More »
University Communications

Rhetorically Speaking, What are Violence, Terrorism and Homeland Security? Class Attempts to Find Answers

November 21, 2003

After Sept. 11, 2001, we all have struggled with questions like: What is the difference between violence and terrorism? What speech can be termed terroristic? What are the civil rights issues involved in identifying terrorists? What is homeland security and how can it be achieved?

Students at the University of Richmond are looking this semester at all these questions and more in a course called "Rhetorics of Terrorism, Insecurity and the State."

Even the professor, Kevin D. Kuswa, realizes this is a daunting task. "We will never be able to approach these topics in an all-encompassing or even comprehensive way," he says in the course syllabus. "We will try, however, to add to our perspectives, augment our understandings and broaden our base of information."

Assignments include comparing a book on terrorism written before Sept. 11 with a book written post Sept. 11, bringing for discussion an artifact relevant to the course, such as an article, video clip, song, story, bumper sticker or performance, and writing a 20-page paper.

Units include "Terror Talk," "Security and the State," "Images of Terror" and "Citizenship and Retracing Terrorism."

About 50-60 students wanted to take the class, more than twice the slots allotted, Kuswa said.