Course Title

Terrorism in Global Politics

Course code: IRS 383 - 683

Semester and year: Summer 2025 - Intensive

Date and time:

2 June: 17:45-21:00

3 June: 9:00-13:00

4 June: 13:30-17:30

9 June: 13:00-18:00

10 June: 13:30-17:30

11 June: 13:30-17:30

16 June: 17:45-21:00

17 June: 13:30-17:30

18 June: 13:30-17:30

Instructor: Pamir Halimzai Sahill, Ph.D.

Instructor contact: pamir.halimzai@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Tuesdays and Wednesdays after class or on Thursdays at 12:30 pm CET on  via Teams on appointment. 

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Advanced
Length	3 weeks	Pre-requisite	Choose an item.
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	Bachelor and Master Elective

1.       Course Description

This course is designed in a way to enable the student to master the content of Terrorism in Global Politics and critically assess terrorism and terrorist groups through a comprehensive theoretical toolkit. The course accommodates positivist and post-positivist approaches equally and is suitable for both bachelor’s and master’s students. 

This course provides a broad understanding of what is terrorism, why groups like al Qaeda, the Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram are designated as terrorists, but other militant groups are not. The course looks at and critically examines counter-terrorism strategies, the global War on Terror (WoT) and the makeup of international military coalitions. The role of international organizations like the United Nations (UN), states and institutions as well as of the legal frameworks in combating terror is explored. The course particularly focuses on the history and reasons of terrorism, the notion of Islamic terror and different states’ role in supporting terrorism to achieve their domestic and international objectives.  

Why Terrorism in Global Politics?

Ever since the attacks of September 11 in the US, the phenomenon and language of terrorism have become a matter of intense public and academic debate. Terrorism Studies emerged and developed into a distinct sub-field of Security Studies in International Relations in the years following the US-led alliance’s invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Richard Jackson worked on terrorism and aspired to develop another approach called Critical Terrorism Studies which is in its infancy and a peer-reviewed journals Critical Studies in Terrorism is devoted to themes revolving the concepts, language, discourse, and phenomena labelled as terrorism. While terrorism always existed in the world, it is still an increasingly contested notion having no precise definition. The ambiguity around the term ‘terrorism’ is so intense that it makes us wonder whether to call the Taliban or ISIS militants terrorists or if the Kurd militant group fighting Turkey is terrorist as Ankara labels it? Similarly, an equally important question is, why some attacks in different countries are categorized as terrorist attacks while others are called assaults, massacres, shootings etc. Keeping in view acts of political violence, we can ask whether it is terrorism that threatens a state or its power or it rather consolidates and strengthens the constructed notions of state, sovereignty, borders and identities? Why do some states support terrorism and how can states be punished for destabilizing other states, regions? To find plausible answers for noted and many more questions, it is important to introduce and teach a special course because the field of Security Studies is immensely broad.

2.       Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• have enhanced knowledge of the content of Terrorism in Global Politics
• understand and efficiently utilize various theoretical approaches
• strengthen critical thinking/skills
• grasp the role of institutions, ‘governmentality’ in combating or supporting terrorism; explore the history and identify reasons of terrorism
• refine their research skills
• interpret and analyze relevant data

3.       Reading Material (The pdfs of all readings will be provided to students in the course site on NEO)

Books: 

1. Bigo, Didier and Anastassia Tsoukala eds. (2008), Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal practices of liberal regimes after 9/11 Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
2. Ditrych, Ondrej ,(2014), Tracing the Discourses of Terrorism. London: Palgrave Macmillan
3. Shahzad, Syed Saleem, (2011), Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond bin Laden and 9/11. 1st. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Articles:

i.                 Jackson, Richard. 2007. “Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse.” Government and Opposition 42 (3), pp. 394-426.

ii.                Jackson, Richard. 2006. “Genealogy, Ideology, and Counter-Terrorism: Writing Wars on Terrorism from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush Jr.” Studies in Language & Capitalism 1 (1), pp. 163-193. http://languageandcapitalism.info.

iii.               Jackson, Richard. 2009. “The Study of Terrorism after 11 September 2001: Problems, Challenges and Future Developments.” Political Studies Review 7 (2), pp. 171–184.

iv.              Cronin, Audrey Kurth, 2015, “ISIS is not a terrorist group,” Foreign Affairs, March/April Issue.

