Responding to the events of Sept. 11, the College of Letters & Science at UCLA has created 50 new courses that explore the scope of issues emerging from the terrorist attacks.
Offered in the fall quarter, the courses will be taught by senior professors, campus leadership — including UCLA Chancellor Albert Carnesale — husband-and-wife faculty teams, and members of the UCLA professional staff.
The new courses feature subjects that span the fields of study across the campus — political and social issues, science, psychology, literature, law and the arts.
“As an institution that prizes reasoned discussion of vital subjects, UCLA can address the issues that are shaping our world through its teaching mission,� said Brian Copenhaver, provost of the College of Letters & Science and instructor of a new course titled “War, Terror and Violence: Reflecting on Machiavelli.�
“These courses provide an excellent way to involve undergraduates — especially our newest students — in understanding and coping with these tragic events,� Copenhaver said.
Each course, taught in a seminar format, is limited to 15 undergraduates, with preference given to freshmen and sophomores. Graded pass/no pass, the courses meet one hour per week, beginning the first week of October and ending in the last week of classes.
“This is a wonderful way of reaching students, especially new students, who are just arriving during this terrible time,� said Allan Tobin, professor of physiological science, director of the UCLA Brain Research Institute, and co-instructor with his wife, English professor Janet Hadda, of a course titled “Echoes of Terror in Brain, Mind and Literature.�
“For faculty members, who — like everyone else — feel powerless, it’s a way to do something both responsive and constructive,� Tobin said. “In discussing the call for proposals, Janet and I found ourselves recalling Adlai Stevenson’s eulogy for Eleanor Roosevelt: ‘She would rather light one candle than curse the darkness.’�
The courses will cover such diverse subjects as:
·“National Security in the 21st Century�
·“War, Terror and Violence: Reflecting on Machiavelli�
·“America as Hyperpower�
·“Understanding, Respecting and Honoring The First Amendment in a Terrorist Environment�
·“Stress and Coping in the Aftermath of a National Disaster�
·“Understanding the Unthinkable and Incomprehensible�
·“Information Technology and Infrastructure in Times of Crisis�
·“Bin Laden and Terrorism Outside the U.S.�
·“Making Sense of the New World Disorder�
·“Fictions of Terror vs. Real Terror�
·“Beyond Tears: Evidence, Fact and Crisis�
·“Poetry and Loss�
A complete list of the courses is attached. For more information about the new UCLA courses, visit http://www.college.ucla.edu/hnrs98/newseminars.htm.
UCLA Seminars: “Perspectives on September 11�
Honors Collegium 98
Fall Quarter 2001
(In alphabetical order by instructor)
For details about the seminars, visit http://www.college.ucla.edu/hnrs98/newseminars.htm
Understanding the Taliban
John Agnew, geography
Understanding the Unthinkable and Incomprehensible
Edward A. Alpers, history
Honor and Shame and the Clash of Civilizations
S. Scott Bartchy, history
The Struggle to Understand, the Struggle to Respond
C. Adolfo Bermeo, Cesar Chavez Center
Bin Laden and Terrorism Outside the U.S.: The Case of Uzbekistan
Andras J.E. Bodrogligeti, Near Eastern languages and cultures
Navigating Between Blithesome Optimism and Cultural Despair
Albert Boime, art history
Information Technology and Infrastructure in Times of Crisis
Christine L. Borgman, information studies
Making Sense of the New World Disorder
Rogers Brubaker, sociology
Fictions of Terror vs. Real Terror
Frederick Burwick, English
National Security in the 21st Century
Albert Carnesale, policy studies
War, Terror and Violence: Reflecting on Machiavelli
Brian Copenhaver, history and philosophy
What Do We Tell the Children? Parenting Issues
Chandice Covington, nursing
Implications of World Crises for Student Stress and Academic Achievement: Coping Strategies
Winston Doby, higher education
Historical Perspectives on September 11
Ellen DuBois, history
Stress and Coping in the Aftermath of a National Disaster
Chris Dunkel-Schetter, psychology — social
Culture and the Deferral of Violence
Eric Gans, French and Francophone studies
America as Hyperpower
Geoffrey Garrett, political science
An “East� and a “West�? Thinking About the “Clash of Civilizations�
James L. Gelvin, history
Beyond Tears: Evidence, Fact and Crisis
Kenneth Graham, law
Recognizing and Dealing With Stress During a Time of Crisis
Carlos Grijalva, psychology — behavioral
The Search for Identity? Insurgent Islam and the Response of the West — the Sudanese Case
Sondra Hale, anthropology; Gerry Hale, geography
Psychological Perspectives: Anxiety, Stress and Depression
Constance Hammen, psychology — clinical
“The Map of Love,� an Exploration of Islam and the Colonial Experience Through a Novel by Egyptian Writer Adhaf Soueif
Katherine Callen King, comparative literature
Terrorism and the Politics of Knowledge
Vinay Lal, history
War and Autobiography: Testimonials From Algeria and the Belgian Congo
Francoise Lionnet, French and Francophone studies
Women’s Participation in Political Violence
Judith Magee, history
Understanding, Respecting and Honoring the First Amendment in a Terrorist Environment
Joe Mandel, law
Concepts of the Terror in Western Culture From the French Revolution to the Present
Robert M. Maniquis, English
September 11th: Reflections on Terrorism, Its Origins and Consequences
Jose C. Moya, history
International English-Language Newspaper Coverage
Dominic Thomas, French and Francophone studies
Terror and Its Psychological Impact
Alan Nagamoto, psychology
The World Conference Against Racism: Illusions, Collusions and/or Opportunities
William D. Parham, psychology
Silence, Slogans and Flags
Carol Petersen, Writing Programs
Law and the Use of Force
Kal Raustiala, law
Terror and the Dilemmas of American Power
Geoffrey Robinson, history; Jessica Wang, history
Biological and Chemical Weapons: Assessing the Terrorist Threat
Ralph Robinson, microbiology and molecular genetics
The Terror of History: A Search for Justice
Teofilo F. Ruiz, history
Responses to National and Personal Tragedies in the Bible (Prophets and Psalms)
Yona Sabar, Near Eastern languages and cultures
Justice and War: The Ethics of International Conflicts
Andrew Sabl, policy studies
Privilege, Power and Difference: Is Tolerance Enough?
Ronni Sanlo, education
Literature As Mourning: China and Greece
David Schaberg, East Asian languages and cultures
“Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War�
Craig Smith, medicine
International English-Language Newspaper Coverage
Dominic Thomas, French and Francophone studies
What the U.S. Should Do to Be Popular in the Third World?
Earl Thompson, economics
Echoes of Terror in Brain, Mind and Literature
Allan Tobin, medicine; Janet Hadda, English
The Role of Art and Technology in Times of War
Victoria Vesna, design/media
Perspectives on War and Terror Thereto — Through Theatre, Art and Music
Wm. Tom Wheatley, theater
Poetry and Loss
Reed Wilson, English
Psychology of Group Identity
Victor Wolfenstein, political science
At War With the Afghans and Chechens: The Russian Experience
Olga T. Yokoyama, Slavic languages and literature
Terror and Society in Bergman’s Films
Jules Zentner, Scandinavia