CRITICAL TERRORISM STUDIES - 2020/1

Module Overview

The module is concerned with understanding the source, practice, effect and response to terrorism in the modern world.  In particular, the objective is to provide students with a clearer understanding of how and why terrorism exists and how other political actors respond to it.

Module provider

Politics

Module Leader

GILLESPIE Ciaran (Politics)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

Indicative content includes:

Definitions of terrorism and the function of the label

• Terrorism, counter-terrorism immigration, ‘suspect communities’, xenophobia  and Islamophobia


• State and state-sponsored terrorism


• Causes of political violence and terror: the role of religion and ideology, radicalization, youth bulges, deprivation and marginalization


• How political violence and terror ends: socio-economic and political change, negotiation and coming out of terrorism


• Media representations, popular culture and the framing of public perceptions


• Counter-terrorism: legislative responses, and state measures: the ‘battle for hearts and minds’; effectiveness – the human rights perspectives and lessons learned?


• The War on Terror


• Gender, political violence and terror


• Critical approaches versus orthodox approaches

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate

Students are required to select their own essay titles and provide a title and an abstract for this prior to commencing essay writing. This requires them to engage with the course content and think through the topic they select at the beginning of the course. The seen exam is also provided at least two weeks in advance so students have an opportunity to review three topics in detail prior to the exam. Guidance is provided on model exam answers.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Essay of 2000 words


• Seen exam (2 hours)

Formative assessment and feedback

Students will receive written feedback and additional verbal feedback in meetings on their essay title and abstract, verbal feedback in seminars and one to one feedback at pre-arranged tutorial meetings on request. Lectures are interactive and feedback is provided there also. Writtten comments are provided on the actual essay and in feedback proformas and these returned to students prior to the seen exam.

Module aims

• Consolidate and develop students' knowledge of terrorism, seen through a critical lens.
• Enable students to explore a topical issue in a structured academic environment
• Introduce key literature to students.
• Use a wide variety of methods to illustrate both theoretical and practical dimensions of the relevant materials to students

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

Introduce students to a new topic, and provide room for student-led discussion of the topic.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• lecture 1x1


• seminar 1x11

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: POL3066

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.