Three faculty members and 11 students traveled to Bosnia in May 2004 as part of the University of Wisconsin-Superior course titled War and Peace in Bosnia. The course is a unique opportunity for students to learn some gritty lessons first hand. It's also an example of how imaginative faculty members create active teaching and learning opportunities at UW-Superior.

UW-Superior students get first-hand lessons about "War and Peace in Bosnia"

Nine years after it ended, the war in Bosnia is largely forgotten in the United States. By going to Bosnia to study, the UW-Superior students enrolled in "War and Peace in Bosnia" see that, in reality, the end of the fighting doesn't mean the end of war. They see people slowly rebuilding wrecked homes and stores, finding mass graves, wondering about lost loved ones, trying to create jobs.

Dr. Khalil "Haji" Dokhanchi, a political science professor, teaches the class along with Judy Dwyer, associate professor of social work, and Dr. Karl Bahm, associate professor of history. After 14 hours of classroom orientation on campus, last May they took 11 students from various disciplines on a three-week expedition to Bosnia. It was the second time in three years the class has made the trip. See a map of Bosnia

War and Peace in Bosnia examines the origins of the war and its aftermath. The students learn that the war wasn't a war of ancient hatreds, as it was often portrayed in media sound bites, but rather was a war of political manipulation by people who wanted to remain in power by pitting groups of people against each other.

"What I want students to get out of this class is to understand that all wars happen for a reason -- they are not inevitable," Bahm said. "The tagline that this war was one of ancient hatreds was nonsense. For a long time these people lived together and learned together. That was deliberately destroyed by some power-hungry nationalists."

Students see "first-hand life after war"

In Bosnia, the students met with people from all walks of life who were involved in the war and the country's reconstruction. They talked with city officials from Sarajevo, politicians, government ministers, people who run aid organizations, "de-miners" who remove leftover landmines and explosives, and ordinary people -- survivors whose family members are still missing, women engaged in "micro-industry," such as sewing garments at home.

UW-Superior students and faculty pause for a photo with members of Women of Screbenica, an organization of widows of genocide victims. See more photos.

"We see first-hand life after war and how people deal with it," Dokhanchi said. "They see the post-war issues, like money; how to get international agencies and investors to spend money in Bosnia."

The students learn about the difficulties of rebuilding cities. In Sarajevo, for instance, they traveled from neighborhoods that appeared untouched by war to those nearby in which most buildings were gutted. In many buildings, the first floor had been rebuilt while upper stories remained in ruins.

In the long process of rebuilding, "They see that things are not always solved in the most efficient way," Dokhanchi said. "The reality on the ground causes political compromises, and sometimes those compromises impede progress."

The students also learn that people are, above all, resilient and hopeful. "When you read about war, it's not powerful enough," Dwyer said. "To be in a country and to see the devastation, and to talk to people who have experienced war, and to see not only the evil side of war but to see the spirit of the people who are able to withstand it and survive, it's very inspiring."

Critical lessons can apply elsewhere

These are all important lessons to young people who soon will be moving into government offices, jobs and aid organization jobs here and abroad.

"The theme of the class is very applicable to Afghanistan and Iraq. The issues are not unique to Bosnia," Dokhanchi said. "If you learn something about Bosnia, you can apply the lessons to Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries."

The three faculty members have a variety of personal and professional reasons for their interest in the course. Dwyer is a social worker who once worked in Bosnia with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or UNHCR. Bahm's academic specialty is Eastern Europe and, especially, ethnic conflict. Dokhanchi is interested in a worldwide movement to clean up landmines.

Students do more than just study

Another aspect of the course is a community service requirement. During their trip and after they return to campus, the students try to help in Bosnia. A student who took part in the first War and Peace in Bosnia class in 2002 returned home and raised $2,000 to contribute to an organization that provides artificial limbs to Bosnian children maimed by landmines. This year, two students are gathering soccer equipment to send to a youth group in a small village they visited. Another student is trying to get computer equipment for a computer lab at the University of Sarajevo. Still others are trying to help Bosnian seamstresses find markets for their piecework.

Like any other study abroad opportunity, the course also enables students to see and learn from areas outside their home country.

"We hope the students will learn to appreciate another part of the world, and that they will see the benefits of a multicultural society; that they will see how vibrant Bosnia is with different ethnic groups and religions," Bahm said. "We want to push them outside their comfort zone so they experience something they haven't experienced before."

"We've seen immediate changes (in students), especially those who have never traveled overseas before," he said. "We see a greater awareness of how big the world is, but at the same time how similar we all are. Some of the things we do in Bosnia are troubling, and the students are deeply moved. We've seen immediate transformations in them, and in good ways."

Dokhanchi, Dwyer and Bahm plan to continue offering War and Peace is Bosnia. Dokhanchi said that in future years, the faculty and students may see how Bosnia progresses; in effect, "who will win."

"Will war memories win," he mused, "or will people move beyond it?"