Students and staff at the University of Western Sydney are wearing white ribbons this week to signify peace and healing. Across the continent at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, politics and history lecturer Simon Adams has been asked by past and present US students to help them grapple with the events of the past week.

Many campuses are holding multi-faith candle-lighting ceremonies.

At the University of Queensland, extra students were slipping into last week's lecture on insurgency, revolution and terrorism taught by Leah Farrall, who did her masters on Osama bin Laden and changes in international terrorism and is completing a PhD on terrorism and mass impact attacks.

Farrall says students once joked about being taught how to construct bombs and weapons in the course, but this is definitely not on the curriculum. The course looks at the history of terrorism, dating back to biblical times, the context of the conflict, the nature and evolution of insurgency, non-traditional threats and the changing nature of political violence.

Last week the usual 150- student complement was swollen with others seeking an insight into what was happening. Past students from Asia have been emailing Farrall for her thoughts.

"It has been hard for me to watch my students struggle with it. A lot were quite frightened and very disturbed. We've got some American students, we've got Israelis and people of the Islamic faith."

But she says the course has given them an insight into why terrorism occurs and she is impressed at the way everyone engages in fruitful discussion.

Last week she invited some senior political scientists to come in and talk about the broader political ramifications.

"Obviously, because it's an international relations course, we took it outside the bombing and put it in the context of world affairs," Farrall says. "All of our fundamental thinking has been challenged. Academics will have to analyse and process the events and look at new ways to teach the subject."

Many believe public interest will translate into increased student numbers in courses dealing with terrorism.

Adam Shoemaker, dean of arts at the Australian National University in Canberra, says there is immense curiosity about the way the world operates in the 21st century.

Well before the attacks in New York and Washington, the focus on issues such as the Tampa refugees and on anti-globalisation protests had increased student interest in international relations.

His faculty will launch a multidisciplinary bachelor of arts in international relations next week and has had students from other areas asking to transfer to it. The degree brings together history, politics, aspects of language, intercultural communication, international business and law.

Shoemaker says he is not sure that the kind of horror experienced in the US could be encapsulated in any course. Continued – Page 38
Shock waves from the attacks in the US are being felt in universities here, writes Linda Vergnani 'All of our fundamental thinking has been challenged' Leah Farrall University of Queensland lecturer THE way international relations are taught will change as a result of last week's terrorist attacks in the US, academics predict.

Australian universities have been moving to reassure students and show sympathy for US victims.

Students and staff at the University of Western Sydney are wearing white ribbons this week to signify peace and healing. Across the continent at the University of Notre Dame in Fremantle, politics and history lecturer Simon Adams has been asked by past and present US students to help them grapple with the events of the past week.

Many campuses are holding multi-faith candle-lighting ceremonies.

At the University of Queensland, extra students were slipping into last week's lecture on insurgency, revolution and terrorism taught by Leah Farrall, who did her masters on Osama bin Laden and changes in international terrorism and is completing a PhD on terrorism and mass impact attacks.

Farrall says students once joked about being taught how to construct bombs and weapons in the course, but this is definitely not on the curriculum. The course looks at the history of terrorism, dating back to biblical times, the context of the conflict, the nature and evolution of insurgency, non-traditional threats and the changing nature of political violence.

Last week the usual 150- student complement was swollen with others seeking an insight into what was happening. Past students from Asia have been emailing Farrall for her thoughts.

"It has been hard for me to watch my students struggle with it. A lot were quite frightened and very disturbed. We've got some American students, we've got Israelis and people of the Islamic faith."

But she says the course has given them an insight into why terrorism occurs and she is impressed at the way everyone engages in fruitful discussion.

Last week she invited some senior political scientists to come in and talk about the broader political ramifications.

"Obviously, because it's an international relations course, we took it outside the bombing and put it in the context of world affairs," Farrall says. "All of our fundamental thinking has been challenged. Academics will have to analyse and process the events and look at new ways to teach the subject."

Many believe public interest will translate into increased student numbers in courses dealing with terrorism.

Adam Shoemaker, dean of arts at the Australian National University in Canberra, says there is immense curiosity about the way the world operates in the 21st century.

Well before the attacks in New York and Washington, the focus on issues such as the Tampa refugees and on anti-globalisation protests had increased student interest in international relations.

His faculty will launch a multidisciplinary bachelor of arts in international relations next week and has had students from other areas asking to transfer to it. The degree brings together history, politics, aspects of language, intercultural communication, international business and law.

Shoemaker says he is not sure that the kind of horror experienced in the US could be encapsulated in any course. "The only thing one could attempt is to understand where terrorism comes from, but without in any way trying to justify it," Shoemaker say.

"The key seems to be that this is truly a global event, instantaneously, and although Americans are the target they are by no means the only players in it. We might not have the answers but at least if you look at both sides of the question you might come closer to an understanding of what is there."

He believes it is the duty of a public university to look at these issues.

Marc Williams, head of politics and international relations at the University of NSW, says interest in international relations during the past five years has been fostered by events such as the Asian financial slump, anti-globalisation protests and the East Timor crisis.

"Next semester we are offering a course called international security and it will be interesting to see what the enrolments are," he says.

The terrorist attacks are the main talking point among students on campus.

Clive Williams, who gives an annual 12-week course on terrorism at ANU's Centre for Continuing Education, would like to see the Government fund a multi-disciplinary institute for terrorism studies.