v.                Klausen, Jytte, Tweeting the Jihad: Social Media Networks of Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 38:1, pp. 1-22

vi.              Sahill, Pamir H., 2019, The U.S. War on Terror Discourse: Mapping Depoliticization and the Politics of Confinement in Afghanistan. Insight Turkey, 21(1), pp. 189-208,: https://www.insightturkey.com/author/pamir-h-sahill/the-us-war-on-terror-discourse-mapping-de-politicization-and-the-politics-of-confinement-in-afghanistan

vii.             Sahill, Pamir H., 2017, Charlie Hebdo Attack: an Analysis of Consequences and the Role of Political Islam in the EU, Jan Masaryk Review of International Studies, Vol. 1 (1), pp. 6-22.

viii.            Sedgwick, Mark, (2004) Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, 16 (4), pp. 795-814.

ix.              Toros, Harmonie, and Luca Mavelli. 2014. “Collective evil and individual pathology: The depoliticization of violence against Afghan Civilians.” International Politics (Macmillan Publishers Ltd.) 51 (4), pp. 508-524.

4.       Teaching methodology

• Seminar-style interactive lectures
• Research presentations
• Reading and discussion groups
• Exam
• Involving students into theory and data-driven research

5.       Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
June 02, 2025	Topic: Introduction Description: The first part of the session focusses on introducing the course, syllabus and delineating assignments during the semester. The second part defines and explains terrorism and sheds light on terrorism studies as a sub-field of security studies. Reading: Bigo, Didier and Anastassia Tsoukala eds. (2008), Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal practices of liberal regimes after 9/11 Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Pp. 1-11 Assignments/deadlines: Students begin thinking about choosing presentation topics/cases/themes.
June 03, 2025	Topic: Mapping the history of terrorism Description: Lecture. A brief history of terrorism, its terminology and modes are explained in historical context. Reading: Bigo, Didier and Anastassia Tsoukala eds. (2008), Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal practices of liberal regimes after 9/11 Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. Pp. 1-11; Ditrych, Ondrej. 2014. Tracing the Discourses of Terrorism. London: Palgrave Macmillan; pp. 1-8 and 30-39. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Students choose presentation topics.
June 04, 2025	Topic: The new (face of) terrorism Description: Lecture. A modern history of terrorism and militant groups, its forms and manifestations and a discussion about 9/11 and the new terror. The second part of the session will focus on the exploration of the word/term ‘Islamic’ in the terrorism. Readings: Jackson, Richard. 2007. “Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse.” Government and Opposition 42 (3), pp. 394-426.; Optional but recommended: Shahzad, Syed Saleem. 2011. Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban: Beyond bin Laden and 9/11. 1st. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter: 1. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Students begin preparing presentations.
June 09, 2025	Topic: Why/how terrorists are formed and how terrorist groups emerge? Description: Lecture. With the help of a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, discuss how people are radicalized and how groups emerge. The second part of the session will be based on the reading to discuss the so-called “fourth wave” of religious terrorism. Reading: Sedgwick, Mark, (2004) Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, 16 (4), pp. 795-814 Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Student presentations.
June 10, 2025	Topic: Global War on Terror and the rise and fall of the Islamic State Description: Lecture. Through case studies the lecture explores how different countries began and continued the fight against terrorism after 9/11. Additionally, students will understand how the Islamic State emerged in Iraq and Syria, why it became popular and in what way it recruited educated people from the US and Europe. Reading: Cronin, Audrey Kurth, 2015, “ISIS is not a terrorist group,” Foreign Affairs, March/April Issue; Sahill, Pamir H., 2019, The U.S. War on Terror Discourse: Mapping Depoliticization and the Politics of Confinement in Afghanistan. Insight Turkey, 21(1), pp. 189-208, URL: https://www.insightturkey.com/author/pamir-h-sahill/the-us-war-on-terror-discourse-mapping-de-politicization-and-the-politics-of-confinement-in-afghanistan Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Student presentations.
June 11, 2025	Topic: Terrorism goes viral: The Social and Conventional Media effect Description: Lecture and discussion. The students will explore, how media react to a militant attack and alike incidents. The students will understand why media label some attacks as terrorist and some as massacre, mass-shooting and so on. Students will understand how terrorist groups use social media and if social media is more for connectivity and networking but for recruitment as well.  Reading: Klausen, Jytte, Tweeting the Jihad: Social Media Networks of Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 38:1, pp. 1-22. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading.  Student presentations.
June 16, 2025	Topic: Terrorism and Europe: right-wing political parties and the “threat” of political Islam Description: Lecture. The session explores post-9/11 terrorism incidents in Europe, the rise of right-wing political parties and their narratives of seeing migrants and Muslims as a threat to European societies. The lecture delineates if political Islam really constitutes a threat to Europe. Reading: Sahill, Pamir H., (2017). Charlie Hebdo Attack: an Analysis of Consequences and the Role of Political Islam in the EU, Jan Masaryk Review of International Studies, Vol. 1 (1), pp. 6-22. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Student Presentations.
June 17, 2025	Topic: Critical Terrorism Studies Description: This lecture explores and critically scrutinizes the discourse and practice on terrorism, how government and security agencies depoliticize militant organizations and how securitization strategies shrink liberal space.  Reading: Toros, Harmonie, and Luca Mavelli. 2014. “Collective evil and individual pathology: The depoliticization of violence against Afghan Civilians.” International Politics (Macmillan Publishers Ltd.) 51 (4): 508-524; Jackson, Richard. 2009. “The Study of Terrorism after 11 September 2001: Problems, Challenges and Future Developments.” Political Studies Review 7 (2), pp. 171–184. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A/group discussion related to reading. Student presentations.
June 18, 2025	Topic: Counter-terrorism strategies: Intelligence, incarceration, and disciplining Description: Lecture. Students will understand how is intelligence gathered in post 9/11 world, in what way security agencies monitor suspects and how are they arrested, incarcerated, and corrected?  Reading: Jackson, Richard. 2006. “Genealogy, Ideology, and Counter-Terrorism: Writing Wars on Terrorism from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush Jr.” Studies in Language & Capitalism 1 (1), pp. 163-193. http://languageandcapitalism.info  Assignments/deadlines: Student presentations. Students prepare for the final exam.
June 19, 2025	Final Exam

