References to attacks still common in classrooms

The terrorist-driven airplanes that destroyed the twin towers in New York nearly two years ago also demolished associate professor of criminal justice Stephen Russell's carefully planned class syllabi for that semester -- his first ever teaching at IU. Though Russell can joke about it now, at the time he was panicked. \n"I had a plan, and suddenly the plan was gone," Russell said. "It was futile to think of not bringing that event into the classroom. As soon as I got over the personal shock, I just thought, 'What can I patch together?'"\nThough the country is now almost two years removed from the tragedy of Sept. 11, the aftereffects continue to permeate Russell's classroom. Just a few classes at IU directly address Sept. 11, but references to the experience are common in many classes -- most notably within departments of criminal justice, history and political science.\nRussell observes that discussions of Sept. 11 continue to surface in his criminal procedure and ethics classes as well as through an online terrorism discussion, led by his colleague Harold Pepinsky. Russell said he is not surprised that discussions of Sept. 11 continue among his students and colleagues two years past the experience. \n"When you discuss terrorism, the events of when it came home to us come up naturally," he said.\nSenior Nora Flaherty has already attended an English lecture this semester where her professor discussed some of the consequences of the event. Flaherty's class covers literature in the 19th century -- a time period she expected not to include events of today.\n"It was strange for it to come up just because of the nature of the class, but my professor was basically saying that because of the events of Sept. 11, Americans have a more global perspective of themselves in the world, rather than just of our status in the country," Flaherty said.\nFlaherty's instructor, visiting assistant professor of English Jeremy Wells, believes that bringing current issues into the classroom in order to study how literature addresses them is an integral part of his 300-level course.\n"Since Sept. 11, one of the questions we look at in class is, 'How do they see us?' -- especially those in the Muslim world or in France," Wells said. "We're looking at how they see us and why they hate us, as well as the image this country projects. Literature can help to answer this."\nHistory and political science classes that address American history, world events, foreign relations and comparative politics often include discussions of Sept. 11 among other course topics. Criminal justice degree programs and the School of Journalism also have required ethics courses for students in which Sept. 11 has become ingratiated. \nOne history department offering, "Since Vietnam: the United States 1973 to the Present," addresses the transformation of America's place in the world from the Vietnam war to the beginning of the war on terrorism at the turn of the century. \nMichael McGerr, dean of graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the class was designed this way partially in response to the events of Sept. 11. The lecture was offered for the first time last spring.\n"One of the main aims of the class is to begin exploration of the question that will engage historians for a long time: how much and in what ways did 9/11, and more broadly the U.S. engagement with terrorism, change this society and the world?" said McGerr. \nAddressing current events and issues that directly affect students is a decision that professors often make on their own to further engage their students and jump start their thinking about the connections between classroom topics and the greater world. As a professor of a topic that is closely connected with political events, Russell believes that including current issues in his classes is key within the criminal justice department. \n"Professors have to make choices about how much they will tailor their classes to events outside the classroom," Russell said. "My choices were made a long time ago, but Sept. 11 is the most powerful example in my teaching career."\n-- Contact staff writer Kelly Phillips at kephilli@indiana.edu.