Week 1: Conventional and Critical Approaches to Understanding Terrorism
This introductory class will cover the inherent politicization of the term “terrorism” and begin to explore approaches that help problematize the term itself. We will also begin to outline some of the most pertinent issues around the study of terrorism in a contemporary context.
Week 2: Who Are You Calling A Terrorist?
A basic challenge to understanding terrorism as a social phenomenon is gaining a sense of how our cultural frameworks contribute to our sense of terrorist activity. In this week’s discussions, we will come to understand some of our preconceptions, assumptions, and attitudes about terrorism.
Week 3: Terrorism as the Big Bad Wolf
Conventional wisdom has it that terrorism is THE key threat facing the international community. This week, we investigate this assumption and consider the evidence that supports this claim. We might have to develop a more rigorous understanding of the different forms terrorism may assume and the different strategies we might employ to deal with it.
Week 4: Can States Be “Terrorist”?
Typically, we consider the battle against terrorism to be one pitting governments against illegitimate actors. We will consider how and when states may engage in terrorism. Through this analysis, we will explore the patterns and behaviour of terrorist states and how state terrorism has been resisted, challenged, and overcome.
Week 5: Non-State Terrorism: How Big Is the Threat?
We will discuss the paradigmatic terrorist threat with which we have become most familiar since September 11, 2001: the non-state terrorist actor. Topics include the stereotypes of non-state terrorism and research that challenges common assumptions. We consider how the international community deals with non-state terrorism and will explore alternatives to militarization.
Week 6: War, Masculinity, and Our Understanding of Terrorism
From an analysis of the role of gender in terrorism studies, we move on to assess the conduct of the war on terror as we have experienced it. Using insights gained in the course, we will discuss the efficacy of the “War on Terror” and its unintended consequences.
