School of Security and Global Studies

Security Management Program

SCMT319
Global Terrorism
3 Credit Hours
8 Weeks

Prerequisite(s): All lower level general education and career planning

coursework necessary to develop research, writing, and critical
thinking skills.

Table of Contents
Instructor Information

Evaluation Procedures

Course Description

Grading Scale

Course Scope

Course Outline

Course Objectives

Policies

Course Delivery Method

Online Library

Course Resources

Selected Bibliography

Instructor Information
Instructor:
Bio:
Email: Please use the internal classroom messaging system (Messages). Click on my
name (not Instructor Role). Use your mycampus email (or Instructor Role in
Messages) for before and after class communication only.

Table of Contents
Course Description (Catalog)
This course examines various elements and aspects of International and Domestic
Terrorism. Students explore the cultural and ideological philosophies, as well as the
social, economic, political, and religious conditions of select states, groups, and
individuals that comprise the phenomena of terrorism. By examining the historical and
contemporary aspects of terrorism students develop a working knowledge of the current
Global War on Terror and are better prepared to comprehend terrorist motives and
ideologies. Topics include: History and Development, Types of Terrorism, Conventional
and Unconventional terrorist tactics, the Medias impact on terrorism including the US
Counterterrorism Policies. Particular attention is addressed to the Al-Qaeda terrorist
network.
Table of Contents
Course Scope
SCMT319 Global Terrorism is a comprehensive undergraduate course in terrorism
studies. It is an academic course suitable for both practitioners in the various anti and
counter-terrorism fields, but also those students who have no previous knowledge or
grounding in the study of terrorism. The syllabus is diverse and broad in range, and is
calculated to provide a solid knowledge of all topics related to the phenomenon of
terrorism. This is accomplished by standard Undergraduate learning methodology.
Primarily, the majority of the course amounts to the assimilation of basic facts and
concepts. To facilitate this, each individual aspect of terrorism is systematically isolated,
dissected and examined in turn.
Secondly, this assimilation of facts and concepts is supplemented by a more advanced
study method, which consists of examining differing and sometimes conflicting
perspectives and comparisons of terrorism. This secondary method is calculated to
stimulate analytical, comparative, critical, logic and integrative skills, in strict keeping
with Undergraduate study methodology. It is provided by appropriate assignments partly
involving published books on terrorism and a limited amount of guided and self-initiative
led research of given topics.
Table of Contents
Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:

Explain terrorism, the history of terrorism, and the dilemmas in defining of

terrorism.

Describe international terrorism and the problems concerning international

cooperation on counter-terrorism.

Summarize homegrown terrorism and difficulties in deterrence of terrorists.

Assess media coverage and challenges concerning media coverage of

terrorist attacks.

Analyze counter-terrorism and problems in defining counter-terrorism.

Examine terrorist tactics around the globe.

Appraise technology in relation to terrorism.

Explain women terrorists and issues concerning offensive and defensive counterterrorism actions.
Table of Contents

Course Delivery Method

This B.A. in Security Management course delivered via distance learning will enable
students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course
materials and access to an online learning management system will be made available to
each student. Responses to Discussion prompts (submitted for review by the Faculty
Member) are posted in Forums and are due every Friday of discussion weeks (weeks 1
3 and 5 7). Classmate (or instructor, if a follow-up question is asked) Discussion
Responses (2) are due the last day (Sunday) of each discussion week (weeks 1 3 and
5 7). Midterm and final examinations, respectively, are due by the last day (Sunday)
of week four and eight and available in these weeks under Tests & Quizzes. A
terrorism event research project is posted under Assignments and due on Sunday of
week seven. Assigned faculty will support the students throughout this eight-week
course.
Table of Contents

Course Resources
Required Course Textbooks

Ganor, B. (2005). The counter-terrorism puzzle: A guide for decision makers. New
Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers.
Mahan, S., Griset, P. L. & (2013). Terrorism in perspective (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE.
If you encounter difficulties locating, accessing or viewing the e-books for this
course, please contact [email protected] or 877-755-2787 x3800.

