War on Terror at Home

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The quarter century since 9/11 and dawn of the 'War on Terror' has seen the surfacing of tensions and crises, some long simmering, some new, as American foreign policy and domestic life have repeatedly collided. The notion of the rule of law and civil liberties has collided with anxieties over support for terrorism, 'extremism' and the exigencies of national security. The conception of America as a pluralistic and liberal nation has collided with claims of cultural, religious and even racial parochialism. Muslims in the US and shibboleths associated with them, from the 'Ground Zero Mosque' (2010) to Rep. Ilhan Omar's hijab and campus protests over Gaza, have been the meeting point of all these tensions and crises. This course will explore how 'The War on Terror,' its domestic manifestation, Islam/Muslims and debates over what America should be have shaped the US in recent decades.