PSY6452 - Psychology of Terrorism and Political Violence

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

1. Possess an understanding of theoretical explanations of terrorism and political violence.
2. Be capable of critically evaluating contemporary research on terrorism and political violence.
3. Possess an understanding of key psychological theories relating to individual and group engagement in and disengagement from terrorism
4. Be able to understand the reality of counter terrorism initiatives and the potential role of psychology in framing these initiatives.

Content:

Introduction: Defining Terrorism, The academic study of terrorism: Past & contemporary research, An introduction to terrorist movements, Understanding Terrorism: Individual explanations, Understanding Terrorism: Group explanations, Terrorism Human Rights & the Law, Victims of Terrorism, The Irish Republican Army, Terrorism: The Media & Propaganda, Weapons of Mass Destruction & the ‘New’ terrorism, Suicidal Terrorism, Right Wing Extremism, The Rise of Islamic Fundamentalism, Disengaging from Terrorism: Individual experiences, Terrorism and the Internet, Responding to Terrorism: Counter-terrorism & Anti-Terrorism.

Learning and Teaching Information:

This module will be taught in 20 x2 hour lecture sessions.
There will also be 2 x1 hour tutorial sessions per semester.
Time is allocated for an essay drop in session & module review session (as part of the 40 teaching hours).
There will be one guest lecture (2 hour session) organised for each semester (included as part of the 40 teaching hours)

Lecture
Contact Hours: 40
Number of Groups:1

Tutorial
Contact Hours: 4
Number of Groups: 20

Assessment:

001 Essay 2500 words (Sem 1) 50%
002 Unseen paper 2 hrs (Sem 2) 50%
003 Essay 1 x 2500 words (sem 1) 100%


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