POS 339: Political Violence and Terrorism
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Department of Political Science and Public Administration
POS 339: Political Violence and Terrorism
Fall 2012
Monday/Wednesday 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. David Faris
Office: AUD 757
Email: dfaris@roosevelt.edu
Office Phone: 312-322-7152
Cell Phone (Emergencies Only): 215-908-5221
Office Hours: Mondays, 1-2 p.m.; Tuesdays 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Course Description:
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, 19 men boarded 4 planes in Boston, Washington and Newark,
hijacked them and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania,
killing themselves and thousands of others in the most spectacular terrorist attack in world history. What
prompted these men to end their lives by carrying out these attacks? How and why did their organization, AlQaeda, form? Were the terrorists “nihilists” as many have claimed, or did the victims perish for some political
or theological goal, however far-fetched? Do Al-Qaeda and its offshoots represent a new form of political
violence, or are there clear connections to the deeds and strategies of past individuals and organizations?
These questions may sound routine, but they are enormously controversial, because scholars and
policymakers have been unable even to agree on a consensus definition of terrorism itself. In this course, we
will look at terrorism in a broader context, from ancient attackers to the more modern incarnation of global
terrorism that began in earnest in the 1960s. Together we will seek to define terrorism, understand its causes
and effects, and examine strategies designed to mitigate the threat. The goal of this course is to produce
discursive fluency in the international dialogue over terrorism – in other words, for you to be able to pick up an
academic or policy journal, and to be able to add your informed opinions and knowledge to an unfolding
debate. By the end of the course, you should be able to discuss various permutations of terrorism, to write
knowledgeably about a number of terrorist groups and acts throughout history, and crucially, to fit events
currently unfolding around the world into the framework that we will construct together in class.
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Required Texts:
The following required texts are available for purchase in the university bookstore.
1. Wright, Lawrence. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.
2. Chaliand, Gerard and Blin Arnaud eds., The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al-Qaeda.
3. Pape, Robert: Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism.
Other readings will be posted to Blackboard well in advance of class and will be marked on the syllabus by the
symbol {BB}. Readings can be found under “Syllabus and Readings,” alpha by author.
Attendance and Punctuality:
Because of the frequency of interactive activities and presentations, your presence in class is essential to the
creation and maintenance of a collaborative learning environment. Three absences are permitted, whatever
the reason. Any further absences will be subtracted on a percentage basis directly from your final grade,
unless excused by a note. We meet about 27 times, so for example, if you miss three classes beyond your 3
permitted absences, you will be docked 1/9 of your final grade – 11 total points. So if you scored an 87 in the
class but missed 6 classes, your total grade will be reduced to a 76. The following chart illustrates the penalties
associated with the number of skips:
1: no penalty
6: 11 points
11: 31 points
2: no penalty
7: 15 points
12: 35 points
3: no penalty
8: 19 points
13: 39 points
4: 3 points
9: 23 points
14: automatic failure
5: 7 points
10: 27 points
Students who arrive after roll is taken will receive half-credit for that day’s attendance; Students arriving more
than 15 minutes late are welcome to stay, but will receive no credit for that day’s attendance.
Crisis Policy
If you are experiencing difficulties with your health, personal life or any other crisis that is affecting your ability
to come to class and complete the work, it is imperative that you alert me as soon as possible. The best path is
to see someone at Roosevelt’s counseling center, who can then alert all your professors that you are having
trouble. I can work together with the counseling center to find an appropriate course of action to help you
make it through the class. It is not acceptable to approach me at the end of the semester to tell me you’ve
been having problems since August with the expectation that this will change your grade.
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Assignments
Midterm Examination: There will be one midterm exam, administered in-class on October 22nd.
Position Papers: Each student will write four 1,500-2,000 word position papers on specific questions as stated
in the syllabus.
Presentations: Each class period, groups will be assigned responsibility for making a presentation on a
particular topic (these topics are outlined in the syllabus below). That group will also be responsible for leading
a discussion of the material post-presentation.
Film Screenings +300 word responses: There are four mandatory evening film screenings, as outlined in the
syllabus. If you cannot make these screenings it is your responsibility to obtain the movies and watch them at
your leisure. You are required to write a 300-word response to each of these films by the end of the semester.
Grading
Note: I reserve the right to adjust grades on the margin based on a shared understanding of your
contribution to the group learning environment.
