L-A College Course Examines War and Terrorism
Students pictured here in the
Social Psychology of War and Terrorism class at L-A College
(left to right) are Ryan Arnold, Dawn Lajoie, Tabatha Aube,Terry
Garvin-Waite, and Melissa Brown
January 2004
The causes of conflict, war, and terrorism and the resulting
psychological impact they have on society were the topics
in a recently completed course at USM's Lewiston-Auburn College.
The course titled "Social Psychology of War and Terrorism"
was offered as an elective in the social and behavioral sciences
program at LAC. The course instructor, Elaine Makas, Ph.D.,
explained that the major objective of the class was to "apply
basic principles and models from social psychology to explore
the psychological causes and the psychological impact of war
and terrorism." Some of the topics covered included an
examination of terrorist groups and the cognitive causes of
war, the influence of culture and the media, persuasion and
aggression, group influence (conformity, compliance, obedience,
etc.), and conflict resolution.
"This class gave each student the chance to learn and
understand other cultures and their belief systems, "said
Rhiannon Desmond of Sabattus. "Before this class I had
half a puzzle on global events," added Melissa Brown
of Livermore Falls. "Now with the readings, discussions
and critical thinking, I can see the whole puzzle."
Students in the class had to complete written assignments
and conduct in-class presentations on such topics as media
images and cultural sensitivity. Ryan Arnold of Lewiston said
the best part of the course for him "was listening to
other opinions, recognizing bias, and finally being able to
see these issues from all sides." "This helped me
to examine both sides of a conflict and how the media can
filter information," said Tabatha Aube of Auburn. "Facts
can be interpreted as for or against one's bias. . . .these
perceptions are what people act on, and can then create escalating
conflict."
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