DePaul University faculty members are available to discuss a wide variety of issues–ranging from American foreign policy to how people changed their own lives in the 10 years since the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

U.S. Foreign Policy and the Middle East

Security, Terrorism and Transportation Industry Issues

Barry Kellman

(312) 362-5258 or bkellman@depaul.edu

Professor of Law

Kellman is president of DePaul’s International Weapons Control Center. “Emerging technologies are enabling an ever larger population to gain access to weapons of mass violence, likely weapons to intentionally inflict disease.  It is imperative to develop legal and other measures to diminish the threat of disease attacks from a broadening pool of malevolent actors. We cannot predict the time or place of an intentionally inflicted pandemic, but we know from history that in the absence of law, weapons win.   As this must not be allowed, it is important to identify specific legal and policy advances that can curtail risks of attacks involving emerging technologies.”

Anna Law

Associate Professor of Political Science

(773) 325-4326 or alaw1@depaul.edu 

Law teaches classes on U.S. constitutional law and U.S. immigration law and policy. She is the author of a recent book on the history of immigration law “The Immigration Battle in American Courts.” “The 9/11 terror attacks not only represented not only a massive failure of the U.S. intelligence system, but also of the U.S. immigration system because persons who intended to do harm to the nation were allowed into the U.S. on valid immigration visas. Unfortunately, the conflation of the immigration issue with national security that followed 9/11 has precipitated an overreaction from segments of the public and policymakers who now suspiciously view any immigrant as a potential terrorist. Indeed the U.S. immigration system is broken and in need of reform, but reforming this vast and complex policy area by viewing it exclusively through a national security lens is a wrongheaded.”

Tom Mockaitis

Professor of History

(773) 325-7471 or tmockait@depaul.edu

Mockaitis has written several books and numerous articles on terrorism and insurgency, including “Osama bin Laden: A Biography;” “Iraq and the Challenge of Counterinsurgency;” and “The ‘New’ Terrorism: Myths and Reality.” Mockaitis team teaches counter-terrorism courses to military and civilian audiences around the world as part of the Department of Defense Counter-terrorism Fellowship Program. “On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, the United States should reflect on significant success in the struggle against terrorism amid the sobering realization that many challenges lie ahead.”

Joseph Schwieterman

Professor of Public Service

(312) 362-5732 or jschwiet@depaul.edu

Schwieterman is also director of the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul.  He is well-versed in the profound changes that have occurred in American transportation systems since 9/11. His experience as a pricing analyst at United Airlines prior to joining DePaul provides him a unique, behind-the-scenes perspective on the competitive changes currently under way in the industry. His recent research explores the shift toward intercity bus travel since 9/11 (which he argues is partially attributable to the rising airport “hassle factor”), growing ridership on Amtrak and the changing pricing strategies used by airlines.

Social, Cultural and Psychological Impacts

Joe Ferrari

Professor of Psychology

(773) 325-4244 or jferrari@depaul.edu

Ferrari can discuss the psychological impact of 9/11 and how people’s attitudes have evolved since then.  “After a crisis, many of us do something immediately to help such as donate money or food. We get a good feeling and then our attention shifts to another issue. It goes to show how fickle we humans are, we move to other things because we loose interest quickly.”

Leonard A. Jason

Professor of Psychology

773-325-2018 or ljason@depaul.edu

Jason is director of the Center for Community Research which directs research and scholarship that aims to solve pressing social problems. “The effect of 9/11 has been to involve us in two incredibly expensive wars–both unnecessary and unpaid for–and costing the lives of thousands of American troops and foreign civilians. With the costs of war and reductions in taxation due to Bush policies, we now have a looming budget crisis that will result in reductions in basic support and services for thousands of the most high risk individuals in our country. The consequences are palpable, and we will be dealing with them for a long time.”

Aminah McCloud

Professor of Islamic Studies

(773) 325-1290 or amccloud@depaul.edu

McCloud, who is also director of DePaul’s Islamic World Studies Program, teaches courses on Islamic law in American society, Muslims in the United States, Muslim women and Islamic ethics. “The actions taken by our government and supported by many citizens have created a climate of fear and animosity towards Muslim citizens, and created pre-emptive wars. We have in many communities become fearful, distrustful and hate-filled, while in other–but far too few–communities we have become determined to be even more knowledgeable about our fellow citizens.”

Scott Paeth

Associate Professor of Religious Studies

(773) 325-4447 or spaeth@depaul.edu or scottpaeth@mac.com

Paeth teaches courses on applied religious ethics and religion in public life, including courses on religious wars. “Since Sept. 11, America has been struggling to understand the role of religious diversity in our common life. The increased discrimination against Muslims in recent years reflects an intensified fear of those we deem to be too religiously ‘different’ in the context of a series of wars that are increasingly identified as being wars against ‘Islam’ or ‘the Muslim world.’”