Many classes across the University have adapted their curriculum to incorporate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks into their courses, including the Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) program, which strives to achieve global unity. In fact, EPIIC Director Sherman Teichman said the current tumult is reminiscent of events similar to those which compelled him to start up the program 17 years ago.
Teichman created EPIIC after members of the Islamic Jihad hijacked Flight 847 in 1985. "Seventeen years ago, we began to unpack the complexities and allow students to understand the difference between terrorism, which has to be rooted out and destroyed, and political violence, which has other solutions," he said.
After a politically-charged first month of school, EPIIC has begun a year aimed at addressing "Global Inequalities." The academic colloquium, led by Teichman and assistant director Heather Barry, holds several events throughout the year, such as its international symposium, and runs a work-intensive year-long course.
"The course will address issues of inequity and inequality," Teichman said. "It will attempt to disentangle the complexities of global stratifications and hierarchy that reflect the power of the world, such as race and class."
The program's focus was slightly redirected after the terrorist strikes to address the current political climate. EPIIC hopes to "distinguish terror from political violence," Teichman said. "What we're trying to do now is profoundly important to me."
Students apply to and enroll in EPIIC at the start of each semester. This fall, EPIIC saw an increase in the number of applicants to the program - between 80 and 90 students applied this fall. According to Barry, EPIIC usually receives an estimated 50 applications.
To limit class size, EPIIC decided for the first time to enroll only undergraduate applicants and not graduate students.
The number of admitted students also rose this year, and 38 undergraduates were selected for the program instead of 25 to 30. The admission process included a written application and an interview with Teichman and Barry.
"We try to take a spectrum of students, from freshmen to seniors, and comprise a class at least one-half international students," Teichman said. "We attempt a very broad-spectrum class representing all different faiths, creeds, beliefs."
This year's class includes students from Germany, South Africa, Argentina, Malaysia, and Nigeria, among others.
Participating students and EPIIC staff are preparing for the annual symposium, scheduled for Feb. 28 through March 3, 2002. Each year, international practitioners, activists, academics, and journalists participate for panel and workshop discussions.
EPIIC consults with advisors and students to choose a topic that responds to current events. Teichman described the yearly topics as "conundrum issues."
The program includes international research and internship opportunities, an interactive academic program for high school students called Inquiry, as well as multiple public service initiatives.
Each EPIIC participant is required to serve on committees make decisions and preparations for the year's events.
"Some colleagues have committed in principle to participating in the symposium, should the students choose to invite them," Teichman said. "But they won't be formally invited until the students choose how they want the symposium to run."
Two weeks ago, EPIIC participants and faculty traveled to Saint George, MA, for the annual Outward Bound retreat. This year's "weekend immersion," included both academic and team-building exercises.
"We really got a chance to get to know each other well and learn how to work in a team," freshman participant Jordana Timerman said. "We also discussed a lot of what we are studying."
