According to a 2006 survey by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, college curriculums have changed since the events of Sept. 11. Most colleges have seen an increased interest in political science and international relations as well as new interest in Arabic languages.
Over the past five years, Tufts has fit the general pattern, as it has adapted to fit the post-Sept. 11 student body's interests. According to Associate Professor of Political Science and Department Chair Rob Devigne, the political science department has seen a large increase in interest: In the fall of 2001, there were 1,921 students enrolled in political science courses; one year later, there were 2,513. In the fall of 2005, 2,916 students were enrolled in political science classes.
Devigne explained that the increase in interest is definitely linked to Sept. 11. "They're absolutely related. 9/11, the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq, the controversy surrounding the Bush administration - those are three issues that drew people in," he said. "The catalyst for the [jump in enrollment] was 9/11, though."
Professors and students alike see a change in why students enroll in international relations and political science. "There's an understanding of the linkage between the Middle East and the rest of the world," said Political Science Lecturer and Fletcher Ph.D. candidate Ronnie Olesker, who specializes in Middle Eastern studies.
"Students have a much broader perspective because of 9/11. I've seen that students get the bigger picture; they make the connections between Israel and the rest of the world," Olesker added.
The number of seniors graduating with degrees in political science and international relations has not changed as much as class enrollments, however. The Tufts University Fact Book 2005-2006 indicates that the number of IR majors has actually dropped by 18 since the class of 2003 graduated, while the number of political science majors has risen by 21.
Nonetheless, some students made the choice to major in IR or political science because of Sept. 11. Shari Ajayi (LA '06) was a senior in high school in New York when the terrorist attacks happened. "As a freshman [at Tufts], I decided on IR because 9/11 opened up my eyes about how little I knew about the international community," she said.
"I definitively decided to major in it [as a result]," she added.
Freshman Vanessa Salazar had a similar eye-opening experience. "Sept. 11 really touched me and people from my middle school, because we were only a couple of blocks away, and we were able to see everything that happened," she said in an e-mail. "While some of students there fell into deep depression, others became more aware of the world out there."
Salazar, who had just come from Colombia the year before, was already aware of world affairs, but Sept. 11 still played a role in her college career. "For me, Sept. 11 was just another reason to pursue studies in IR, but it was not the main reason," she said.
"I do know a lot of people in my high school who decided to major in IR because Sept. 11 forced them to see the position of the United States in the world. Many of them have chosen to major in American studies or political science - not necessarily IR - and the sincere patriotism of all of them has increased," Salazar said.
Olesker explained that a landfall event like Sept. 11 changed everyone's perspectives: "I don't think anybody would have the same perspective - certainly not Americans - if Sept. 11 hadn't happened," she said.
The political science department hasn't changed the content of its courses, but the increase in student interest has shaped some faculty changes.
"We're currently trying to catch up with student demand," Devigne said. "Our courses haven't changed, but we've had two faculty members become deans, one retired and two were denied tenure. Our classes are over-enrolled, and we've had to hire part-time specialists."
"For scholars, the Middle East was always a hotbed, but 9/11 really brought it to the forefront for students. I feel like it's certainly enhanced the program, just as the Cold War enhanced the program of Russian studies," Olesker said. "Certainly 9/11 has changed the study of international relations."
"I'm not sure how long [the increase of interest] is going to last," Devigne said, "but the conflict [in Iraq and Afghanistan] that's going on now is not going to go away any time soon, so it makes people more politics-oriented. What's the character of Islamic nations? What is a better foreign policy? These questions cut across everything in our discipline," he said.
Ajayi believes that her study in international relations has enhanced her understanding of what happened five years ago: "I definitely understand [what happened on Sept. 11] more. The IR major exposed me to lots of different literature that I never would have read, some dealing with the Middle East and the tensions created in it once the state of Israel was formed and prior to it," she said.