Websites
In addition to the required course texts the following public domain Websites are useful.
Please abide by the universitys academic honesty policy when using Internet sources as
well. Note Web site addresses are subject to change.
Site Name
ASIS International

Website URL/Address
www.asisonline.org

APA Style Guide

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
resource/560/01/
APA Video
http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/9pbUoNa
5tyY&hl=en_US&fs=1&
ASIS International
www.asisonline.org
Citation Builder
http://citationmachine.net/index2.php
Continuity Central
Grammar Aid
Department of Homeland
Security

http://www.continuitycentral.com/
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writ
cent/hypergrammar/grammar.html
http://www.dhs.gov/

International Organization of
Standards
Mentoring and Job Search Websites

National Association of Security

Companies
National Institute of Standards
and Technology

http://www.iso.org
http://intelligencecareers.com/blogs/
http://www.fedworld.gov/
http://www.csoonline.com/
http://www.clearancejobs.com/
http://usadefenseindustryjobs.com/
http://www.privatemilitary.org/
http://www.nasco.org
http://www.nist.gov/
Table of Contents

OTHER SOURCE MATERIALS: For your personal and professional interest, you
should be aware that there are many excellent academic, policy, and military journals that
publish current articles on terrorism and related subjects. Moreover, daily national and
international newspapers can be accessed (http://ThePaperboy.com) to offer timely
updates on breaking terrorism stories. Numerous websites on the internet also provide a
wide range of terrorism source data. For example, Janes Terrorism Watch Report
(http://intelweb.janes.com) monitors activities around the world, including organized
crime, rebel and militia groups, drug cartels, and individual terrorist profiles. For local
source material on domestic US hate groups and militias, see the Southern Poverty Law
Center website (www.splcenter.org).
Some of the journal literature expressly devoted to conflict and violence at the lower end
of the threat spectrum include:
Terrorism and Political Violence
Studies in Conflict and Terrorism
Small Wars & Insurgencies
Low Intensity Conflict & Law Enforcement
Counterterrorism & Security Reports
Journal of Counterterrorism & Security International
Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services Weekly
Other well-known periodical sources that often feature terrorism topics include:
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Policy
International Security
Armed Forces & Society
Defense and Security Analysis
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin
Homeland Defense Journal

Security Studies
Journal of Strategic Studies
Military Review
Parameters
Naval War College Review
Marine Corps Gazette
APUS On-line Library
Web Address: http://www.apus.edu/OnlineLibrary/departments/military_st.htm
Info: Access this reference library inside the e-Sakai class room.
APA 6th Ed, Writing Guidelines
Web Address: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
Info: This is the preferred reference for citing in APA style.
SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Microsoft Office 2003 or newer versions (MS Word, MS Excel, MS

PowerPoint)
Adobe Acrobat Reader (for PDF files)
To view streaming media and audio, individuals should have the following
installed on their machines (all are free downloads):

Real Audio
http://www.real.com

Windows Media Player

http://www.microsoft.com

Quick Time
http://www.apple.com/quicktime
Table of Contents

Evaluation Procedures
Grading is based on six responses to forum prompt responses; 12 classmate (or instructor,
if a follow-up question is asked) forum responses; untimed and open book midterm and
final examinations; and a research project.
FORUM DISCUSSIONS:
There will be six graded forum discussions during the course. Each forum will be
valued 10.42% of your course grade (62.5% of your course grade for all six forums).
However, the first required forum is an introduction posting due by Sunday of week
1. It requires you to introduce yourself to classmates, outlining your background and
class expectations in 250 words. Recall the university policy of posting 250 words

