Terrorism and Political Crime
CRJ 480-1 Summer 2003
MTWThF 9:40-11:10am CBC C112
Instructor: N.H.A. Karunaratne
Office: CBC 210
Office Hours: MTW 11:15am-12pm
Telephone: 895-0243 (24 hour voice mail)
Email:
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce the student to current issues on terrorism and political crime and to understand roots, causes, ideologies, beliefs and strategies of terrorism in the context of social, political, cultural and historical dynamics of various societies and regions of the world.
What is "terrorism"? What are the legal, theoretical and social definitions of terrorism and political crime? How does terrorism differ from the ordinary crimes of violence such as homicide, assault and rape? How to distinguish terrorists from revolutionaries, freedom fighters, guerrillas and war criminals?
We will discuss various forms of terrorism including domestic, urban, international and transnational terrorism. What are the roots, ideologies and beliefs of terrorism? Who are the common victims of terrorist acts? What are terrorist tactics? What are the modes of operation adopted by terrorists? Is there a common pattern of terrorists' modus operandi? Do terrorists fit into any psychological profile or behavior typology? Is there a terrorist victimology?
We will examine the role that mass violence has played in America's past and present with a view to understand terrorism and political crime by drawing upon the research and theories that explain political violence such as the vigilante tradition, violence utilized by the political movements of the right and left (KKK, SDS) and the urban riots. What are the theories on the causes and patterns of political violence? Did political violence bring about any social change? Have recent riots in Los Angeles, Miami, Liverpool and the West Bank resembled American riots of the 1960s? Have political rhetoric, social change or other social conditions contributed to reemergence of political violence?
What are the threats of terrorism to the 'democratic state'? Have events of 9/11 turned the United States into a 'society under siege'? What social control mechanisms have been used against terrorism in Northern Ireland and other European countries? How has terrorism affected developed (U.S.A., West Germany, Italy, Britain, etc.) and developing (Lebanon, India, Sri Lanka, Argentina, El Salvador, Uruguay, etc.) countries? Have bombing, hostage taking and assassinations been effective in bringing about political or social change?
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Is there an increasing threat of governmental terrorism as opposed to individual or group terrorism in certain countries? Should governments use terrorist tactics (e.g., torture and disappearances of political opponents - Argentina and El Salvador; supporting terrorist groups operating on foreign territory - Libya, Syria and Iran)? Can terrorism be prevented? How can terrorism be controlled? What effective antiterrorist measures can a government adopt within the framework of a free society? What should be the criminal justice response to terrorism?
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Jonathan R. White, Terrorism: An Introduction, 3rd edition, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Co. (2002).
Jonathan R. White, Defending the Homeland, Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth (2003).
READER:
Marvin Wofgang, ed., "International Terrorism," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Beverly Hills: Sage (1982). On Reserve at the department.
GRADING will be by contract. As a minimum requirement every student must attend class regularly, participate in class discussions and demonstrate that the student has done the required reading for each class period.
“C”: Each student must present an in-class oral report on a topic assigned by me. However, I will try to accommodate students' choices as far as possible. I will determine the length of the oral presentations depending on class size and the semester schedule. Students may use overheads, audio video equipment, Power Point presentations, computer graphics, handouts and exhibits to enhance their presentations.
“B”: Each student must submit four type-written class logs. A class log is a brief summary of the major points of inclass presentations, discussions, and the readings for a period of one to two weeks. I will announce the class periods covered by each log and the dates when logs are due.
“A”: I will grade the logs as ‘satisfactory/unsatisfactory.’ Those who submit satisfactory logs will be eligible to receive a grade of “A.”
Final Letter Grade: I will grade each student on attendance, participation, oral presentations and logs. The final letter grade will reflect the student's overall performance in this class.
SCHEDULE
6/09Orientation
6/10Introduction
Definitions and Typologies of TerrorWhite, Ch.1
"Faces of the Enemy"Video
6/11The Tradition of Political ViolenceWhite, Chs. 4 &
5
6/12American Vigilante TraditionWhite, Chs. 13 &
14
6/13Urban Riots in American History andsame as above
Theories of Urban Violence
6/16Ghetto Riots in the Sixties, Recent RiotsNo reading
and the Aftermath
6/17Other Forms of Political Violence: PresidentialNo reading
Assassins
6/18Terrorism: The Definitional ProblemsWolfgang, pp. 1123; 3953;
White, Ch.1;
6/19Social Dynamics of TerrorismWhite, Ch.3;
Wolfgang, pp. 11928.
6/20Terrorism: Video
Log #1 due – This log will cover 6/09 to 6/13
6/23Sociopsychiatric Interpretations of TerrorismWolfgang, pp. 12940;
White, Ch.2;
6/24Political AssassinationsNo reading
6/25Defining Terrorism: DiscussionNo reading
6/26Urban Terrorist OperationsWhite, Ch. 8
6/27Terrorism in the Middle East White, Chs.7, 9
& 10
Log #2 due – This log will cover 6/16 to 6/20
6/30 Terrorism in Western EuropeWhite, Chs. 6 &
11
7/01Terrorism in South and Central AmericaWhite, Ch. 8
7/02 Terror in Africa and AsiaWhite, Ch.12
7/03Transnational Terrorism: Video
Log #3 due – This log will cover 6/23 to 6/27
7/4No Class
7/07Techno Terror and WMDWhite, Ch. 15
7/08Tactics Against Terror: The American ResponseWhite (D), Chs.
1,2 & 3.
7/09Tactics Against Terror: Use of ForceWhite (D), Chs.
4, 5 & 6.
7/10Tactics Against Terror: Response and ControlWhite, Chs. 16
in a Free Society
7/11Tactics Against Terror: The FutureWhite, Ch.17;
White (D), Ch. 7.
Log #3 due – This log will cover 6/30 to 7/03
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