Adelphi University
SOCIOLOGY OF TERRORISM
0170/0171-342-001
Dr. Stephanie Lake
102A Blodgett Hall
lake@adelphi.edu
(516) 242-2300 (cell)
Online Course
Summer II 2022
OH: Wed. 4pm
(online) or by appt
This course is designed to give students an overview of the study of terrorism and its impact (economic,
political, and social-psychological) on the United States. The purpose of this course is to provide a broad view
of the definitions, histories, types, and theories of terrorism, with a special focus on sociological approaches.
In addition, we will be discussing the consequences of terrorism in terms of social responses (e.g., homeland
security), the economic and political costs of such responses (e.g., civil rights), and the possibility of preventing
terrorism and political violence in the future.
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND GOALS:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to
1. define and understand the basic concepts employed in the sociological study of terrorism
2. locate the major sources of data on trends and patterns in politically motivated crime
3. discuss the historical evolution of the term “terrorism” as well as theory developed to address it
4. articulate possible causes of politically motivated criminal behavior
5. assess the validity of various explanations of the causes of political crime
6. appreciate the role of criminological theory in the study of terrorism and other forms of political violence
7. articulate emerging, critical, and global versions of such theory
GENERAL EDUCATION GOALS:
In addition to the above objectives, the more general goals of this course are to provide the student with the
following tools to help develop his or her potential as a student and member of society:
1. development of analytical thinking capabilities through comparison and contrast, and in the application of
theories and concepts to social problems
2. enhancement of information literacy skills through assigned readings, discussions, examinations, paper
writing and other requirements involving data and the peer-reviewed literature
3. utilization of historical perspective which helps with student understanding of policy developments over time
4. improvement in understanding human behavior and decision-making through consideration of the impact
legal and social systems have on individuals
6. increased student awareness of cultural and multi-cultural issues through study of how social problems and
social movements are related to, and affect, minority groups
7. preparation for more advanced study in criminal justice/homeland security
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Capacity to describe the theoretical framework within which crime and deviance is defined and applied
to a wide range of socially harmful phenomena.
2. Ability to describe why the public view crime problems differently than do many criminologists.
3. Capacity to explain the cultural and structural origins of crime in society.
4. Capacity to explain the influence of race (as well as class and gender) on the history of crime policy.
5. Ability to explain the role of discretion and ambiguity in the criminal justice process and to explain the
interaction of these two components.
6. Ability to explain the conditions and influences that foster misconduct and the nature of potential
responses.
PRE-REQUISITE: 0170-100, 0613-108 or Permission of Instructor
MOODLE
This online course will make extensive use of Moodle, and so I expect you all to become familiar with how this
system works and to “check in” regularly (at least twice per week). In addition to announcements, reading and
related course material, including Power Point, will be posted on Moodle weekly. I will also post current event
and academic articles each week, as well as video, that I expect you to read/view. Please see the Moodle
Tutorial link if you have any questions about how the system operates: https://www.adelphi.edu/itservices/moodle/
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Mayer, Jane. 2009. The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on
American Ideals. Peng Rand. ISBN: 9780307456298
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks. 2011. The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (Official Edition) (Paperback). Norton.
ISBN: 9780393340136
Perliger, Arie. 2020. American Zealots: Inside Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism. Columbia University
Press. ISBN: 978-0231167116
Other books referenced throughout the course: (do not purchase these)
Loewen, James W. 2007. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got
Wrong (Paperback). S &S. ISBN: 9780743296281
Martin, Gus. 2021. Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies. 6th Edition. Sage. ISBN:
9781071814093
Martin, Gus. 2018. Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies. 5th Edition. Sage. ISBN:
9781544342931
Roy, Arundhati. 2003. War Talk. (Paperback). South End Press. ISBN: 9780896087248
Shenon, Philip. 2009. The Commission: What We Didn’t Know About 9/11 ( Reprint Edition). Twelve.
ISBN: 0446699519
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COURSE ORGANIZATION:
I assume the following: you complete all assigned reading and written assignments by the dates listed below;
you learn from courses that highlight a few points, pose questions, and probe ambiguities; you learn how to
think like a criminologist by actually doing criminological analysis; you become a better criminologist by
engaging others’ views; and you can do well in this course if you attend to all parts of it – readings, written
assignments and discussions.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
If you have a disability that may significantly impact your ability to carry out assigned coursework, please
contact the Student Access Office (SAO) at 516-877-3806 or send an email to sao@adelphi.edu. The staff will
review your concerns and determine, with you, appropriate and necessary accommodations. Please allow for a
reasonable time frame for requesting ASL Interpreters or Transcription Services."
HONOR CODE STATEMENT:
Students enrolled in this course are expected to abide by the Adelphi University Honor Code. The purpose of
the Honor Code is to protect the academic integrity of the University by encouraging consistent ethical behavior
in assigned coursework by students. Following is excerpted from the Student Honor Code:
The Code of Academic Honesty
The code of academic honesty prohibits behavior, which can broadly be described as lying, cheating, or
stealing. Violations of the code of academic honesty will include, but are not limited to, the following:
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5.