by Sunday of week one. Failure to do so will result in automatically being

withdrawn from the course.
You will post one response to the forum discussion prompt and a minimum of two
responses (more substantive responses for a superior score) to your classmates
(or instructor, if a follow-up question is asked) each discussion week (weeks 1 3
and 5 7). Single space only in forums. Importantly, to keep everyone on the same
sheet of music, post only during the current course week (do not post in
advance).
The response to each forum prompt must be a minimum of 500 words in
length (excluding the directions, questions, quotations, notes, or references).
Each of the required two responses to your classmates (or instructor) must be a
minimum of 200 words in length. Each forum discussion prompt response will be
valued at 70% your forum score and each classmate/instructor response will
count as 15% of your forum score (30% in total).
Forum Prompt Response/Classmate (instructor) Response General Information
and Scoring Details: Essentially, the excellence of your effort is considered when
grading your forum prompt responses and forum responses to classmates/instructor. It
is critical that you ensure your forum prompt and forum responses to
classmates/instructor are on time and meet the minimum lengths to avoid a loss of
points. Although there are length minimums, your score is predicated on the quality
of your thinking and writing - not the length of your writing. Excess verbiage is
usually a sign of poor editing and too few words are a sign of poor analysis. Forum
prompt responses must reflect some new or original information do not just reiterate
content or opinion posted by classmates. Lastly, write in three to seven sentence
paragraphs and avoid writing in outline form unless absolutely necessary (write in
essay/narrative form).
Your forum prompt response must reflect college-level comprehension, analysis,
discussion, application (where appropriate), and learning. To demonstrate college
writing, thoroughly discuss and relate your answers/responses in both source and
anecdotal language. Paraphrase, quote only when absolutely necessary, and provide
examples, differences/similarities, analogies, etc. Forum prompt responses and
responses to your classmates/instructor must reflect critical thinking skills (critical,
analytical, evaluative, etc.) not your ability to simply transfer verbatim text content
to the forum platform. You must strive to apply, demonstrate, illustrate, relate,
analyze, appraise, compare/contrast, criticize, deduce, debate, determine,
differentiate, distinguish, estimate, evaluate, examine, and/or predict in your forum
responses. Show you are able to synthesize and evaluate knowledge in a cogent
manner. This includes thoroughly explaining your positions/answers.
Properly formatted (per the APA) sources (via proper in-text citations and
references) are required for quality, learning, and scoring purposes. Specifically,
supplement/enhance your forum prompt response content (which is generally drawn

from the course textbook or directed sources), but outside sources (peer-reviewed
journals, trade publications, government reports, legitimate/credible websites, etc.) to
enhance your knowledge base are strongly encouraged. Use of the AMU Online
Library and Security Management/Course Library portal is highly encouraged.
Citation and Reference Style: This course requires students to use the citation and
reference style established in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association (sixth edition). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
A very good APA source is the The Owl at Purdue University:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/ There is also a comprehensive Web video on APA
sixth edition in general and how to format a formal research paper in APA sixth
edition in particular located at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pbUoNa5tyY
Sources from Wikipedia are not to be used, as they are academically
unreliable.
Penalties: Unless preapproved - in advance of the due date, each late forum
prompt response and classmate response will be penalized 10 points per day late.
Also, students who fail to respond to instructor or classmate questions are also subject
to 10 point scoring penalties. Lastly, those who do not include their reading and/or
outside sources within their primary forum posting are subject to 15 point penalties.
EXAMINATIONS:
The midterm (week four) and final (week eight) examinations are untimed open
book assessments. Each is valued at 12.5% of your final grade. The examinations will
be comprised of objective (multiple choice and true/false) and comprehensive essay
questions that cover selected sections of the textbook and additional assigned
readings.
Penalties: Late examinations will be penalized 10 points per day.
RESEARCH PROJECT:
A Terrorism Event Research Project is due in week seven and is valued at 12.5% of
your final grade. Project details can be found under Assignments.
Penalties: Late projects will be penalized 10 points per day.
Table of Contents
Grading Scale

The points earned on discussions, classmate/instructor responses, assessments, and the

field project will determine your final course grade on will be based on the following
grading table:
Grade Instruments
Forum Discussion Prompt Responses (6) &
Responses (2 per discussion week 12 in
total)
Midterm Examination
Terrorism Event Research Project
Final Examination
TOTAL

