Terrorism

Curriculum guideline

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Course
CRIM 3395
Discontinued
No
Course code
CRIM 3395
Descriptive
Terrorism
Department
Criminology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Contact hours

Lecture: 2 hours/week

Seminar: 2 hours/week

or

Hybrid: 2 hours/week in person; 2 hours/week online 

or 

Fully online

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Online
Hybrid
Learning activities

This course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

  1. Lectures
  2. Seminar discussions
  3. Audio visual material
  4. Research projects and papers
Course description
This course examines the pathways of radicalization toward terrorism and/or violent extremism in both online and offline environments. The course begins by defining and critically analyzing the concepts of terrorism, radicalization, and extremism, and in doing so will provide a brief background on the historical development and modern usage of these terms. In order to understand how and why certain individuals radicalize and join extremist movements, various theories of radicalization are discussed. In addition, several modern prominent extremist movements (along with their ideologies and radicalization/recruitment tactics) are highlighted and examined in detail including White Nationalists, Islamist extremists, and gender-based extremists. The course concludes with discussions about media depictions of terrorism, as well as a focus on counter-radicalization and counter-extremism strategies across governments, criminal justice agencies, and the public.
Course content

1) The historical context and perspectives about terrorism

2) Radicalization and Extremism

  • Overview
  • Definitions
  • Theoretical approaches

3) Islamist Extremism

  • Definitions and historical context
  • Modern trends
  • Case studies (e.g. ISIS, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram)

3) Right-Wing Extremism

  • Definitions and historical context
  • Modern trends
  • Case studies (e.g. Neo-Nazis, White supremacists)

4) Left-wing extremism

  • Definitions and historical context
  • Modern trends
  • Case studies (e.g. The Red Army Faction, The FARC)

5) Nationalist extremism

  • Definitions and historical context
  • Modern trends
  • Case studies (e.g. The FLQ, The IRA, The PKK)

6) Gender-based extremism

  • Definitions and historical context of gender-based movements and related violence
  • Discussion of gender-based extremism as terrorism 
  • Case studies (e.g. Incels)

7) New online extremist movement

  • GamerGate
  • Alt-Right
  • QAnon

8) Special interest extremism

  • Environmentalism
  • Animal rights

9) The role of media

10) Countering radicalization and extremism

  • Policy and legislative efforts
  • Education

11) Criminal Justice and Public Safety in the Canadian context

  • Best Practices
  • Lessons Learned
Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Describe a brief history of terrorism in various North American and international contexts. 
  • Define and distinguish terrorism, radicalization, and extremism.
  • Critically analyze a range of perspectives on terrorism including legal, political, and academic.
  • Explain and interpret how radicalization and extremism occur in the present day.
  • Illustrate and analyze how various modern extremist movements operate and persist.
  • Evaluate the role of various sources of media in depicting and representing terrorism. 
  • Explain and evaluate various modern counter-radicalization and counter extremism strategies.
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.  Evaluation will be based on the course objectives.  The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester. 

 

An example of a possible evaluation shceme would be:

  Extremist Profile Assignment

20 %

  Seminar Participation

15 %

  Seminar Discussion Lead

10 %

  Term Paper

30 %

  Final Exam

25 %

Students may conduct research with human participants as part of their coursework in this class.  Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving human subjects.

Textbook materials

A selection of current journal articles and readings will be compiled for this course.

Prerequisites

CRIM 1150