Instructors Strive for Balance, Calm As Kosovo Debate Enters Classrooms

For several weeks now, the national media has lambasted the current generation of college students for their relative lack of concern for the events in Kosovo.

Candlelight vigils and letters to the editors of campus papers, they write, pale in comparison to the anti-war protests of the Vietnam era.

But professors find that instead of voicing their opinions in protests and demonstrations, students are bringing their concerns to class.

"A surprising number of undergrads in [my course] have raised Kosovo in conversations with me, "wrote Associate Professor of Government Andrew M. Moravcsik in an e-mail message. Moravcsik reaches Historical Studies A-12, "International Conflicts in the Modern World" with Kaneb Professor of National Security and Military Affairs Stephen P. Rosen '74.

Moravcsik says one goal of Historical Studies A-12 is to teach students to apply their skills to the study of current events.

"[In the course,] we always do a final session or sessions relating current events to the historical cases and theoretical ideas developed in this course-including a debate between Professor Rosen and myself," he says.

But, says Wendy E. Franz, head teaching fellow for Historical Studies A-12, courses that touch on themes relating to the NATO bombing must take care to keep newspaper headlines from taking over.

"The most important thing to note is that current events do not drive [a history course]," Franz says.

Other instructors say the classroom provides a more balanced and thorough forum for discussing current issues than the news media, which often merely skims the surface of complicated developments.

In her course, History 1519, "The Modern Balkans," Visiting Professor of History Maria N. Todorova says she attempts to show students the tools and background knowledge needed to address conflicts with "patience and diplomacy."

Todorova points out that the media can present the public with only a limited and non-contextual understanding of events.

"Only by having a systematic knowledge of the region can we reach condusions...which are not irresponsible," she says.

A. Nathaniel Chakeres '02, a student in Historical Studies A-12, also says he feels media coverage of the events in Yugoslavia is far from complete and reliable.

"I don't think we can really talk about the situation intelligently right now," he says. "The news is largely full of NATO-screened information and speculation on the part of journalists. Very little of what is out there is unaltered fact. When we criticize...the decisions of military commanders when we don't have all the facts, we are shooting from the hip."

In the classroom, instructors attempt to fill in the gaps left by media coverage.

Moravcsik says the situation in Kosovo is important for students to understand because it relates to "U.S. commitment, credibility and capability in addressing other global problems".

"Some argue that failure in Kosovo might undermine our credibility and commitment, even capability, to act elsewhere [for example], Taiwan," Moravcsik says. "Others disagree."

Moravcsik mentioned that a CNN debate on the subject earlier this week was similar to debates in the 1950s on the cold War, in the 1960s and 1970s on Vietnam "and indeed at the height of British Imperialism."

According to Franz, this is how events such as Kosovo serve academic pursuits. Students are able to use current events to draw comparisons and apply lessons gained from their coursework, she says.

"Kosovo is interesting to us insofar as we can compare it to other events", she says. "It is definitely not a driving concern in the course, but it gives students a chance to apply what they’re learning in the classroom."

Furthermore, according to Moravcsik, any conflict such as this brings abstract conflicts to life for students.

"It raises fundamental issues of world politics: moral responsibility beyond the nation state; the tactics and politics of military intervention, particularly with air power; the credibility of national policy; the role of nationalism in motivating state behavior; the effectiveness of sanctions; alliance coherence; great power politics in the security council and NATO, and so on," he says.

While the real world provides enrichment for the classroom, Fanz acknowledges that the reverse occurs as well.

"As a Core, [Historical Studies A-12] may be the first and last course in international politics for many students," she says. "A few years down the road, we want them to be able to pick up a copy of The New York Times and understand the basic forces at work."

But as in every case when current events enter the classroom, instructors must tread lightly with sensitive and controversial subject matter.

Franz says she feels academic work can help students make ethical judgments about real-world events, but she stressed that her course aims to exclude emotional reactions from broad evaluations of events.

"One of the points Professor Rosen made about [A-12] is that one of the reasons we study history is to be dispassionate in some way," Franz says.

Chakeres also says he believes impassioned debate has no place in the classroom. Judgment must be made, he says, with consideration of all available facts.

"Decisions about whether to take largescale military action should be made by cool-headed people who are somewhat removed from public scrutiny," he says. "War is just too important to be swayed by public opinion."

"I am afraid that now, more than ever, military actions are being criticized in such a way that will make future leaders reluctant to do what is necessary just so they can avoid such criticism," Chakeres adds.

Moravcsik says he believes a good course will teach students how to evaluate an event without making emotional or moral appeals one way or the other.

"We seek to distance ourselves from personal normative or political positions in order to provide the best pedagogical experience for our students, and to encourage their consideration and participation."