NS4801 Seminar on Terrorism

This course attempts to provide a broad sweep of the field of terrorism. We explore general issues - the structure of terrorist groups, the motivation of those who join, the patterns of authority and decision-making within groups, the impact of different types of operations on governments and the public. In the second portion of the course, we discuss in greater depth the campaigns of a few selected terrorist organizations. We will also look at what some scholars call the "new" terrorism. Prerequisites: None.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

·       Delineate the societal, political, and security consequences of terrorism in the modern world.

·       Describe and critically assess alternative theoretical approaches to explaining terrorism, including the grievance model, opportunity model, and strategic actor model.

·       Explain how terrorists are able to recruit their members, rationalize violence, and incentivize suicidal attacks.

·       Discuss and provide examples of how terrorists finance their activities, benefit from state sponsorship, and organize themselves to achieve their objectives.

·       Assess the ways the internet and social media aid terrorism, and how terrorists innovate to survive.

·       Apply theory to a specific historical case study and present your findings in a clear and compelling analysis.