Mar 28, 2024  
2021-2022 UMaine Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2021-2022 UMaine Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HTY 476 - History of Modern Terrorism


This course focuses on the historical study of terrorism and political violence.  Students will discuss the difference between state terror and terrorism perpetrated by non-state actors; however, the majority of the course material will focus on terrorism by the latter.  The course offers a case study approach to the history of political violence from antiquity to the modern Islamic Jihad of the twentieth century.  Each week students will explore the challenges and problems associated with conceptualizing terrorism through focusing on primary sources concerning key moments in the development of terrorism in a variety of historical contexts.  Students will be exposed to a wide variety of political science and historical works such as Nechaev’s revolutionary catechism and classic writings on terrorism by Robespierre, Trotsky, and Qutb.  In doing so, students will be provided with an opportunity to study the history of political violence in-depth and will be encouraged to conduct research on our own.  The course begins with the study of “Terror Tyrannicide in the Ancient World” followed by the “French Revolution” then moving on to “Globalization of Islamic Jihad” in the late-twentieth century.  Throughout the course, students will discuss both historical and social science approaches to the topic of terrorism, its political uses, ad reflect on how it has been represented in media and literature.

General Education Requirements: Cultural Diversity and International Perspectives

Course Typically Offered: Alternating Years

Credits: 3