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Fabricating data or citations
Collaborating in areas prohibited by the professor
Unauthorized multiple submission of work
Sabotage of others’ work, including library vandalism or manipulation
Plagiarism: presenting any work as one’s own that is not one’s own
The creation of unfair advantage
The facilitation of dishonesty
Tampering with or falsifying records
Cheating on examinations through the use of written materials or giving or receiving help in any form.
TURNITIN:
Adelphi University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from
Internet resources. I reserve the right to request an electronic copy of any written assignment submitted in this
course for review through Turnitin.com. Please see Adelphi’s tips for students on preventing plagiarism and
student instructions for Turnitin.com for more information.
STUDENT COURSE EVALUATIONS:
During the last two weeks of the class, you will receive notification, via email and eCampus, that the course
evaluation is available for your input electronically. Availability will end at the start of the final examination
period. Your feedback is valuable and I encourage you to respond. Please be assured that your responses are
anonymous and the results will not be available to the instructor until after the end of the semester and therefore
after course grades have been submitted.
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REQUIREMENTS:
Reading Readings should be completed by the assigned dates. In discussions and assignments I will assume
that you are familiar with and can critically engage the material. Be prepared to identify central arguments
and critically evaluate them in writing.
Attendance and Participation This is an asynchronous online class, and thus “attendance” will be measured in
non-traditional ways. As designated on the syllabus and on Moodle, each week will have students reading and
responding to course material. Sometimes this will be in form of a discussion thread, where students submit
and react to each other’s ideas; other times it will involve more traditional writing assignments. In order to
keep everyone engaged, students MUST, at a minimum, log on to the class Moodle website and participate
twice per week. The quality of your participation in these discussion threads and assignments will contribute to
your final grade. Through the Moodle platform, you will have the opportunity to ask questions, make
comments, and share views - in effect, become actively involved in educating yourself.
Homework and Discussion Thread Assignments There will be multiple written homework assignments and
discussion threads announced on Moodle and through email. These assignments, taken together, will be worth
50% of your final grade.
Analytical Essays You will be required to write two analytical essays in this class, the first, a 5-7 page critical
essay (25%) on Jane Meyer’s The Dark Side, and the second, a 5-7 page essay on Arie Perliger’s American
Zealots (25%). The essay requirements are attached to the syllabus.
GRADING:
Homework Assignments
Discussion Threads
Analytical Essay #1
Analytical Essay #2
25%
25%
25%
25%
Late Policy Papers and other assignments are due on the dates assigned. Late papers will be penalized by a
third of a grade for each day late. If you anticipate having a problem completing an assignment you must
discuss and clear alternate arrangements in advance. I will grant extensions only if I hear a very compelling
reason (almost always not including computer malfunctions and never the demands of other courses) before the
due date.
Religious Observance If your religious commitments preclude you from completing course requirements as
scheduled, please see me beforehand so that we can make suitable accommodations.
Excessive absences I reserve the right to withdraw you from the class for excessive “absences” in this online
class (in other words, if I see that you never logged in).
Credit/no credit option: To receive credit under the ungraded option, you must turn in all assignments,
regularly attend discussion sections, and earn at least a “C” in the course.
Honor Commitment: I strongly hope that you share my commitment to the ideals of our Honor system. We
should all prize living in a community where we assume that everyone is honorable and trustworthy. I’ll do my
best to uphold these ideals and urge you to honor your commitment to neither cheat nor tolerate cheating by
others (and this includes plagiarism!).
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Electronic Communication: The course syllabus, powerpoint, assignments and announcements will be posted
on Moodle. I will use the mailing list function to make announcements, issue reminders, etc. You are
responsible to see that you are on the list, that I have your correct email address, and to check regularly for
messages.
Office Hours: Please take advantage of my “office hours”. Questions, comments, suggestions, and criticisms
are all welcome. This semester, my office hours will be online on Wednesday afternoons, but you can email me
any time.
Comportment: Because some of the course work involves students reading and reacting to the comments and
ideas of their fellow classmates, we need to set down some ground rules about online discourse. Please read all
submissions before responding (where possible) and address issues, concerns, and points made by your
classmates. Please be respectful in your responses. One of the skills we hope to develop in this class involves
productive discourse and responding to those with whom we do not necessarily agree. This can only happen if
we all agree to address each other with respect, and to listen to others’ points of view. That being said,
information literacy, empirical research and critical thinking skills are additional learning goals which are
highly valued in this class (and in academe at large). Fact and science-based analysis is how issues will be
presented and assignments assessed.
Use of Student Work: All teacher education programs in New York State undergo periodic reviews by
accreditation agencies and the stated education department. For these purposes samples of students’ work are
made available to those professionals conducting the review. Student anonymity is assured under these
circumstances. If you do not wish to have your work made available for these purposes, please let the professor
know before the start of the second class. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Finally!: Despite the formality of this syllabus, and the seriousness of course requirements, the instructor is
accessible and “cares.” I will gladly help any student with any problem, class-related or not. Problems?