Position Paper #1
Position Paper #2
Position Paper #3:
Position Paper #4:
Midterm Examination:
Presentation/Participation:
Film responses:
10%
15%
15%
21%
25%
10%
4%
WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE – OCTOBER 29 (must submit drop/add form)
LATE WITHDRAWAL POLICY – Approval to be given primarily for non-academic reasons. It requires completion
of form, including statement and rationale for request, explanation of why it was not requested by the
deadline, documentation to support the claim, and finally, signatures from the instructor, chair, and dean.
Such signatures do not guarantee approval of the petition (it will then be reviewed by committee).
University Policy on Absence to Observe Religious Holidays:
Roosevelt University respects the rights of students to observe major religious holidays and will make
accommodations, upon request, for such observances. Students who wish to observe religious holidays must
inform their instructors in writing within the first two weeks of the semester of their intent to observe the
holiday so that alternative arrangements convenient to both students and faculty can be made at the earliest
opportunity. See the student handbook for further details.
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Class Schedule
Note: Readings are to completed before the class period for which they are assigned.
Weeks 1 -2: What Is Terrorism?
Friday, August 24th
Introduction, Course Outline, Expectations
Monday, August 27th
Read: Mueller, John. “Six Rather Unusual Propositions About Terrorism.” {BB}. U.S. Department of State:
Country Reports on Terrorism, 2011, Chapter 1: “Strategic Assessment.” {BB}
Wednesday, August 29th
No Class, Faris in The Big Easy for Political Science Conference
Monday, September 3rd
No class, Roosevelt closed for Labor Day
Wednesday, September 5th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion: What is Terrorism?
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapters 1-2
Week 3: The Long History of Terror
Monday, September 10th
In-Class: Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 3: “Zealots and Assassins”, Chapter 4 “Manifestations of Terror Throughout
the Ages and Chapter 5: “The Invention of Modern Terror.”
Wednesday, September 12th
In-class: Presentations (The Stern Gang)+ Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 6: “Anarchist Terrorists of the 19th Century”
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Week 4: Leftist Terror
Monday, September 17th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 8 “The Golden Age of Terrorism” and Chapter 10, “From 1968 to Radical
Islam”
DUE MONDAY 9/17 BY MIDNIGHT: POSITION PAPER #1
OPTION A: Is terrorism modern? Or is terrorism an ancient phenomenon whose methods have been
updated?
OPTION B: Does terrorism work?
Evening Film Screening, Monday September 17th: Film Screening: The Baader-Meinhof Complex
Wednesday, September 19th
In-Class: Presentations (Black September)+ Discussion
Read: Rouleau, Eric, “The Palestinian Quest.” Foreign Affairs, 1975 {BB}.
**Week 5: No Class Week 5: Faris in Abu Dhabi For Emirates Spy Conference**
Week 6: The Rise of Islamist Terror
Monday, October 1st
In-Class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 12: “The Roots of Islamic Radicalism”
Wednesday, October 3rd
In-class: Presentations (The Islamic Group) + Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 12: “The Roots of Islamic Radicalism”; Wright The Looming Tower pp. 3-37.
Paul Berman, “The Philosopher of Islamic Terror.” New York Times Magazine, March 23rd, 2003. {BB};
Week 7: Afghanistan and the Global Jihad
Monday, October 8th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion
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Read: Wright pp. 38-138;
Wednesday, October 10th
In-class: Presentations (Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence) + Discussion
Read: Michael Rubin, “Who Is Responsible For the Taliban?” Middle East Review of International Affairs,
March 2002. Chalmers Johnson: “The Best of TomDispatch: Chalmers Johnson, the CIA and Blowback.” The
Nation. {BB}.
Week 8: From the Near Enemy to the Far Enemy
Monday, October 15th
In-Class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 13: “Al-Qaeda”; Wright The Looming Tower pp. 139-268.
DUE MONDAY OCTOBER 15TH BY MIDNIGHT: POSITION PAPER #2:
OPTION A: Did the U.S. funding of mujahideen in Afghanistan contribute to the rise of Al-Qaeda, or was
something like it destined to arise anyway?
OPTION B: Could Western powers have averted the rise of terrorist groups like Islamic Jihad, The Islamic
Group and Al-Qaeda by pursuing different policies in the Middle East and North Africa?
