NEW COURSE NUMBER: PSY/SOC/POS/HIS 468

NEW COURSE TITLE: Terrorism and Insurgency

CAPSULE STATEMENT OF COURSE CONTENT FOR CATALOG:

This course examines the concepts of “terrorists” and “terrorism” in the context of contemporary events, and techniques of counter-terrorism which can be used by national and global governments to combat non-state actors.

DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT FOR COURSE SYLLABUS:

This course will examine the military and political behavior of actors other than nation states. The questions discussed in this class are of critical contemporary importance; terrorism and insurgency ("ISIS!!") currently dominate the headlines, and it seems almost certain that most near-future military opponents of the USA will be non-state players. The course will define what non-state actors are by unpacking the very separate concepts of "terrorist," "insurgent," "tribal fighter," and "militaman;" overview contemporary military conflicts (i.e. the Syrian War) involving non-state actors; discuss questions of practical utility (Does terrorism work? Were the founding fathers terrorists?); and examine the growth of non-state actors into states, which seems to be the ultimate goal of ISIS and Nusra. Finally and importantly, as most non-state actors are "bad" from our point of view, this course will extensively discuss techniques of counter-terrorism and ways in which national and global governments can combat actors other than states.

PREREQUISITES:

REQUIRED COURSE: ___ Yes X No

CREDITS: Number 3 Final Faculty Senate Approved Form as of 10/4/89