Northern
Fall 2007 Dberna@niu.edu
815-991-5341 (home)
815-753-1022 (office)
Office Location: Zulauf 411
Whoever stands by a just cause
cannot possibly be called a terrorist.
We plan to eliminate the state of
– Yasser Arafat
A revolution is a struggle to the death between the
future and the past
– Fidel Castro
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will
make violent revolution inevitable
–President Kennedy
The question is what shall we do to enter the world
state? We need to force what our enemy
would not have. This force should be
superior to technology and weapons. Our
balancing force is the newly born and awakened Islam that is prepared to make
sacrifices throughout the world and our Islamic Republic will survive if it’s
backed by global force.
–
Ayatollah Khomeini (1989)
And he moved the tyranny and suppression
of freedom to his own country, and they called it the Patriot Act under the
disguise of fighting terrorism.
–Osama bin Laden
We knew that Bush is the enemy of
God, the enemy of Islam and Muslims.
– Abdel Aziz Rantisi
Course Description:
This course is an advanced seminar dealing with political violence; specifically looking at revolutions and terrorism. This course examines a wide range of topics in order to provide you with a deeper understanding of political violence. We will engage in a thoughtful and in-depth examination of the definitions, causes, and consequences of political violence, as well as consider the different means to countering political violence.
Revolutions are a major vehicle for change in the modern world. Revolutions are a challenge to the existing political, social, economic, and cultural system with the aim of redirecting or restructuring it. They occur when the legitimate means for effecting changes break down or function inadequately. They often involve the use or threat of violence against some or all aspects of the status quo. In this class we will explore revolutions and revolutionary violence in varying scales, in various regions, different nation-states, and evaluate their impact on both domestic institutions and the international community.
In the last ten years we have seen a significant surge in acts of terrorism. Today, terrorism plays a major role in international and domestic politics and affects each of us in varying degrees. It is imperative that we understand terrorism, the history of terrorism, the types of terrorism, the terrorist, his motivations, and the causes and consequences of terrorism. We will evaluate the domestic and international causes and effects of terrorism, state-sponsored terrorism, and suicide terrorism.
Grading:
5 short papers: 75%
Participation: 25%
Regular attendance is mandatory and will be taken at the beginning of each class. Any student arriving late to class after attendance is taken will be marked absent; there will be no exceptions. More than 2 absences will result in a five-point reduction on final grade for each additional absence. Please note that a significant number of absences will result in a failing course grade. The best way to perform well in this course is to attend and prepare for each class.
25% of your grade is participation. If you do not attend class then you cannot participate. For every class you miss you will loose a percentage of the 25% from your final grade.
Paper Requirements:
For each of the 5 papers, you are expected to critically
evaluate five of the semester’s readings.
Each weekly paper should be between 4-6 pages and consist of two
sections. First, a brief overview of a
single reading or several readings, here you are expected to sum-up the
author’s major arguments and findings.
Secondly, critically evaluate what you have read and you may be as
critical as you wish. You are encouraged
to use previous readings as a starting point for your criticism and you are
welcome to bring in ANY outside source. No student is allowed to hand in more than
one paper per week. This means that
if you wait until mid-April to start your papers you will run out of time.
Paper Requirements:
For each of the 7 papers, you are expected to critically evaluate seven of the semester’s weekly readings. Each weekly paper should be between 5-6 pages and consist of three sections. First, a brief overview of the week’s readings, here you are expected to sum-up the author’s major arguments, hypotheses, and findings. Secondly, critically evaluate what you have read; you may be as critical as you wish. Finally, you are expected to incorporate future and/or previous weeks into your paper. The following questions may help you to think of what to include in your papers:
1) What are the main hypotheses (or arguments) in the week’s reading(s)?
2) How does this week’s reading fit together (if there is more than one reading per week)?
3) How does the week’s readings relate to past readings?
4) What does this week’s reading add to the literature? Does it critique it?
5) What have you taken from the readings?
6) What are the implications of the topics covered in the readings?
7) According to the readings what are the causes of terrorism?
8) According to the readings what are the consequences of terrorism?
9) According to the readings why do the terrorists do what they do?
10) What are your critiques?
You are NOT allowed
to hand in more than one paper per week.
This means that if you wait until mid-April to start your papers you
will run out of time.
Guidelines on Grading Papers:
|
Grade |
Total Points |
|
A+ |
150 |
|
A |
140 |
|
A-/B+ |
120 |
|
B |
100 |
|
B-C+ |
80 |
|
C |
60 |
|
C-/D+ |
40 |
|
D |
30 |
Academic dishonesty on papers will not be tolerated and will result in an automatic F on the assignment without the opportunity to re-do or re-write the assignment for replacement credit.
