POL 274 - Terrorism

FDR: SS2
Credits: 3
Planned Offering: Winter

May not be taken for credit by students who have taken POL 295 by the same course name. Counts toward the politics major’s global politics field requirement. Acts of terror are shocking by definition. They threaten the public’s sense of normalcy and stability. Therefore, in order to be successful, terrorism must seem novel, unpredictable and out of the ordinary. This is why each terrorist act perpetuates the idea that we have entered a new era, one more dangerous than what came before. However, terrorism itself is nothing new, nor is it the blight of anyone specific region or culture. This course studies terrorism as a historical and international phenomenon in order to determine its causes and to compare its impact in different contexts. Students try to answer questions such as: Is it possible generalize about the causes of terrorism? Has terrorism ever been successful as a strategy? What kind of solutions were historically effective in dealing with terrorism?

Zarakol.