Sociology of Terrorism - Syllabus. This mid-level honors course will engage students in selected aspects of the sociological study of terrorism and counter-terrorism. The course is analytically rooted in the sociology of social control. The specific theme of the course will be the policing dimensions, especially at the international level, of recent, ongoing and planned strategies and organizations of counter-terrorism. The course will thus involve a sound integration of sociologically relevant and thematically diverse issues.

Sociology of Terrorism Syllabus

Deborah Louis, Carroll Community College - Teaching & Understanding Sept 11 - Mark Hamm & Paul Leighton - SYLLABUS: SPECIAL TOPICS - TERRORISM

Dr. Edward Morse's Sociology 601-02 Course - Sociology of Terrorism

University of South Carolina, Honors College
Syllabus - SCCC 331-I:
POLICING INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Instructor: Mathieu Deflem, Ph.D.
Office: Sloan College - Messages: via email Deflem@gwm.sc.edu
This mid-level honors course will engage students in selected aspects of the sociological study of terrorism and counter-terrorism. The course is analytically rooted in the sociology of social control. The specific theme of the course will be the policing dimensions, especially at the international level, of recent, ongoing and planned strategies and organizations of counter-terrorism. The course will thus involve a sound integration of sociologically relevant and thematically diverse issues.

Here is an overview. First, the course will briefly introduce students to the sociology of social control. Second, an overview will be presented of sociological issues of terrorism and counter-terrorism. Third, we will study in some detail a variety of historical and contemporary elements of international policing and, relatedly, the control of (international) terrorism. This will particularly include an analysis of counter-terrorist policing strategies and organizations since September 11. Finally, the course will devote special attention to the role played in the global fight against terrorism by the International Criminal Police Organization, the international police network more widely known as Interpol, as well as the European Police Office (Europol).

Honors students wishing to take this course must have Sophomore standing and have had at least one introductory course in social or behavioral science.

OVERVIEW
I. The Sociology of Social Control: An Introduction
II. Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: A Sociological Perspective
III. International Dimensions of Police and Counter-Terrorism

1) Historical Foundations of International Policing
2) Selected Contemporary Issues and Dimensions (including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, local law enforcement, relation to military interventions, human and civil rights issues)
IV. Global Counter-Terrorism: The Role of Interpol and Europol

SCHEDULE & READINGS
Week 1: INTRODUCTION

Week 2: SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL CONTROL, I: INTRODUCTION
• Syllabus
• See also: Teaching Terrorism: An Interview with Philip Jenkins. The Justice Professional 16(1): 61-63, 2003.
• Ross, Edward A. 1896. “Social Control.” American Journal of Sociology 1(5):513-535.

Week 3: SOCIOLOGY OF SOCIAL CONTROL, II: PERSPECTIVES
• Meier, Robert F. 1982. “Perspectives on the Concept of Social Control.” Annual Review of Sociology 8:35-55.
• Deflem, Mathieu. 1992. “The Invisibilities of Social Control.” Crime, Law and Social Change 18(1/2):177-192.

Week 4: SOCIOLOGY OF TERRORISM AND COUNTER-TERRORISM, I
• Rosenfeld, Richard. 2003. "Why Criminologists Should Study Terrorism." Crime & Justice International (April), pp. 34-35. Available in hard-copy format from the instructor.
• Deflem, Mathieu. 2004. Reading Terrorism and Terrorists. Review essay.

Week 5: SOCIOLOGY OF TERRORISM AND COUNTER-TERRORISM, II
• Black, Donald. 2004. “Terrorism as Social Control.” Chapter in Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism, edited by M. Deflem. London: Elsevier Science.
• Black, Donald. 2004. “Terrorism as Social Control.” (continued)

Week 6: INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION: HISTORY
• Deflem, Mathieu. forth. “Wild Beasts Without Nationality: The Uncertain Origins of Interpol, 1898-1910.” In The Handbook of Transnational Crime and Justice, edited by Philip Reichel. Sage Publications, forthcoming.
• Deflem, Mathieu. 2000. “Bureaucratization and Social Control: Historical Foundations of International Police Cooperation.” Law & Society Review 34(3):601-640.

