Terrorism Political Violence

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This class is a general introduction to the study of terrorism and political violence. The purpose of the course is to expose students to major theoretical debates and broad empirical patterns of terrorism and intrastate conflict. We will begin by examining what constitutes political violence and what motivates individuals to consider violence against each other. We will then discuss how individuals organize to protect their political interests and eventually move to violent tactics, such as terrorism. We will discuss the types of tactics used by violent groups as well as responses of the state. We will then move to the study of collapsed states, where problems of terrorism have grown to very large proportions. Finally, we will discuss the international implications of political violence as well as possibilities for conflict resolution.