Survey suggests Sept. 11 affected college focuses
By Ashley Zuzek
Published on Friday, September 22, 2006
Colleges have increased their focus on global coursework and students have become more interested in international affairs since 9/11, according to a recent study conducted by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Dartmouth mirrors the national trend, as more students have taken international politics and foreign language courses since the attacks and the course selection has grown to include more international topics.
Professor William Wohlforth, chair of the government department, said that new classes have been added and that existing courses have been changed to suit the changing global climate.
"There are more courses that have to do with terrorism now, and we have tried to bring in more courses that have to do with Middle Eastern politics and religion and politics," Wohlforth said. "Professors have also changed their existing courses to adapt."
Gerard Bohlen, administrator of the department of Asian and Middle Eastern languages and literatures, said that there has been a noticeable increase in enrollment in the Arabic language department. In 2000, there were only 20 students enrolled in Arabic 1; now, there are over 50. Department faculty has also grown from one professor before 9/11 to three full-time professors and one part-time professor in response to this increased demand.
Participation in off-campus programs has also remained consistently high since 9/11, fluctuating around 600 students per year. The number of students is predicted to increase to over 700 this year.
"Based on the number of students that have enrolled for the fall and summer programs, we're expecting over 700 students to apply this year," said John Tansey, executive director of Off-Campus Programs. "Students are more interested in getting an international experience."
While students at Dartmouth have become more involved in international affairs, students from abroad have also shown an increased interest in Dartmouth. The number of international applicants has increased from 1,288 in 2001 to 1,897 for the Class of 2010, said Director of Admissions Maria Laskaris. The Class of 2010 includes 70 international students, more than any class in the last five years.