Week 7: INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION: CONTEMPORARY
• Deflem, Mathieu. 2001. “International Police Cooperation in Northern America: A Review of Practices, Strategies, and Goals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.” Pp. 71-98 in International Police Cooperation: A World Perspective, eds D.J. Koenig and D.K. Das. Lanham, MD: Lexington.
• Deflem, Mathieu. 2003. “The Boundaries of International Cooperation: Problems and Prospects of U.S.-Mexican Policing.” In Corruption, Police, Security & Democracy, edited by Menachem Amir & Stanley Einstein. Office of International Criminal Justice.

Week 8: POLICING TERRORISM, I: HISTORY
• Leich, Marian Nash. 1984. “Four Bills Proposed by President Reagan to Counter Terrorism.” American Journal of International Law 78(4):915-928.
• Jenkins, Brian M. 1986. “Defense Against Terrorism.” Political Science Quarterly 101(5):773-786.

Week 9: POLICING TERRORISM, II: SEPTEMBER 11
• Deflem, Mathieu. 2002. "Law Enforcement 9-11: Questioning the Policing of International Terrorism." Pro Bono 9(1):5-9.

Week 10: POLICING TERRORISM, III: THE ROLE OF THE FBI
• Guest speaker: FBI Special Agent in Charge, Columbia.
• Bell, John. 2001. “Comments on the FBI in the Wake of 9/11 and Legal Standards and Procedures for Homeland Investigations.” Michigan State University Journal of International Law 10:552-562. Click here if the link no longer works.

Week 11: POLICING TERRORISM, IV: HOMELAND SECURITY
• Guest speaker: FBI Special Agent in Charge, Columbia.
• Deflem, Mathieu. forth. “Counter-Terrorism Policing and Inter-Agency Cooperation for Homeland Security.” forthcoming. OR:
• Nunn, Samuel. 2003. Seeking Tools for the War on Terror: A Critical Assessment of Emerging Technologies in Law Enforcement. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management 26(3):454-472.

Week 12: POLICING TERRORISM, V: CIVIL RIGHTS
• Cole, David. 2003. “The New McCarthyism: Repeating History in the War on Terrorism.” Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review 38(1):1-30. Click here if the link no longer works.

Week 13: EUROPOL AND TERRORISM
• Den Boer, Monica, and Jörg Monar. 2002. “11 September and the Challenge of Global Terrorism to the EU as a Security Actor.” Journal of Common Market Studies 40:11-28.
• video

Week 14: INTERPOL AND TERRORISM
• Deflem, Mathieu, and Lindsay C. Maybin. forth. “Interpol and the Policing of International Terrorism: Developments and Dynamics since September 11.” Chapter in Studies on Terrorism, edited by Lynne Snowden and Brad Whitsel, forthcoming.
• video

Recommended Readings
Among the books that I recommend on terrorism you may have a look at the following:

Deflem, Mathieu. 2002. Policing World Society: Historical Foundations of International Police Cooperation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Townsend, Charles. 2002. Terrorism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Reeve, Simon. 1999. The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama bin Laden, and the Future of Terrorism. Boston, MA: Northeastern University Press.

Deflem, Mathieu. Ed., 2004. Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism: Criminological Perspectives. London: Elsevier Science, forthcoming (proofs available in 11/2003).

McVey, Philip M. 1997. Terrorism and Law Enforcement: A Multidimensional Challenge for the Twenty-First Century. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Deborah Louis, Carroll Community College
Teaching & Understanding Sept 11
Mark Hamm & Paul Leighton
SYLLABUS: SPECIAL TOPICS - TERRORISM
SPRING 2002 • POLS-198-01
[NOTE: the "course objectives" from a teaching standpoint are of course different from the "objectives" as synthesized for students in the syllabus--in case these are useful, they are, as extracted from the course proposal:

• To familiarize students with the history of terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, Islam, and conflict in the Mid-East.

• To identify the primary locations, leaders, and organizations associated with the WTC attack.

• To examine and evaluate the range of policy options available to the U.S. in response.

• To recognize and evaluate the philosophical underpinnings of this ideological conflict and of the policy alternatives available to both sides and their respective allies.

