Course Information
This class has been designed to explore the causes behind the catastrophic events of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., as well as the subsequent concerns which have emerged in its wake. While there has been much discussion that the world has substantively changed since that date, there has been limited discussion on the various dimensions of what that means. While this class cannot provide many answers that students will have, it seeks to facilitate asking informed questions.
The first class meeting will provide an overview of key events that have occurred, and continue with a discussion of students' reactions to and concerns about them. This will be followed with substantive discussions about various parts of 'the Muslim World' including background on the Arab/Israeli conflict, the history of Islamic attitudes towards islah (reform) and secularism, and Islamic societies' concerns with on-going processes of globalization. We then turn to address internal challenges confronting a range of Muslim states, and how these affect their relations with the United States. We conclude by analyzing press coverage of September 11th and subsequent events, as well as how both U.S. foreign and domestic policies have been affected and altered in their aftermath.
Additional
Resources
Many people
have inquired as to where else they can look for different perspectives on news
coverage. While the full range of resources is inexhaustible, here are a few
suggestions of newspapers from the Muslim world (and elsewhere) and compilations
of resources put together by select groups that you might want to consider looking
at.
Newspapers:
The News ( Pakistan)
Dawn ( Pakistan)
Herald monthly magazine ( Pakistan)
Associated Press of Pakistan ( wire service)
The Hindu ( India)
The New Straits Times ( Malaysia)
The
Guardian (U.K.)
The Independent
(UK)
Al-Ahram
Weekly Online
Middle
East News Internet Press Directory
(a resource that includes print, audio and video
resources from throughout the Middle East)
Middle
East Resources
(Compiled by the Middle East section of the American
Anthropological Association)
Reading
Packet: After
September 11th , compiled by UO concerned Faculty for Peace and Justice
group
Afghanistan,
the Taliban, and the US: selected
internet resources, compiled at U.C. Berkeley
Counter
Punch: Resourses on 9/11 and the War
on Afghanistan
Common Dreams
News Center: Breaking News and Views
for the Progressive Community
"Islam:
Images, Politics, Paradox" Special
Edition of MERIP Reports#221, Winter 2001
Citizenship and News in Times of Crisis and Peace: "Understanding and Action for Justice" http://newdimensions.org/html/audiopeace.html