Political Violence and Terrorism

Undergraduate / Graduate

Terrorism as a form of political violence remains in the headlines given the spread of deadly insurgencies, the increased threat posed by lone wolf terrorists, and the violent attacks of rival militant groups competing for power and recognition. This course is designed to introduce students to important theoretical and empirical puzzles, analytical approaches, and methods in terrorism studies. As such, we will cover a wide range of topics from the causes of terrorism to the characteristics, targets, and strategies of terrorist organizations, the motivations of suicide bombers, and states' responses to terrorism. Relying on case studies and quantitative data, we will explore and try to address questions such as: Why do some terrorist groups target indiscriminately, while others are more discriminate in their attacks? Why do some terrorist groups provide social services to their constituents when others do not? Why do some terrorist groups use women operatives while others mostly recruit men? Why do some counterterrorism policies succeed while others fail, and generate more terrorism? By the end of this class, students will be familiar with the prominent debates, competing explanations, and up-to-date scholarly research on terrorism, and be able to systematically analyze empirical puzzles regarding terrorism and political violence using different theoretical and methodological approaches.