Wednesday, October 17th
In-class: Presentations (The Taliban) + Discussion
Read: McDermott, Terry. “The Mastermind of 9/11.” The New Yorker, September 13th, 2010 {BB}.
Week 9: 9/11
Monday, October 22nd
In-class: MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Evening Film Screening, Monday October 22nd: The Hamburg Cell
Wednesday, October 24th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Wright pp. 269-375
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Week 10: 9/11 and the Aftermath
Monday, October 29th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Wright pp 376-finish; Chaliand and Blin Chapter 16: “The United States Confronting Terrorism”
Wednesday, October 31st
In-class: Presentations (Al-Qaeda in Iraq)+ Discussion
Read: Weaver, Mary Anne. “The Short, Violent Life of Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi.” The Atlantic, June 8, 2006 {BB}.
Evening Film Screening, Wednesday, October 31st: The Battle For Haditha
Week 11: The Rise of Suicide Terror
Monday, November 5th
In-class: Lecture (Palestine/Israel) + Discussion
Read: Margalit, Avashai. “The Suicide Bombers.” New York Review of Books, January 16th, 2003 {BB}. Hoffman,
Bruce. “The Logic of Suicide Terrorism.” The Atlantic, June 2003 {BB}.
Wednesday, November 7th
In-class: Presentations (Hamas) + discussion
Read: Pape, Dying To Win pp. 1-37.
Week 12: The Logic of Suicide Terror
Monday, November 12th
In-Class: Discussion
Read: Pape pp. 37-75
Evening Film Screening, Monday November 12th: Paradise Now
Wednesday, November 14th
In-class: Presentations (Tamil Tigers) + Discussion
Read: Pape pp. 126-167. Jon Lee Anderson, “Death of a Tiger.” The New Yorker, January 27th, 2011 {BB}.
Week 13: THANKSGIVING
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No class September 19th and 21st, Thanksgiving holiday
Week 14: Who Commits Terror?
Monday, November 26th
In-class: Lecture + Discussion
Read: Pape 171-234; Gausse, F. Gregory. “Can Democracy Stop Suicide Terrorism?” Foreign Affairs, Sept/Oct.
2005 {BB}.
DUE MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26TH AT MIDNIGHT: POSITION PAPER #3
OPTION A: IS THERE A DEFENSIBLE MORAL LOGIC TO SUICIDE TERRORISM?
OPTION B: CAN SUICIDE TERRORISM BE DETERRED?
Wednesday, November 28th
In class: Presentations (9/11 attackers) + Discussion
Read: Cloud, John. “Atta’s Odyssey.” Time, September 30th, 2001 {BB}. Stern, Jessica, “Mind Over Martyr.”
Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb 2010 {BB}.
Week 15: Terror Around the World
Monday, December 3rd
In-class: Lecture/Discussion
Read: Chaliand and Blin Chapter 17 “Terrorism in Southeast Asia”
Wednesday, December 5th
In-class: Presentations (Al-Shabab)/Semester Wrap
Read: Bruton, Bronwyn. “In the Quicksands of Somalia.” Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2009 {BB}.
Monday, December 10th
DUE MONDAY, DECEMBER 10TH BY MIDNIGHT: POSITION PAPER #4
OPTION A: HOW HAS THE RESPONSE OF GOVERNMENTS LIKE THE U.S., ISRAEL AND SRI LANKA
SUCCESSFULLY COMBATTED TERRORISM OR CONTRIBUTED TO ITS SPREAD?
OPTION B: IS TERROR THE RESULT OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC MARGINALIZATION? OR ARE ITS CAUSES
LOCATED OUTSIDE OF THE UNDERSTANDABLE SOCIAL WORLD?
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Important Notes:
*Students with disabilities may request special accommodations. Students must let me know within the first
week of class if this is the case, and they also must contact Nancy Litke in the Academic Success Center (312384-3810).
* You must purchase or acquire the books for this class.
*Students are required to abide by the University’s Code of Student Conduct. Students who plagiarize or cheat
will at minimum receive a zero for the assignment and will be referred to the university for disciplinary action.
*Cell phones, mp3 players and other personal electronic devices must be switched off during class. You may
use your laptop for note-taking, but students using their laptops for personal communication during class will
be asked to stop.
*You cannot eat lunch during class. You can bring snacks.
*Enrolling in this course constitutes acceptance of these policies. I reserve the right to alter policies and
scheduling on the syllabus and will give advance notice to students of any changes.
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