.
Whether the connection is direct or more subtle, the desire to learn more about other cultures is one good result from the terrible events of last year, Munger said.
"Students at American universities had been complacent and inwardly focused," he said. "One of the things the attacks has done is increase Americans' interest in other countries. To the extent that that makes us better citizens, that's a silver lining."
