The world stage is now becoming the class lab.

        With more students interested in discussing the implications of Sept. 11 and an increased curiosity about world affairs, local colleges and universities are offering courses on the terrorist attacks and related topics.

        A possible military strike against Iraq, heightened sensitivity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and upcoming 9-11 memorials have all provided a unique backdrop for professors to discuss diversity and global politics.

        At Miami University, 200 students are enrolled in a class in the political science department called “Sept. 11 — One Year After.” Eleven professors will lecture on a variety of topics in the one-credit course ranging from the humanitarian and economic implications for Third World countries to the effects on domestic civil liberties and public opinion.

        “The course is an opportunity for students to reflect not so much on the event ... but on the larger context of the event, the precursors and the consequences of 9-11,” said Rich Forgette, associate professor and assistant chairman of the political science department. “We usually prefer to have smaller class sizes at Miami, but the interest was so great in this case that we tried to accommodate as many people as possible.”

        Kristen Jones, 20, is a public administration major from Newburgh, Ind. She enrolled in the class to better understand why the attack happened, how the government is responding and what the United States can do to thwart future attacks.

        “I want to study what has changed in this country and what other changes we can expect,” she said. “Hopefully, if we can at least understand the position of the terrorist groups and their demands on us, then we can make more informed decisions on how to react.”

        Despite a strong interest in Arabic even before the Gulf War, language courses in that area were not considered a priority at University of Cincinnati. But after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, money shook loose and those classes moved up the list.

        UC will now offer two sections of a three-quarter course in elementary Arabic in the romance languages department. It will include reading, writing and speaking. If there is continued interest, a second year may soon be offered.

Dean Minix

        The events of Sept. 11 have “re-emphasized the absolute necessity of embracing other languages and other cultures if we want to understand the world we live in and communicate within it,” said Lowanne Jones, department head.

        “Interest in the course is running very high.”

        At Northern Kentucky University, students are learning the history of warfare in a class called “War in the Modern World.” Topics include: Roman legions and the Chinese empire as well as the impact of computers, satellites and unmanned drones on the techniques of war.

        “Every waking moment that I teach I have to think about 9-11,” said Dean Minix, chairman of the political science department at NKU.

        At Xavier University, visiting professor Farid Esack will include Sept. 11 in his graduate course on issues in contemporary Islam.

        While some students want to increase their knowledge of other cultures, others are following in the footsteps of the firefighters and paramedics who risked their lives to save people in the crumbling World Trade Center towers.

        Cincinnati State Technical and Community College has seen a 150 percent increase in the paramedic and fire service associate degree programs. The majority of these new students are young men under age 25, with the largest number being new high school graduates, administrators said.

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