Module One
(Defining Terrorism)
Required Readings:
1.
Understanding Terrorism (Poland)
a. Chapter One: Concepts of Terror and Terrorism
b. Chapter Two: Historical Antecedents of Terrorism and
Violence
c. Chapter Five: Designated Foreign
Terrorist Organizations: The "A List."
2. Terrorism (Snowden & Whitsel)
a. Chapter One: Identity and the Terrorist Threat: An
Interpretive and Explanatory
Model
b. Chapter Two: The Changing Face of American Terrorism
c. Chapter Five: Implementing Justice through Terror and
Destruction: Ecoterror's
Violent Agenda to "Save" Nature.
d. Chapter Ten: The Right to Revise History: The
Institute for Historical Review
E. Chapter Fourteen: Zealous Before the Lord: The Construction
of Christian Identity
Theology
Recommended Readings:
(Available via the
Union Institute and University electronic library)
1. Ganor, B. (2002).
Defining Terrorism: Is One Man's Terrorist another Man's
Freedom Fighter? Police Practice & Research,
3(4), p287.
2. Sunhauseen, U. (2004)
Terrorism and America. Social Alternatives. 23(2), p6.
3. Laquer, W. (2004) World
of Terror. National Geographic. 206(5), p72.
4.
Larabee,
A. (2003). A Brief History of Terrorism in the United States.
Knowledge, Technology & Policy,
16(1), p21.
5. Duff, R. (2005). Notes on
Punishment and Terrorism. American Behavioral
Scientist, 48(6), p758.
(Click to follow
hyperlinks)
The Changing Faces of Terrorism
A Brief History of Terrorism
Assignments:
(Note: Assignment due dates are listed on the
course homepage)
Written Assignments
Using the readings and your own research, complete a 4-6
page paper. Explore the various definitions of terrorism. What definition would
you use? As you complete your paper, consider the following questions: What are
the strengths of your definition of terrorism? What are the weaknesses? Is
terrorism a military problem or a criminal justice problem? How does your
definition cover state terror, state involvement in terror, state sponsorship of
terror and stateless terrorist groups? What, if any, theories on violence,
particularly political violence support your definition? How is your definition
shaped by your own cultural, political and social views?
Hint::
Superior work (an A grade) will include sources from academic, peer reviewed
journals; be properly formatted and sourced in APA style.
Session/Semester
Long Project:
Your final project will
involve an analysis of an active terrorist group.
Click here to
go to the MIPT Terrorism information Center. In order to use
their library of edocs you will have to register. Once you have
registered. Search the eDocuments for the Country Reports on Terrorism.
Once you find this document, take a look at the different
active groups in 2005. Compare the 2005 country reports
against Poland's list of active groups. Choose a group for
your final project analysis. Submit a one page justifying
your choice and determining whether the group is an international or domestic group.
Note that you final project should be 8-10 pages in length.
Practical
Exercise
None
Participation Assignment
Go to the
Criminal Justice Online forum
and post:
1.
Register and create a user name that is your first initial, last
name, and the
word "Union." If I
were creating that user name I would be rfosterunion.
2.
Click here to find the first threaded
discussion assignment.
3.
After you have posted, you must respond to a post made by another
Union
learner.
Due Date Fall 2009 |
Session I |
Session II |
Go To |
August 31,
2009 |
October
26, 2009 |
Session Begins |
September
11, 2009 |
November
6, 2009 |
Module One
(Defining Terrorism) |
September
25, 2009 |
November
20, 2009 |
Module Two
(Modus Operandi of Terrorists) |
October 9,
2009 |
December
4, 2009 |
Module Three
(Response to Terrorism) |
October 21,
2009 |
December
16, 2009 |
Module Four (Emerging Trends) |
October
24, 2009 |
December
19, 2009 |
Session Ends |
Submit
Module One
By email - Click Here
According to one reader of Inside
Terrorism, Bruce Hoffman, long one of RAND's key terrorism-wallahs and
an affiliate of St Andrews University has written an excellent book on a
controversial topic. There was a fair amount of literature on terrorism prior to
September 11th and, my, but there's even more now. A lot of it was a load of old
rubbish prior to September 11th and even more of it is now. Hoffman's book is a
work of substance which in itself puts it ahead of much of the pack. "Inside
Terrorism" covers a variety of areas. It opens with a discussion about the
lengthy (and continuing) debate that surrounds the issue of defining terrorism -
an issue which has stumped everyone from academics to the UN. What and who
exactly IS a terrorist? Hoffman doesn't provide a clear cut, definitive answer
but he does provide clear coverage of what is framing the argument, along with
some of the possible answers which are being put forward. Whether you consider
this level of debate to be self-indulgent and ivory tower or not (as I
increasingly do, interesting thought it is) it is important to know that the
debate does exist and what it's all about as it goes to the heart of some
real-life anti-terrorism policy making, especially with regard to multilateral
attempts to curb terror groups.
Hoffman moves on to cover Post-colonial ethnic or nationalist terror groups,
international terrorism, Religion and terrorism, Terrorism, Media and public
opinion, Terrorist methods and mindsets and the potential future of terrorism.
All in all, it adds up to a fairly comprehensive introduction to the subject.
Some of Hoffman's conclusions aren't to everybody's tastes, but terrorism is an
inherently controversial and hotly debated issue, it's the nature of the beast.
Overall, this is an excellent overview and introduction to the subject of
terrorism. Certainly better than the recent work of Walter Laqueur. The newcomer
to the subject would also be well advised to check out Christopher Harmon's
"Terrorism Today" as well, along with Paul Wilkinson's "Terrorism and
Democracy". Ken Booth's "Worlds in Collision" is an excellent collection of
essays by various authors that is ideal for somebody with an interest in the
post-September 11th world.
Hoffman's writing style is not immediately engaging (I found the book far more
digestible on a second reading), but this is still an excellent work for the
beginner. In a field that is both crowded and shallow, Hoffman has produced a
book of genuine substance and for that he deserves credit.
Battle of Algiers
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