Homeland
Security and Emergency Preparedness 301 (POLI 367/CRJS 367)
Terrorism
Fall
3009
Bill
Newmann, L. Douglas Wilder
Office
Hours: 218 Scherer Hall: Tuesday
Phone:
Office: 828-8038
e-mail: wnewmann@vcu.edu
Newmann's
home page: www.people.vcu.edu/~wnewmann
with links to other Newmann syllabi and other fun stuff.
Introduction
We will start from the basics. What is terrorism? How
long has it been with us? Why do people become terrorists? The answers may be a
bit surprising. Watching the American media deal with the attacks has only
clouded the issue. Too many people have decided that they are experts in
international relations and terrorism because they saw the Trade Centers fall.
Terrorism has a long history going back at least to Jewish resistance against
Roman occupation of the
Once we have tried to define terrorism, we will
examine its long history. Then we will
look at a number of key issues:
·
State-sponsored
terrorism (
·
Al-Qaeda’s
strategy, organization, and recruitment policies
·
The
misconceptions regarding the relationship between Islam and terrorism. Islam is
a peaceful religion; terrorist organizations have political motives and pervert
the meaning of Islam to justify their violence and gather recruits from a candidate
pool of the poor, the criminal, the ignorant, and the lost.
·
The relationship
between poverty, authoritarian governments and terrorism
·
The relationship
between religion and terrorism
·
Domestic
terrorism in the
·
Terrorist use of
the internet
·
Counterterrorism
policies
·
The nightmare
scenarios of biological, chemical, nuclear, and ballistic missile attacks.
Of
course, the war on terrorism is not only an academic subject. We will be
discussing current events as they happen. So stay on top of the situation. Read
The New York Times or Washington Post for the best coverage on a
day by day basis and check out all the websites I have listed below to learn
more.
Links
that may be of interest
Links
to sources on Terrorism and
Homeland Security
Links
to sources on Biological
and Chemical weapons
Links
to sources on nuclear
weapons, ballistic missiles, and missile defense
Texts:
You
need to read them; you don't need to buy them. The books are available at the
Virginia Book Company on
·
Bruce Hoffman. Inside Terrorism. (
·
·
Jessica Stern. Terror in the Name of God. (
·
Gabriel
Weimann. Terror on the Internet (
- Daniel Byman. The
Five Front War (
If you
have any problems getting the readings for any reason, talk to me as soon as
possible so you don't get behind in the reading. A guideline for the readings:
I've tried to pick reading that are fair minded and balanced. There are too
many books and articles out there that border on hysteria on all these issues
and too many people who suddenly became terrorism experts on the afternoon of
September 11. I’ve picked books written by people who have been studying
terrorism long before September 11. That
doesn't mean that these books don't have a point of view. They do, but it is a
point of view based on knowledge and years of study and a point of view that is
reasoned and analytical. You do not have to agree with the authors. I may or
may not agree with them. The point is that you need to read critically. Don't
believe everything you read. Use your own logic and knowledge and insight to
decide what you think about the issues.
Grading
System: Grades will be determined
through the following:
|
August 27 |
5%
of the grade |
|
|
Exam
1 |
October
13 |
30%
of the grade |
|
Rough
Draft: November 3 Final
Draft: December 3 |
30%
of the grade |
|
|
Exam
2 |
December
8, 8:00 AM |
35
% of the grade |
How
do you calculate your grade? Use the percentages from the above table. So, if you
received the following grades, you would calculate your grades in the following
manner:
- Map quiz: 100, at 5% of the grade; that's 100
multiplied by .05 = 5.0
- Exam 1: 90, at 30% of the grade; that's 90
multiplied by .30 = 27.00
- Paper: 94, at 30% of the grade; that's 94
multiplied by .30 = 28.20
- Exam 2: 89 at 35% of the grade; that's 89
multiplied by .35 = 31.15
- To get the final grade, add up all the scores: 5
+ 27.0 + 28.2 + 31.15 = 91.35. Congratulations you got an A.
I give
you this very detailed formula for a number of reasons. You should never be
unaware of what your class average is. You can calculate it at any point in the
semester. If your grade is not what you'd like it to be, you should know, and
you should come see me about it. Do not come to me after Exam 3 and say that
you're having trouble in the class. It's too late at that point. But any time
in the semester that you feel you are having trouble, or not doing as well as
you feel you should, come talk to me. During my office hours and by appointment
I am happy to talk to you about the class
Grading
scale: I use a typical scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 55-69.
Borderline grades are considered in the following manner. If your grade is
69.5, 79.5, or 89.5, then you are a candidate for a round up to the higher
grade IF your grades have been going up during the semester. That means that if
you are borderline, but your third exam is lower than the previous exams (you
are between a B and C, but your third exam is a C), you will probably get the
lower grade. If you are between a B and C, but your third exam is a B, you will
probably get the B.
