Document Type

Syllabus

Publication Date

Spring 2024

Course Description

This seminar explores the historical and political origins of 9/11 and America’s subsequent global response, the War on Terror (sometimes referred to as the Global War on Terror). It is part of the Courageous Conversations theme informing a number of first-year seminars this year, a theme intended to help students engage with subjects that—due to social, cultural, political and/or moral reasons—are uncomfortable to address. For us, the uncomfortable questions relate to United States’ foreign policy in the Middle East and broader Muslim world before and after 9/11: Did that policy contribute to the rise of global jihadi terrorism and the 9/11 attack? Was the so-called War on Terror (WOT) a viable foreign policy response to 9/11? Was the WOT legal, moral, consistent with American ideals? Did the multiple military interventions connected with the WOT make America safer? Is the Middle East more stable? Has jihadi terrorism diminished?

Student Outcomes

Students will be able to:

  • Understand the factors that drive Islamism (political Islam), both moderate and militant
  • Describe the causes and development of Islamist militancy in Afghanistan before 9/11
  • Identify the global players in the Afghan war of resistance against the USSR
  • Explain how the Afghan war laid the groundwork for 9/11
  • Analyze the political dynamics in the United States that gave rise to the WOT
  • Describe the impact of the WOT on the Middle East and broader Muslim world
  • Assess concerns about policies adopted by the United States in its WOT
  • Draw conclusions about the impact and success of the WOT
  • Appreciate the complexity and challenge when critiquing past policy decisions
  • Integrate ideas and information across disciplinary perspectives
  • Develop the skills to engage respectfully with others on challenging topics
  • Appreciate the worth and value of people with different ideas, views, and backgrounds

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