Understanding Terrorism: Causes, Solutions, and Dilemmas

Description of Course

Terrorism is a contemporary problem that should not be neglected. The discourse on terrorism, however, is often simplified; disregarding important questions such as factors or root causes, potentially increasing political conflicts and generating terrorism. This course aims to analyze and discuss questions such as: What are the main circumstances that provide the necessary preconditions for the emergence of various types of terrorism? What are the typical precipitants that trigger terrorist campaigns? To what extent is it possible to reduce terrorism by addressing circumstances that have a tendency to generate terrorism?

This course is a study of terrorism – its causes, aims and forms – and the responses to it. This course offers a broad introduction to the concept of terrorism, focusing on the challenge posed by terrorist groups and the measures introduced against them. Classes will rest on a combination of empirical and theoretical discussions.

Course Themes

The major themes of the class include:

• History of terrorism
• Sociological and rationalist explanations of the causes of terrorism
• Terrorism Today
  • Financing
  • Use of Internet
  • Gender and Violence
  • Suicide Bombing
• Dealing with Terrorism
  • Realist and Liberal Approaches
  • State Weakness and Democratization
  • Special Operations
  • Intelligence
  • Security vs. Freedom

Learning Objectives

This course aims to introduce the conditions and environments that spawn terrorism. Through this lens, students will analyze the modern landscape of terrorism and explore possible counter-measures, taken within international as well as domestic settings.

Building on this, the course aims to provide students with the tools to assess the terrorist threat and to critically analyze the ideal handling of it.

Faculty

Hans Brun

PhD student at the Department of War Studies, King's College, London. His research is focused upon various aspects of counter-terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, and intelligence based police. At the moment he is finishing his PhD thesis on the use of hard power policies in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Some of his latest publications are “A Neo-Nationalist Network: The English Defense League and Europe´s Counter-Jihad Network” (with Alexander Meleagrou- Hitchens, 2013) and “Terrorism Learning and Innovation: Lessons from PIRA in Northern Ireland” (with Magnus Ranstorp, 2013). He gives lectures on a regular basis in Sweden, Europe, and the United States for academics as well as professionals. With DIS since 2016.

Textbooks

• Martha Crenshaw, Explaining Terrorism: Causes, Processes and Consequences (Abingdon: Routledge 2011).
• Tore Björgå, Root Causes of Terrorism: Myths, Reality and Ways Forward (Abingdon: Routledge 2005).
• Gilles Kepel, Terror in France: The Rise of Jihad in the West, (Princeton: Princeton University Press 2017). 
• Hans Brun & Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens: A neo-Nationalist Network - the English Defence League and Europe´s Counter-Jihad Movement (The International Center for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence: 2013).

Guest Lecturers

TBA

Grading

Disability and Resource Statement  

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

Policies

Attendance

You are expected to attend all classes, guest lectures, workshops and field studies. If you must miss a class for religious holidays, medical reasons, or other valid reasons, you must let us know as far in advance as possible of the absence and obtain information about the work you must do to keep up in class. If you miss a class for any other reason (sudden illness, family emergency, etc.), you should get in touch with us as soon as possible and arrange to make up the work missed.

It is crucial for your learning that you stay on task and hand in assignments on or before the due date. All work– including in-class projects – have to be completed in order to pass the class. Late papers or projects will be marked down with 1/3 of a grade for each day it is late.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.   Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software.  See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.