POL 129 - Politics of Terrorism

1. Evaluate the objective and subjective criteria for defining terrorism
   1. Outline criteria for defining of terrorism
   2. Determine the difficulty reaching consensus on a global definition of terrorism
   3. Interpret the current state of the study of terrorism
   4. Construct an in-class definition of terrorism
2. Illustrate global historical examples of terrorism
   1. Identify ancient origins of terrorism
   2. Analyze the authoritarian roots of top down terror
   3. Examine the effectiveness of anarchic terrorism
   4. Discuss examples of national separatist terrorism 
3. Compare and contrast different models of domestic terrorism
   1. Outline early examples of domestic terrorism
   2. Evaluate Right Wing terrorism
   3. Analyze Left Wing terrorism
   4. Contrast single issue terrorism and what makes it different from other ideological terrorism
4. Assess various characteristics of terrorists
   1. Understand the importance religion can play terrorism
   2. Evaluate psychological components of an extremist personality
   3. Discuss sociological, cultural and personal reasons that shape terrorists
   4. Analyze the role gender plays in terrorism 
5. Assess the actions of extremist groups
   1. Dissect the goals, tactics and methodologies of terrorists groups
   2. Determine the different organizational structures of terrorism
   3. Explain how terrorists fund their attacks
6. Classify recent presidential counterterrorism and antiterrorism policies
   1. Analyze George Bush’s counterterrorism post-9/11
   2. Contrast how subsequent administrations’ policies have continued or changed strategy
   3. Contrast hard and soft power options of counterterrorism
   4. Critique the successes and failures of the Department of Homeland security, the Director of National Intelligence and the Intelligence Community
   5. Debate the proper balance between security, human rights and civil liberties.
7. Evaluate the way the government, the media and terrorism interact
   1. Explain the tactics used by the media to cover terrorism
   2. Discover the benefits and dangers associated with social media and terrorism
   3. Assess how the internet has become increasingly important in terrorist and counterterrorist operations
   4. Expand on potential future trends of technology and terrorism and counterterrorism 
8. Demonstrate effective communication and critical thinking skills through writing