Students Pack New UF Class On Terrorism

January 10, 2002

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A newly launched University of Florida class about terrorism is so popular that a larger room had to be found to accommodate all the students.

POS 4931, named simply Terrorism, was planned before the Sept. 11 attacks and originally was expected to draw about 45 students. But administrators had to find a new home for the upper-level undergraduate political science class after more than 100 students registered.

On the first day of class Wednesday, a standing-room-only crowd of mostly juniors and seniors looked over the syllabus and heard about the content and expectations for the class from teacher and UF political science doctoral candidate Adam Silverman.

“We want to understand the role terrorism plays in resolving social and political grievances,” Silverman said, adding that students would examine terrorism through the lenses of international relations, criminology, sociology and other academic pursuits.

In an interview before class, Silverman said he proposed teaching a terrorism course at UF two years ago. The political science department liked the suggestion and planned it for this semester, but the Sept. 11 attacks made the class that much more relevant, he said.

The overall goal is to give students a better understanding of the root causes of terrorism, including how terrorists come to believe violence is the best solution.

Silverman, who has a master’s degree in comparative religion from Florida International University and spent three years studying security and politics at St. Andrews University in Scotland, plans to draw on his education as well as his doctoral research on American anti-abortion terrorists to shape the class. He has also studied Islamic extremism and terrorism.

Students will investigate a wide range of domestic and international terrorism and terrorist movements. The class, which is being funded by the UF Center for Jewish Studies using funds from the Breier Family Endowment, also will look into airline security, how terrorists pick their targets and related issues.

Students will be assigned five books on terrorism and be required to write two papers and take two exams.

“If you don’t understand why terrorists are doing what they’re doing, you can’t stop them from what they’re doing,” Silverman said.

Although several students cited the Sept. 11 attacks as piquing their interest in terrorism, they offered different reasons for signing up the class.

“A lot of what I’m interested in is the history of the problems we’re facing now. It’s just real timely,” said David Morgan, a junior in political science.

Political science junior Laura Rowe said she is attracted by the class’ ties to the world outside academe.

“The reason I took it was because it’s one of these courses that is current and up to date and not just about theoretical issues,” she said.

Sophomore Jennifer Berringer said she wanted to learn more about terrorism.

“I thought it was interesting, it’s an upper-level class, and I heard the professor was good,” she said.

Silverman, who has taught eight classes at UF on subjects ranging from the politics of Middle East to American government, said the class is not intended to serve as a battleground for those with strong opinions about ongoing conflicts.

Rather, he said, it should impart “an appreciation of just what happens when you divorce your beliefs from everything else in the world.”