Victor McFarland, PhD, associate professor of History, was a high school senior when the United States was attacked on 9/11. McFarland went on to study Arabic as well as the history and culture of the Middle East. He was among many Americans for whom the attack on 9/11 spurred an intellectual interest in the Middle East.  

Today, McFarland teaches about the September 11th attacks in his courses to students who weren’t even born during that time.  

"A lot of students want to learn," McFarland said. "I think they're very curious about what changed. Many are students from a Middle Eastern background or who have family members in New York City. There's a lot they know in an intellectual way. They want to know where I was." 

You can learn more about McFarland’s interview with the Columbia Daily Tribune here: https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/news/education/campus/2021/09/09/university-missouri-history-professor-brings-9-11-attack-perspective-students-who-werent-born/5686619001/