news

When Jeffery Kaplan planned his course on terrorism, he didn't include information about the attack on the World Trade Center. But he planned the course last summer.

“Politics can always be compromised,” said professor Jeffrey Kaplan, “religion can not.” Kaplan's class, which focuses on terrorism, is held on Tuesday and Thursday in the ESB from 7-9:45 p.m.

Originally the course, Terrorism and Religious Violence in Global Historical Perspective, was going to focus on the three predominant religions of the Middle East – Judaism, Islam and Christianity, as well as religions of South Asia and South America. The course, which started Oct. 16, will now focus primarily on people of the Middle East and the religion of Islam.

“Politics can always be compromised, religion can not,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan began the first class by asking every student why he or she was taking the class. Although some students expressed a prior interest in terrorist acts, much of the curiosity in the class was sparked by the Sept. 11 attacks.

“In light of recent events, I wanted to gain a historical background,” said Jenna Kotch, a graduate student.

Junior Bryant Womack says he wanted to gain a better understanding of how religion and war co-exist.

The course is designed to give students an understanding of terrorism and the religious motivations behind it.

Kaplan said he wants students to see the world through the eyes of the people they study.

“People's views outside of America are much more complex,” Kaplan said.

The class consists of lectures and multimedia presentations as well as discussion. It will also clarify the process of terrorism.

Kaplan, an adjunct professor at the university, has experienced religious turmoil first-hand. He taught English-as-a-second-language, which has taken him all around the world. He has been to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Palestine and Sudan.

The first place he ever lived overseas was in Iran. It was during the time in which religious tensions were escalating into a revolution. It sparked an interest that would lead him to study the power of religion to change the world.

Kaplan is a member of the editorial board of the “Journal of Terrorism and Political Violence.” He has also published several articles on the subject. He has a Ph.D. in history of culture, a master's degree in international relations and a master's degree in linguistics.

Although the topic of the class is quite complex and has many elements, Kaplan seems to have a simple goal for the students of the class.

“I want them [students] to have an idea of what they [terrorists] are fighting for,” Kaplan said. “More than anything else I want them to have an understanding of the religions involved, second...have an understanding of the world view.”

The three-credit class will continue until the end of the semester. It is every Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7 to 9:45 p.m. in Beatrice McDonald Building, room 104. The class is open to everyone.