6.       Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment	Workload (average)	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Attendance and Class Participation	40	30%	Explore concepts	1
Final Exam	45	35%	Theory/concepts-driven work, critical thinking; research-writing skills	1
Research Presentation	45	35%	Communicating ideas, presenting and public speaking	2
TOTAL	130	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7.       Detailed description of the assignments

Class Participation:

Attending and participating in class is one of the best ways to gain an understanding of the course topic and material. Participation is premised on having read the assignments for that particular day and actively engaging in the class discussion. 

Participation does not mean speaking for the sake of speaking, asking questions that are off topic, criticizing another person for not understanding something, carrying on a private conversation with another student. Participation does mean contributing thoughtfully to the conversation or debate, asking questions if something is not understood, honestly attempting to answer a question even if you are not sure you are correct. 

The student’s grade will be based on the quantity and quality of participation. 

All students are required to complete the reading assignments and also go through the slides of lectures that will be uploaded to the Lectures folder after the end of each session. Both in-class and remotely learning students will read the assigned material and participate in the discussion during the lecture. All students will be required to proactively discuss the readings during the second part of the lectures. Students will be divided in groups for the readings-related discussion. 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Understanding of the concepts	50%
Critical insights	25%
Communication of the ideas	25%
Total	100%

 

Final Exam:

There is a mid-term exam that will include questions from lectures and readings. The exam will have two parts. The first, worth 70% amount, will have multiple choice questions (MCQs) and/or short answers, and the second part will be comprised of one essay question, having 30% weightage of the total marks. The exam session lasts for three hours. After the allotted time, the exam will not be available. 

The exam will be given online to all students via NEO on June 19, 2025. All students must be present during the exam in the classroom and remote students will be taking it via Teams. 

All students must bring their laptops to the class so that they can access NEO. 

If an on-site student cannot attend the exam due to a justified reason, they will take it on a different date at the campus. 

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Theory-driven understanding of concepts	50%
Academic writing skills	25%
Critical Thinking	25%
Total	100%

 

Research Presentations:

Bachelor’s students will choose a topic/case related to terrorism and provide a detailed literature review and interpretation of the data used. Master’s students will choose at least two cases and provide a comparative and critical analysis. 

Students will choose a topic and discuss it with the course convener in the class by during the second and third sessions of the course. Students will be guided in choosing appropriate topics/case studies and assisted with sources. 