Points Possible
100/600

Course Weight
62.5%

100
100
100
100

12.5%
12.5%
12.5%
100%

When I Grade/Comment Note: It is university policy to grade all student work no later
than five days after the weeks closing date. Since all coursework is due on Sundays (with
the Friday night exception of Forum prompt responses), this means you will have your
weekly grades and comments posted by Friday of the following week your work was
due. For example, your week one scores and comments will be posted no later than
Friday of week two; week two posted by Friday of week three; and so on. Final grades
will be posted no later than seven days after the course closes (Sunday seven days after
the final Sunday of the course).
Please see the Student Handbook to reference the Universitys grading scale.
Table of Contents
8 Week Course Outline
Week
1

Topic(s)
What is
Terrorism,
History of
Terrorism, &
Dilemmas in
Defining the
Threat

Learning
Objectives
Explain
terrorism, the
history of
terrorism, and
the dilemmas
in defining of
terrorism.

Reading(s)
Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in
Perspective, Introduction and
Chapter 1 & 2
Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism
Puzzle, Preface & Chapter 1
Lesson 1 lecture notes located
inside Lessons tab (click on
LESSONS to access).

International
Terrorism &
Dilemmas
Concerning
International
Cooperation on
CounterTerrorism

Describe
international
terrorism and
the problems
concerning
international
cooperation on
counter-

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Perspective, Chapter 3
Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism
Puzzle, Chapter 10
Lecture notes, Lesson 2.

Assignments
Introduction:
Post to
Introduction Week 1 Forum
Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2):
Post to Week 1
Forum
Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2): Post to Week
2 Forum

Homegrown
Terrorism in the
U.S. & Dilemmas
in Deterrence of
Terrorists

terrorism.

Document inside Forum #2

folder.

Summarize
homegrown
terrorism and
difficulties in
deterrence of
terrorists.

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Perspective, Chapter 5
Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism
Puzzle, Chapter 3

Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2): Post to Week
3 Forum

Documents inside Forum #3

folder.
Lecture notes, Lesson 3.
4

Media Coverage
of Terrorism &
Dilemmas
Concerning
Media Coverage
of Terrorist
Attacks

Assess media
coverage and
challenges
concerning
media
coverage of
terrorist
attacks.

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Perspective, Chapter 6

Counter-terrorism
& Dilemmas in
Defining
Counter-terrorism

Analyze
counterterrorism and
dilemmas in
defining
counterterrorism.

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Perspective, Chapter 9

Midterm
Examination
Due Sunday

Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism

Puzzle, Chapter 8
Lecture notes, Lesson 4.

Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism

Puzzle, Chapter 2

Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2): Post to Week
5 Forum

Documents inside Forum #5

folder.
Lecture notes, Lesson 5.
.

Terrorist Tactics
Around the Globe

Examine
Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in
terrorist tactics Perspective, Chapter 4
around the
globe.
Documents inside Forum #6
folder.

Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2): Post to Week
6 Forum

Lecture notes, Lesson 6.

Technology &
Terrorism

Appraise
technology in
relation to
terrorism.

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Perspective, Chapter 8
Documents inside Forum #7
folder.
Lecture notes, Lesson 7.
.

Women Terrorists

Explain

Griset & Mahan, Terrorism in

Forum Prompt
& Responses
(2): Post to Week
7 Forum
Terrorism
Event Research
Project: Submit
via Assignments
Due Sunday
Final

& Dilemmas
Concerning
Offensive &
Defensive
Counter-terrorism
Actions

women
terrorists and
issues
concerning
offensive and
defensive
counterterrorism
actions.
.

Perspective, Chapter 7

Examination
Due Sunday

Ganor, The Counter-Terrorism

Puzzle, Chapter 5, Summary and
Conclusion
Optional Readings provided in
Additional Terrorism Readings
folder.
Lecture notes, Lesson 8.

