Never before in history could so few kill so many, so easily. While the essential nature of terrorism and its basic objectives have changed little for millennia, the effective of terrorism and its frequency have both increased dramatically in recent decades. The basic objective of terrorism is to spread fear, an ability greatly enhanced by modern media, making terrorism’s effectiveness exponentially more potent in our modern society.

Terrorism is a term of which we all have some degree of familiarly. It has received endless media attention over the past decade. Yet, for something so regularly in the news, terrorism in many ways remains a puzzle. What exactly is terrorism and how does one define it? Who are terrorists and what motivates terrorists to do what they do? How does a state respond to terrorism? What are the challenges in so doing? While there are no clear answers to these questions, the main objective to this course is to provide you with the information necessary to find your own explanations for these questions and more.

Most Recently Taught: Fall 2017

Syllabus