Required Text(s):
Robert Pape. 2006. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide
Terrorism. ISBN: 0812973380
Levitt, Matthew. 2007. Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad. ISBN: 0300122586
Palmer-Harik, Judith. 2005. Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism. ISBN-10: 1845110242
Elaine Brown. 1992. A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story. ISBN-10: 0385471076
David Carter. 2004. Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution. ISBN: 0312342691
Walter Laqueur.
2004. Voices of Terror: Manifestos, Writings, and Manuals of al-Qaeda,
Hamas, and Other Terrorists from Around the World and Throughout the Ages.
ISBN: 1594290350
Raymond Ibrahim. 2007. The Al Qaeda Reader. ISBN: 0767922623
Jok Madut Jok. 2007.
Method of Teaching:
Instruction in this course
will follow a Socratic format. A
thorough exchange of ideas among students on various current events, weekly
readings or lecture topics is expected.
Student Learning
Objectives:
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Additional
Information:
Extra Credit: Under NO circumstances will extra credit assignments
be given to any student attempting to raise his/her final grade.
Students with Disabilities:
Plagiarism Policy: According to the NIU Undergraduate Catalogue
“Students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material
from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging
them. Students guilty of, or assisting others in, either cheating or plagiarism
on an assignment, quiz, or examination may receive a grade of F for the course
involved and may be suspended or dismissed from the university.” If you intentionally plagiarize on any paper
I will give you an F on that paper.
Religious Observance: If classes or assignments coincide and
conflict with your religious observance, please let me know ASAP so that you
can be accommodated.
Undergraduate
Writing Awards: The Department of Political Science will recognize,
on an annual basis, outstanding undergraduate papers written in conjunction
with 300-400 level political science courses or directed studies. Authors do
not have to be political science majors or have a particular class standing.
Winners are expected to attend the Department’s spring graduation ceremony
where they will receive a certificate and $50.00. Papers, which can be
submitted by students or faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a
department secretary by February 28th. All copies should have two
cover pages-one with the student’s name and one without the student’s name.
Only papers written in the previous calendar year can be considered for the
award.
Department
of Political Science Web Site: Undergraduates are strongly encouraged to
consult the Department of Political Science web site on a regular basis. This
up-to-date, central source of information will assist students in contacting
faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring
graduate study, researching career options, tracking department events, and
accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and activities.
To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu.
January 12:
Introduction to Class
Topic One: History of Terrorism
Walter Laqueur.
2004. Voices of Terror: Manifestos, Writings, and Manuals of al-Qaeda,
Hamas, and Other Terrorists from Around the World and Throughout the Ages.
ISBN: 1594290350
Tyranny:
pages 8-45
Terrorism
old and New: pages 50-94
Terrorism
in the Twentieth Century: pages 124-166
Interpretation
of Terrorism 170-203
The
Age of Small War: pages 210-230
Napoleon
and After: pages 236-281
Partisan
Warfare 1860-1928: pages 286-323
Socialism
and the Armed Struggle: pages 328-377
Topic Two: The Origins of Twenty-First
Century Terrorism
Walter Laqueur.
2004. Voices of Terror: Manifestos, Writings, and Manuals of al-Qaeda,
Hamas, and Other Terrorists from Around the World and Throughout the Ages.
ISBN: 1594290350
Guerrilla
Doctrine Today: pages 350-377
Terrorism
in the Muslim World: pages 388-447
Terrorism
– East, West, and South: pages 452-519
Topic Three: Suicide Terrorism and al-Qaeda
Robert Pape. 2006. Dying to Win: The Strategic Logic of Suicide
Terrorism. ISBN: 0812973380
John Bradley. 2005. Al-Qaeda and the House of Saud: Eternal Enemies or Secret Bedfellows. The Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Pages 139-152.
Raymond Ibrahim. 2007. The Al Qaeda Reader.
ISBN: 0767922623
Topic Five: Fundamentalist
Movements
Levitt, Matthew. 2007. Hamas: Politics, Charity, and Terrorism in the Service of Jihad. ISBN: 0300122586
Palmer-Harik, Judith. 2005. Hezbollah: The Changing Face of Terrorism. ISBN-10: 1845110242
Topic Six: Civil Wars
Jok Madut Jok.
2007.
Stephen Kinzer. 2007. Blood of Brothers: Life and War
in
Topic Seven: American
Political Violence
Elaine Brown. 1992. A Taste of Power: A
Black Woman's Story.
ISBN-10: 0385471076
David Carter. 2004. Stonewall: The Riots that Sparked the Gay Revolution. ISBN: 0-312-34269-1
Topic Eight: Miscellaneous
Audrey Kurth Cronin: 2002. “Behind
the Curve: Globalization and the International Terrorism” International Security. Pages 30-58. (Project Muse)