Presentations should begin with an introduction to the problem/case(s) discussed and outline the structure of the following sections clearly. The core of the presentation will include data/literature linked to the theoretical concepts learned during lectures leading to a reasonable conclusion. All presentation slides should use Chicago referencing style (i.e., in-text author-date system citations) and a reference list at the end. Wikipedia is not a SOURCE. Students need to rely on academic literature and credible media information sources for their presentations. 

Bachelor’s students will prepare a maximum 10-minute PowerPoint presentation. Master’s students will prepare a maximum 15-minute PowerPoint presentation. 

Students will begin presenting from the fourth session and will continue until the last session on June 18. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A-based discussion. Off-site students will present via Teams.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Understanding of theory and concepts	50%
Effective Communication	25%
Critical Thinking	25%
Total	100

8.       General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via NEO LMS or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through NEO LMS. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of NEO LMS.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, at AAU courses is default mandatory; however, it is not graded as such. (Grades may be impacted by missed assignments or lack of participation.) Still, students must attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are excused, they will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are not excused, they will receive a grade of “FW” (Failure to Withdraw). Students may also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (for example by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), and the student wishes to request that the absence be excused, the student should submit an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence to the Dean of Students within one week of the absence. Each student may excuse up to two sick days per term without any supporting documentation; however, an Absence Excuse Request Form must still be submitted for these instances. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form.

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus.

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the student’s Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the student will fail the exam or assignment and be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism obscures the authorship of a work or the degree of its originality. Students are expected to create and submit works of which they are the author. Plagiarism can apply to all works of authorship – verbal, audiovisual, visual, computer programs, etc. Examples are:

• Verbatim plagiarism: verbatim use of another’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source and designation as a verbatim quotation,
• Paraphrasing plagiarism: paraphrasing someone else’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source,
• Data plagiarism: use of other people’s data without proper acknowledgement of the source,
• False quotation: publishing a text that is not a verbatim quotation as a verbatim quotation,
• Fictious citation: quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to an incorrect or a non-existent work,
• Inaccurate citation: citing sources in such a way that they cannot be found and verified,
• Ghostwriting: commissioning work from others and passing it off as one’s own,
• Patchwriting: using someone else’s work or works (albeit with proper acknowledgement of sources and proper attribution) to such an extent that the output contains almost no original contribution,
• Self-plagiarism: unacknowledged reuse of one’s own work (or part of it) that has been produced or submitted as part of another course of study or that has been published in the past,
• Collaborative plagiarism: delivering the result of collective collaboration as one’s own individual output.

At minimum, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the student’s Dean. A mitigating circumstance may be the case of novice students, and the benefit of the doubt may be given if it is reasonable to assume that the small-scale plagiarism was the result of ignorance rather than intent. An aggravating circumstance in plagiarism is an act intended to make the plagiarism more difficult to detect. Such conduct includes, for example, the additional modification of individual words or phrases, the creation of typos, the use of machine translation tools or the creation of synonymous text, etc. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Intentional or repeated plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Tutoring Center

The use of artificial intelligence tools to search sources, to process, analyze and summarize data, and to provide suggestions or feedback in order to improve content, structure, or style, defined here as AI-assisted writing, is not in itself plagiarism. However, it is plagiarism if, as a result, it obscures the authorship of the work produced or the degree of its originality (see the examples above).

AAU acknowledges prudent and honest use of AI-assisted writing, that is, the use of AI for orientation, consultation, and practice is allowed. For some courses and assignments, however, the use of AI is counterproductive to learning outcomes; therefore, the course syllabus may prohibit AI assistance.

A work (text, image, video, sound, code, etc.) generated by artificial intelligence based on a mass of existing data, defined here as AI-generated work, is not considered a work of authorship. Therefore, if an AI-generated work (e.g. text) is part of the author’s work, it must be marked as AI-generated. Otherwise, it obscures the authorship and/or the degree of originality, and thus constitutes plagiarism. Unless explicitly permitted by the instructor, submission of AI-generated work is prohibited.

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, and to improve their academic writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities should contact the Dean of Students to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive.

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

9.       Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95 – 100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90 – 94
B+	87 – 89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83 – 86
B–	80 – 82
C+	77 – 79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73 – 76
C–	70 – 72
D+	65 – 69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
D	60 – 64
F	0 – 59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Prepared by and when: Dr. Pamir H. Sahill                                             May 31, 2025 (based on the Fall 2024 approved syllabus).