This semester, I am in London with 52 business students on our university's
annual 'London Business Semester.'  I first have to express my gratitude for
the ongoing discussions on ALSBTALK.  What a comfort it has been to have
access to ALSBTALK and these discussions while I've been in Britain.  It has
helped immensely in making me feel connected to the issues back home.  Thank
you all.

My students arrived in London September 6th and started classes on September
11th.  Many of them had never travelled abroad prior to this trip.  Most had
little or no knowledge of geopolitical history or U.S. foreign policy.  The
initial weeks following the events of September 11th were brutally difficult
for many of the students.  Indeed, from speaking with other Americans living
in London, our individual and collective feelings of isolation and longing
to be with friends and loved ones across the Atlantic were intense.  The
press accurately reported that many of us felt more intensely American than
ever before.  I know this was true for our students.  Because of this, it
was particularly difficult for them to receive the lion's share of the news
from home through the lens of a different country's media.  Of course, we
spent time in class not only discussing legal and sociolegal issues, but
also interpreting the media perspective they received.

What I have found fascinating about this group of students is how much MORE
engaged they have been this semester.  I have never had a group of students
who are more prepared for class, more willing to participate in a meaningful
way, or more willing to challenge me or the perspective in the texts we use!
Every one of them has been reading at least one newspaper every day, in part
because it is required for one of their courses.  They were assigned which
paper to read, but many are reading an additional paper if they were not
assigned a paper that had the perspective or coverage they wanted.  They are
discussing and debating world events and have put forth Herculean efforts in
their courses.  I have read some of the strongest essay exams of my career
this semester.

I knew that living in London would change these students forever.  I didn't
know how immeasurably they would mature in such a short time.  Part of the
reason I am participating in this particular discussion topic is to express
publicly how proud I am of these young men and women.  Thank you for
allowing me to do so.


Susan J. Marsnik
University of St. Thomas
London Business Semester


-----Original Message-----
From: Miller, Carol J
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 31/10/01 13:35
Subject: Re: Classroom atmosphere/counterterrorism bill

My students seem no more or less engaged in classroom activities and
preparation than before Sept. 11. Some seem to be more "low key," but
they
are still talking as much (or a little) as they did before the terrorist
incidents.

We did spend a couple of class periods talking about legal and
sociological
issues(see book Generations).  Then I cautioned them in the next class
not
to apply group stereotypes to individuals as a lead-in to
anti-discrimination law discussions. I have also altered examples in
employment discrimination discussions to include someone of Islamic
faith
applying for a job.   We discussed First Amendment implications for
academic
freedom at a time when some journalists are being fired for criticing
our
government's position and some people's civil rights are being
diminished to
make the nation "safer."  In one class I wrote a torts/courts exam with
hypothetical tort cases coming out of the twin towers events.  However,
for
the most part we are continuing with our normal subject matter in class.
There are still a lot of other legal problems and issues confronting the
world beyond the dominant terriorism theme.

Carol Miller
SMSU

-----Original Message-----
From: John Allison [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, October 26, 2001 12:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Classroom atmosphere/counterterrorism bill


The University of Texas, and the Austin vicinity, with about 1.2 mil.
people, is certainly not a backwater, and most government centers for
the
2nd most populated state are here; all of us, including our students,
see
the vast increase in security throughout the area.  For some reason,
however, I have not experienced any of these problems in either my class
of
100 undergraduates (a course for nonbusiness majors), or in my graduate
elective in Intellectual Property.  They all are very aware and very
sensitive, but they seem to continue focusing on the task at hand in my
classes.  We are, of course, far from the NE, but some of my MBA
students
had internships with, and prospective jobs with, companies in the
WTC.  Even in the undergrad. class, a number of the students have
friends
or relatives who were directly affected.  I don't know the reason why
they
seem to be staying on task, but they are (with the exceptions that have
always existed in the past).  I am puzzled.  Maybe it would be different
if
we had a real scare in this area, but I certainly hope that we don't
have
to find out.

John Allison


At 11:33 AM 10/26/2001, you wrote:
>Our Provost has sent several messages to the university community (see
>below) encouraging us to be "sensitive" to the impact of 9-11 on our
>students' abilities to focus on their coursework.  He has also
suggested
>some resources to help.
>
>Rick
>
>Dear George Mason Faculty,
>
>The events of September 11 and beyond have had a profound effect on all
our
>lives, and will continue to do so for some time to come.  They have
even
>more greatly affected our students.