Oh
by the way: The withdrawal date is October 30
EXAMS
The exams will be short answer and essay. One week
before the exam I will place a review
sheet on line, linked to this syllabus, below this paragraph. This
review sheet should be used as your study guide for the exam. The review sheet
will include some terms that are from the readings only, so that you can go
back and review those items from the readings. Once you have the review sheet,
feel free to ask me questions about the terms. This is the best way to study
for the exam. If you understand the terms on the review sheet, you can define
each one and see how each one relates to the larger concepts and issues we've
discussed in class, you should do just fine on the exam. The exams will consist
of short answer/identifications and one essay. I will give more details on the
exams in class as we approach the first exam.
Executive
Summary paper
·
Follow the link for detailed
instructions. Read these instructions
now. Read them later. Read them again and again.
·
You will produce
a rough draft and a final draft of your one page executive summary.
·
Rough Draft Due:
November 3
·
Final Draft Due:
December 3: However, you may turn the final draft in earlier if you like.
·
Paper Topics will
be chosen in consultation with me. I will explain in class.
·
Both the rough
draft and the final paper must be turned in electronically. Please email the
paper to me. Do not use the Blackboard
digital dropbox.
You can attach the paper as a file, but you also must cut and paste the paper into the body of the email as well. You can give me a hard copy version also if
you like.
COURSE AND READING SCHEDULE
Week
1: August 20-21 Introduction to the Class
Hoffman,
Chapter 1
Week 2: August 24-28 Terrorism Basics: Definitions and History
Map Quiz: August
27, HSEP 301 Blank
Maps
Hoffman, Chapters 2, 3, and
5.
Week
3: August 31-September 4
The Modern Age of Terrorism
Wright, Prologue, Chapters
1-4
Week 4: Sept. 7-11 The
Political Context of Terrorism
Wright, Chapters 5-9
Week 5: September 14-18 Who Becomes a Terrorist and Why?
Wright, Chapters 10-16
Week 6:
September 21-25 Al-Qaeda:
Origins, Ideology, and Operations
Wright, Chapters 17-20
Week 7:
September 28-October 2 Religion and Terrorism
Stern, Introduction and
Chapters 1 and 2
Week 8: October 5-9 Domestic Terrorism in the
Stern, Chapters 3-6.
Week 9: October 12-16
Exam
Exam 1, October 13
Week 10: October 19-23 The
New Context
National
Security and Counterterrorism PPT
Hoffman, Chapters 5-8
Stern, Chapter 8
Week 11: October 26-30 War, Law Enforcement or Something Else?
Weimann, Introduction and
Chapters 1-3
Week 12: November 2-6 Coordinating the
Executive Summary Rough Draft due: November 3
Weimann, Chapter 4.
Counterterrorism
Policies (for reference)
Week 13: November 9-13 Building a Counterterrorism Strategy
Weimann, Chapter 5-7
Week 14: November 16-20 Worst Case Scenarios: CBRNE
Byman, Introduction and
Chapters 1-3
Week 15: November 23-27
Worst Case Scenarios: CBRNE continued
November 26: Thanksgiving: No Class; Watch Football
Byman, Chapters 4-6
Week 16: November 30-December 4 The Pivotal States
Executive Summary Final Draft Due: December 3
Byman, Chapters, 7-9
December 8
Exam 2,
same room; notice the time change
Where can you
find information on international affairs?
This is the
questions students always ask me: “Where do I find good information on
international affairs. I’m looking for something unbiased and something that
doesn’t always look at the world through American eyes (as in how do these
developments affect the
Here’s the short answer:
For day by day
coverage of events in the world:
BBC
News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/. On a day-by-day basis, no other news
organization covers the world as well. It
has separate pages for most regions, links to past stories, links to data
bases, all kinds of information that will get you up to speed on anything.
World News
Network: http://www.wnn.com/. This is a site which covers day-by-day events
by creating links to major news papers around the world. So if something is happening in
On a weekly
basis:
The Economist: www.economist.com.
This is a Britain-based weekly which covers world politics and world
business. There really is nothing else
like it in the comprehensive nature of its coverage. You can also buy it on the newsstand, but the
web is free. It covers world politics
very well.
Long Term Views
of Crisis and Conflict:
International
Crisis Group: www.crisisweb.org. This is the International Crisis Group, a
non-profit organization that studies, analyzes, and makes recommendations about
how to resolve various crises in the world.
There is nothing better for the in-depth examination of current world
events and the dilemmas of problem solving and peace making. It has reports (30-50 pages), briefings
(10-30), and a weekly briefing (Crisis Watch), which you can get on the web
site or sign up for e-mail delivery.
What to Know and Do To Be
Prepared for Emergencies at VCU
1. Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts
(http://www.vcu.edu/alert/notify).
Keep your information
up-to-date.
2. Know the safe evacuation route from each of your
classrooms.
Emergency evacuation routes are posted in
on-campus
classrooms.
3. Listen for and follow instructions from VCU or
other
designated authorities.
4. Know where to go for additional emergency
information
(http://www.vcu.edu/alert).
5. Know the emergency phone number for the VCU Police
(828-1234).
Report suspicious
activities and objects.