STAFF EDIT: Expand terrorism classes

Discussions of weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism threats abound in the news and politics recently, but encountering them in college classrooms is far less likely. A study revealed that of 78 colleges, only 10 offered more than one undergraduate course focused on weapons of mass destruction. Boston University also lacks any humanities classes devoted to them, but it should consider adding courses on these relevant topics.

The university does have faculty with tremendous knowledge on atomic, biological and chemical weapons and is pursuing a biodefense center at the Medical Center. Increasing its course offerings related to these subjects would provide publicity and grants for cutting-edge research. More classes would also help students learn about important current issues that will continue to be relevant for decades to come.

BU has the resources available and should expand its current courses that touch on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. The current courses in the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Public Health and the College of Communication draw many students and educate them about those topics.

However, BU needs to use careful planning in designing new courses. Rather than relying solely on current events, the classes need to have structure and context. While it is important for students to understand what happens in the news during the semester, a solid understanding of facts and underlying themes or issues will allow students to also understand the current events that unfold after the semester ends.

The university can easily expand current course offerings and add new ones concerning weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. With solid structure and thoughtful planning, the classes would use BU’s resources to educate students on important and relevant topics. Weapons of mass destruction and bioterrorism will unfortunately play major roles in college students’ lives, and they deserve all the education they can get.