• To explore common concerns about safety, civil liberties, and intergroup relations within the U.S.

• To understand the psychology of terrorism, for both perpetrators and victims.

• To distinguish between rhetoric and information in political speech and reporting.

• To explore the meaning of "responsible citizenship" in tense and fearful times.

• To acquire lasting frames of reference and critical skills that will be useful both in subsequent academic pursuits and in interpreting the political and social environment in which students will continue to live their lives.]

COURSE DESCRIPTION: POLS 198 (3 credits) -- An interdisciplinary approach to understanding contemporary terrorism and evaluating potential effectiveness of alternative responses to it. Drawing from insights and analytical tools offered by psychology, sociology, political science, history, and philosophy, students will explore the causes and consequences of the attack on the World Trade Center from both U.S. and global perspectives. Emphasis will be placed on observing and evaluating the actual formation of social and public policy resulting from these events, and the roles of citizens and leaders in this process.

TEXTS: • Terrorism: An Introduction, Jonathan White, Wadsworth Press

• The Wretched of the Earth, Frantz Fanon, Grove Press

• The Lion’s Game, Nelson DeMille, Warner Books

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will gain a working knowledge of the issues, people, and vocabulary associated with the contemporary use of terrorism to achieve political goals, and the specific experience of the events of September 11. [additional objectives]

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

2/4-6 Introduction. Review of syllabus, approach, and expectations. Definition and criminology of terrorism. (White/1)

Historical Perspective: Evolution and context of terrorism as a strategy to accomplish political goals.
2/11-13 History and organization of contemporary terrorism (White/2&3).

2/18-20 Faith-based terrorism and revolutionary violence (White/4&5; “The Dark Side of Moral Conviction,” Elizabeth Mullen).

2/25-27 Understanding the Western pespective. Philosophical roots of internal and external conflicts in perception; pluralism, exclusion, and the status of women.

3/4-6 Understanding the Middle East. Origins of Mid-East terrorism (White/7).

3/11-13 Palestine, Iran and Osama bin Ladin (White/9&10).

3/18-20 Understanding Islam. PBS documentary: Islam: Empire of Faith

Guest facilitator: Dr. Don Hoepfer, CCC Philosophy Professor

Understanding September 11: The dynamics of terrorism from individuals to geo-politics.
4/1-3 Psychology of terrorism. Perpetrators (DeMILLE; FANON; “Are Terrorists Mentally Deranged?” Charles Ruby). [Are terrorists psychotic?]

Victims (“In the Wake of Terrorist Attack, Hatred May Mask Fear,” Jennifer Freyd). Read-aloud: “First Writing Since,” poem by Suheir Hammad.

4/8-10 Sociology of terrorism. Contexts and outcomes (DeMILLE; FANON; “Them and Us: Hidden Ideologies--Differences in Degree or Kind?” Rhoda Unger, Brandeis University; “Understanding Collective Hatred,” Niza Yanay, Ben Gurion University; “A Time to Hate: Situational Antecedents of Intergroup Bias,” Phyllis Gerstenfeld, California State University; “Evil and the Instigation of Collective Violence,” David Mandel, University of Victoria).

4/15-17 The global community and U.S. foreign policy (“Globalization: A Choice Between Death and Death,” Jean-Bertrand Aristede; Letter to UN Security Council, Ramsey Clark; “Interview of Zbigniew Brzezinski,” Le Nouvel Observateur, 1/15/98; “Invaders,” Elaine Sciolino, NYT 9/23/01).

4/22-24 Technology and terrorism. Weapons and communications (White/15&16).

Responding to Terrorism: The roles of citizens and states in shaping strategies to achieve common goals.
4/29-5/1 Living in anxious times. Feeling safe at home (FEMA training manual).

Guest facilitator: Lt. Terry Katz, Westminster Barrack Commander, MDSP

5/6-8 Freedom vs. security (White/17; “In Defense of Freedom at a Time of Crisis,” joint recommendations of 126 U.S. rights organizations). Film: The Siege.