Questions? Email, text or call: (516) 242-2300. Welcome!
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Assignments due on:
July 6
Read Syllabus, make sure you have access to the Meta course on Moodle
(CRJ.Soc 342), note due dates here, order/get books!
July 7
HW #1 due Thursday, July 7th midnight
July 8
Sociological Imagination and Social Construction of Reality; Information
Literacy and Critical Thinking
Read: Power Point #1
Discussion Thread participation (instructions will be posted on 6th)
July 11
The nature of terrorism (critical thinking, part 2)
Read: “Finding a Place for 9/11 in American History”; “Straight Talk on
Terrorism”
Discussion Thread participation
July 15
Defining Terrorism
Read: Martin, Ch. 1; Article: “CIA-trained ‘terrorist’ in US Court”
Watch: “Fog of War”
HW #2 due
July 18
Historical Perspectives and Ideological Origins
Read: Martin, Ch. 2 (F and G)
Discussion Thread participation
July 20
Causes of Terrorism
Begin reading 9/11 Commission Report
July 22
International Terrorism, 9/11 and the War on Terror
Read: 9/11 Commission Report
July 25
Panic, Blame, and the Culture of Fear
Finish: 9/11 Commission Report
Read: Mayer, chs. 1-4
HW #3 due
July 27
Torture and the War on American Ideals
Read: Mayer, chs. 5-8
Discussion Thread participation
August 29
Blowback
Read: Mayer, chs 9-12
August 1
Analytical Essay on The Dark Side due
August 2
Domestic Terrorism
Read: Perliger (chs 1-3)
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August 3
Far Right Violence in the US
Read: Perliger (chs 4-6)
Discussion Thread participation
August 5
Read: Perliger (chs 7-8)
August 9
American Zealots Analytical Essay due
Homework and Discussion Thread participation (all homework assignments and discussion threads will
be listed on Moodle and emailed out to all students)
Homework should be typed, double spaced, proofread for errors, and uploaded to Moodle. For discussion
threads, make sure to read/watch any and all attendant articles/film/video assigned and scroll through your
classmates’ comments, responding where appropriate. Discussion thread responses are added directly into the
thread.
Analytical Essays
Due: Monday, August 1, by midnight (The Dark Side)
Tuesday, August 9, by midnight (American Zealots)
In these assignments you are required to write a 5-7 page critical essay on each of the following books, The
Dark Side by Jane Meyer and American Zealots by Arie Perliger. Essentially what this means is that you are to
1) read the book; 2) summarize the key ideas and theories posited by the author; 3) integrate knowledge
you’ve (hopefully) learned in class about the subject matter; (4) critique the author’s findings. A more detailed
explanation of each requirement follows.
1) Read the book. You must read the book in order to write a thorough and insightful essay.
2) Summarize the key ideas and theories (bulk of the paper). I suggest that before you begin, you read the
first chapters carefully and perhaps the Afterward/Conclusion. These pages often provide an overview of the
author’s thesis (main point) and highlight what you should be looking for as you read. I’m expecting to see
examples and ideas from the heart of the text to buttress the main points.
3) Integrate class knowledge. Using your homework assignments, reading/video material assigned,
powerpoint, etc. as a guide, how well do the author’s ideas fit into what you’ve learned about in class.
What concepts/terms/theories look familiar? Give examples from class of the author’s ideas.
4) Critique the book (½ -1 page). A “critique” in the social sciences is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s an
assessment of the author’s thesis(es), strategy in presenting ideas, research methods (how they came to their
conclusions), the validity of their findings, and, finally, style of writing. The first part of any critique should be
fairly objective, meaning “value neutral,” on the part of the reviewer (you). In this first part you are critiquing
the book as a social scientist. In the latter part of the critique you may reflect on the book as a lay person (non
social scientist). Here, you may offer your opinion as to the author’s style, findings, etc. What did you
like/dislike about the book? How might you have written it differently?
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Notes:
A. While this is meant as a guide in writing your review, you by no means have to follow the instructions
chronologically. In other words, #3 (integrating class knowledge) can be inserted throughout #’s 1 (the
summary) and 4 (the critique). It is simply a guide.
B. While content is paramount in this exercise, style does matter! In other words, SPELLCHECK,
GRAMMAR-CHECK, PROOFREAD!!!!!!! Please.
C. Plagiarism of ANY kind will not be tolerated. If I find that you’ve copied material from the book, review
of the book on Amazon, etc., or anything that even looks like plagiarism, you will receive an F for the
assignment. This is VERY SERIOUS! Professors now have at their disposal the software to detect plagiarism,
so PLEASE don’t take the chance. It’s not worth it. CITE EVERY DIRECT QUOTE
WITH AUTHOR AND PAGE NUMBER FROM SOURCE. DO SAME WITH STATISTICS OR OTHER
CITE-WORTHY MATERIAL!!! Make sure to include a Bibliography or Reference page at the end of each
essay listing all material used in writing the paper. Use ASA or APA reference format.
D. Feel free to email me with questions about the paper.
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