Introduction to Terrorism and Violent Extremism

The question of how best to prevent violent extremism is one that is frequently posed by criminologists, governments and the general public, with significant resources invested in the long and short-term pursuit of this crime typology. This introductory unit provides students with a foundational critical understanding of the phenomenon of terrorism and violent extremism. The unit will introduce key concepts and theories related to terrorism, counter terrorism and the history and logic of global violent political movements. Students who complete this unit can expect to have a strong understanding of terrorism as a phenomenon in preparation for further developing skills to counter terrorism and violent extremism.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Interrogate the phenomena of terrorism and violent extremism;
2. Analyse high level of subject-matter expertise for structured professional decision-making related to counter terrorism;
3. Apply effective academic writing skills in critical analysis of a phenomenon of terrorism and violent extremism;
4. Contextualise key concepts and theories related to the logic of global political violent movements.