Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2000 word report | 40% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 3,000 word essay | 60% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 2000 word report | 40% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 3,000 word essay, if essay element failed | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Critically discuss key concepts such as terrorism, radicalization, counter-terrorism and security in relation to the academic study of international relations.
2. Apply these concepts to in-depth historical and contemporary cases and empirical examples.
3. Demonstrate detailed knowledge and analysis of the main actors involved in efforts to tackle terrorism.
4. Critically analyse the strategies, tools and resources used by counter-terrorist actors and discuss the rationale behind each strategy.
5. Provide a detailed critique of the implications of different approaches to counter terrorism for civil liberties and human rights.
6. Utilise and apply specialist knowledge and critical analysis to produce a ‘policy report’ on a contemporary terrorism issue.
Brief description
The module explores and analyses the phenomenon of terrorism and efforts to tackle it at the local, national, regional and international level. It examines the academic and policy complexities in discussing terrorism using illustrative historical and contemporary examples to explore why terrorism is perceived as a threat to states and societies. Focusing on liberal democratic societies the module examines the range of approaches, actors, national international, and agencies, such as law enforcement, intelligence and the military, tackling the differing strategies of terrorist actors and suspects. It engages with a variety of forms of security provision and explores the strengths and weaknesses of various counter-terrorist options. The ethical and legal implications of those approaches to security are considered too.
Content
• Radicalisation & the ‘new’ terrorism
• Approaches to counter-terrorism
• Ethics, law and human rights in counter terrorism
• International counter terrorism responses
Aims
The proposed module explores and analyses state efforts to respond to terrorism and tackle radicalization, at the local, national, regional and international level. It therefore addresses a topic of great policy relevance. The module explores the various ways in which security authorities tackle the diverging strategies of terrorist actors and terrorist suspects. It engages with a variety of forms of security provision and explores the strengths and weaknesses of each counter-terrorist option. The module adds therefore to the Departmental provision in the areas of (counter-)terrorism, security and intelligence studies.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | Students will engage with statistics through an examination of government and or international organisations security spending data. |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing and how to present their arguments most effectively. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to best advantage. They will learn to be clear in their writing and speaking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. Seminars will be run in groups where oral discussion and presentations will form the main medium of teaching and the emphasis throughout the module will be on student participation and communication. This is facilitated by group-role play based on teams operating within and beyond the seminar environment. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context in which support and assistance is available from both the convener and fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their report and essay topics. Group work is integral to the seminars and provides opportunities for students to reflect individually and collectively on their performance. The need to contribute to the group discussions in seminars and to meet an assessment deadlines will focus students’ attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work in appropriate word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the internet, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources (such as Lexus-Nexus, Primo, Google Scholar etc). Students will also be expected to make use of the resources that will be available on the AberLearn Blackboard. Finally, they will learn to identify and navigate through appropriate official documentation online. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The discussions in particular will help to develop students’ verbal and presentation and team-working skills. Learning about the process of planning an essay and a report, framing the parameters of the projects, honing and developing the projects and seeing through to completion will contribute towards students’ portfolio of transferable skills. In particular, report writing is an essential transferable skill contributing to their employability profile |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one central goal of the module; the submission of an essay and a report will require that students develop independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The need to research and prepare seminar discussion points will also enable students to develop independent project skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | Students will be required to identify appropriate primary and secondary source information and to use them appropriately, understanding their relevant strengths and weaknesses. In particular, research for their policy reports will require careful gathering of data and information, the judicious use of such material in support of a particular set of recommendations. Using and analysing primary sources material will provide a particular set of information literacy skills. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: • Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module • Ability to evaluate competing perspectives • Demonstrate subject specific research techniques • Apply a range of methodologies to complex historical and political problems. |
| Team work | Seminars will consist in part of small group discussion and role-playing activities where students will be obliged to prepare, present and discuss as smaller groups the core issues related to seminar topics. Such class room debates and discussions are a vital component of the module learning experience. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6