Table of Contents
Policies
Please see the Student Handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to
frequently asked question about policies are listed below.
Drop/Withdrawal Policy
Plagiarism Policy
Extension Process and Policy
Disability Accommodations
Writing Expectations
All written submissions should be submitted in a font and page set-up that is readable and
neat. It is recommended that students try to adhere to a consistent format, which is
described below.

Typewritten in double-spaced format with a readable style and font and

submitted inside the electronic classroom (unless classroom access is not
possible and other arrangements have been approved by the professor).
Arial 11 or 12-point font or Times New Roman styles.
Page margins Top, Bottom, Left Side and Right Side = 1 inch, with reasonable
accommodation being made for special situations and online submission
variances.

Citation and Reference Style

Students will follow the APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written
work submitted as part of coursework to the University. Assignments completed in a
narrative essay or composition format must follow the citation style cited in the APA
Style.
Late Assignments

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to
complete the course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and
working professionals, I understand you must manage competing demands on your time.
Should you need additional time to complete an assignment, please contact me before the
due date so we can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution.
Netiquette
Online universities promote the advancement of knowledge through positive and
constructive debate both inside and outside the classroom. Forums on the Internet,
however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and flaming. Such activity
and the loss of good manners are not acceptable in a university setting basic academic
rules of good behavior and proper Netiquette must persist. Remember that you are in a
place for the rewards and excitement of learning which does not include descent to
personal attacks or student attempts to stifle the Forum of others.

Technology Limitations: While you should feel free to explore the full-range of
creative composition in your formal papers, keep e-mail layouts simple. The Sakai
classroom may not fully support MIME or HTML encoded messages, which
means that bold face, italics, underlining, and a variety of color-coding or other
visual effects will not translate in your e-mail messages.
Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and especially satire can
easily get lost or taken seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish
to add emoticons to help alert your readers: ;-), : ),

Disclaimer Statement
Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.
Table of Contents
Online Library
The Online Library is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic
campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals,
and Web resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available
through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Online Library provides access
to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your
studies. Questions can be directed to [email protected].

Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a
special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our
professors publication, and services to search and borrow research books and
articles from other libraries.

Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over
50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format.

Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals,

which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription
services.

Tutor.com: AMU and APU Civilian & Coast Guard students are eligible for 10
free hours of tutoring provided by APUS. Tutor.com connects you with a
professional tutor online 24/7 to provide help with assignments, studying, test
prep, resume writing, and more. Tutor.com is tutoring the way it was meant to be.
You get expert tutoring whenever you need help, and you work one-to-one with
your tutor in your online classroom on your specific problem until it is done.

Request a Library Guide for your course (http://apus.libguides.com/index.php)

The AMU/APU Library Guides provide access to collections of trusted sites on the
Open Web and licensed resources on the Deep Web. The following are specially
tailored for academic research at APUS:

Program Portals contain topical and methodological resources to help launch

general research in the degree program. To locate, search by department name,
or navigate by school.
Course Lib-Guides narrow the focus to relevant resources for the
corresponding course. To locate, search by class code (e.g., SOCI111), or class
name.

If a guide you need is not available yet, please email the APUS Library:
[email protected].
Table of Contents
Turnitin.com
Turnitin.com is a web-based plagiarism prevention application licensed, for campus
use, through the APUS Online Library. Your assignments will be automatically
submitted for review and requires no action on your part.
Turnitin.com analyzes electronic submissions of student writing, compares them to the
contents of a huge online database, and generates a customized Originality Report. The
database used to produce this analysis contains a massive collection of documents
available on the Internet from both free and commercial sources, as well as the full texts
of all other papers that have been previously submitted to Turnitin.com.
Similarity index is based on the amount of matching text to a submitted paper:
Blue =
Green =
Yellow =
Orange =

no matching text
one word to 24% matching
25 -49% matching text
50-74% matching text

Red =

75-100% matching text

Table of Contents