5/13-15 Policy choices: Reducing the threat of terrorism. Alternative proposals for immediate action (“Reflections on September 11; Lessons from Four Psychological Perspectives,” Kevin Lanning; “Responding to September 11: A Conflict Resolution

Scholar/Practitioner Perspective, Eben Weitzman and Darren Kew, University of Massachusetts; “From the Best Minds in the World,” Nobel Peace Prize Symposium; “Violence Doesn’t Work,” Howard Zinn). Read-aloud: "Thoughts in the Presence of Fear," essay by Wendell Berry.

5/20 Inventing long-term solutions -- class project presentations.

SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCES
[A short bibliography of the books most frequently mentioned in Teaching and Understanding Sept 11]

On reserve for this class at the Learning Resource Center:

Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy: Special Issue on Terrorism and Its Consequences, The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues 2002.

September 11: Context and Consequences: An Anthology, ed. Misha Klein and Adrian McIntyre, University of California at Berkeley 2002.

September 11 Terrorism Sourcebook, Vols. 1&2, assembled for student use by Dr. Deborah Louis, Carroll Community College 2001-2.

Emergency Response to Terrorism, Basic Concepts: Fire and EMS, training manual currently being used by Carroll County emergency services, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 2002.

The Common Courage Reader: Essays for an Informed Democracy, ed. Kevin Griffith, Common Courage Press 2000.

The New Jackals: Ramzi Yousef, Osama Bin Laden and the Future of Terrorism, Simon Reeve, Northwestern University Press 1999.

Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century, Cindy Combs, Prentice-Hall 1999.

Insurgency and Terrorism: Inside Modern Revolutionary Warfare, Bard O'Neill, Brasseys, Inc. 1990.

Rogue States: The Rule of Force in World Affairs, Noam Chomsky, South End Press 2000.

In addition, the web page for this class provides links to a variety of internet resources related to 9/11, the unfolding "war on terrorism," and specific subtopics addressed in the course (access through Learning Resource Center site).

Course Overview:
Within the cultural context of the "Western World" this course will examine the short and long term changes in the social behavior arising from acts of social terrorism. Attention will first focus on a comparative of the utility of different definitions of terrorism. The course will examine profiles of terrorists within a historical and social psychiatry perspective. With this general information as a foundation attention will turn to critical examination of current theories of terrorism. The last major task of the course is to study the current antiterrorism policies of the U.S. and other Western Nations in conjunction with the latest antiterrorist technology in place to fight terrorism. Antiterrorism policies and technology will be studied to gain understanding of their potential for changing the social context of our culture at the individual, community, and institutional levels.

Readings:

Terrorism: An Introduction 3rd edition Jonathon R. White (ISBN 0534573312) Wadsworth

The New Jackals by Simon Reeve (ISBN 1555535097) Northeastern University Press

Origins of Terrorism Ed. Walter Reich (ISBN 09438758970) Woodrow Wilson Center Press

Political Paranoia by Robert Robins and Jerrold Post (ISBN 0300070276) Yale University Press

Reference:

Understanding Terrorism and Managing the Consequences by Paul Maniscalco and Hank Christen (ISBN 0-13-021229-6) Prentice Hall

Course Outline:

1. Introduction

2. Exploring the behavior of Terrorism

Read: Terrorism: An Introduction Chapters 1, 2, 3, 5, 8

3. The logic underlying political violence

Read: Origins of Terrorism Chapters 1, 2, 6

4. Terrorism and God

Read: Political Paranoia Chapter 6

Read: Terrorism: An Introduction Chapters 4, 10

5. Paranoia, Social Psychiatry, and Society

Read: Political Paranoia Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9

6. The Social Profile of Modern Day Terrorists

Read: The New Jackals Chapters 1-12

7. The State and Federal Governments Response to Terrorism

Read: Understanding Terrorism and Managing the Consequences Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5

8. The Sociological Consequences of Applied Knowledge

Read: Understanding Terrorism and Managing the Consequences Chapters 6, 7, 9, 10, 11

9. Terrorism and the Curtailment of Individual Freedoms and Privacy

Read: Terrorism: An Introduction 13, 14

Read: Origins of Terrorism 10, 11, 12, 13, 14

10. The Future Impact of Terrorism on Our Social Institutions

Read: Terrorism: An Introduction Chapters 15, 16, 17

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