Terrorism in Global Politics

Course code: IRS 383 - 683

Semester and year: Fall 2026

Day and time: Monday, 18:15-21:00

Instructor: Pamir Halimzai Sahill, Ph.D.

Instructor contact: pamir.halimzai@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Tuesdays 13:45-14:45 CET at Faculty Lounge/Teams. Students will need to email the instructor to arrange a consultation meeting.

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Advanced
Length	6 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), Informal Anarchist Federation (FIA), Antifa Ost, the Base, Free Yakutia Foundation and Hamas are designated as terrorists, but other militant groups are not. The course looks at and critically examines the Global War on Terror (GWoT), and counter-terrorism strategies, the roles of international military coalitions, international governmental organizations like the United Nations (UN), states, the European Union (EU) and institutions in combating terrorism and right-wing violent extremism. It particularly focuses on the history and reasons of terrorism, the notion of Islamic terror and different states’ roles in supporting terrorism to achieve their domestic and international political objectives.

Ever since the attacks of September 11, 2001 (widely known as the 9/11) 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. At the peak of the GWoT Richard Jackson and other scholars worked extensively on terrorism and political violence and aspired to develop another approach called Critical Terrorism Studies which is steadily developing and a peer-reviewed journal Critical Studies on 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 was terrorist as Ankara and Washington label 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 the acts of political violence, one 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. Similarly, why do some states support terrorism and how can states be punished for destabilizing other states and regions. This introductory course tries to find plausible answers for the noted and many other questions through seminar-style interactive lectures.

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 governmentalities, states, and organizations in combating or supporting terrorism; explore the history of terrorism and identify reasons of terrorism
• refine their research skills
• interpret and analyze relevant data

3.      Required Materials (The pdfs of all readings are available in the course site on MyLearning):

• Bigo, Didier, and Anastassia Tsoukala, eds. Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes after 9/11. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2008.
• Cronin, Audrey Kurth. “ISIS Is Not a Terrorist Group.” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2015.
• De Coster, Stanley, Yannick Veilleux-Lepage, Amarnath Amarasingam, and Tahir Abbas. “Uncovering the Bias and Prejudice in Reporting on Islamist and Non-Islamist Terrorist Attacks in British and US Newspapers.” Perspectives on Terrorism 18, no. 3 (2024): 24–50.
• Ditrych, Ondrej. Tracing the Discourses of Terrorism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
• Foucault, Michel. Security, Territory, Population. Edited by Michel Senellart, François Ewald, and Alessandro Fontana. Translated by Graham Burchell. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2009.
• Heath-Kelly, Charlotte, and Sadi Shanaah. The Politics of Preventing Violent Extremism: Liberal Democracy, Civil Society, and Countering Radicalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025.
• Jackson, Richard. “Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse.” Government and Opposition 42, no. 3 (2007): 394–426.
• Jackson, Richard. “The Study of Terrorism after 11 September 2001: Problems, Challenges and Future Developments.” Political Studies Review 7, no. 2 (2009): 171–84.
• Klausen, Jytte. “Tweeting the Jihad: Social Media Networks of Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 38, no. 1 (2015): 1–22.
• Koehler, Daniel. “Right Wing Extremism in Europe: Current Developments and Issues for the Future.” PRISM 6, no. 2 (2016): 84–105.
• Sahill, Pamir H. “Charlie Hebdo Attack: An Analysis of Consequences and the Role of Political Islam in the EU.” Jan Masaryk Review of International Studies 1, no. 1 (2017): 6–22.
• Sahill, Pamir H. “The Terror Speaks: Inside Pakistan’s Terrorism Discourse and National Action Plan.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 41, no. 4 (2018): 319–37.
• Sedgwick, Mark. “Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism.” Terrorism and Political Violence 16, no. 4 (2004): 795–814.
• Toros, Harmonie, and Luca Mavelli. “Collective Evil and Individual Pathology: The Depoliticization of Violence against Afghan Civilians.” International Politics 51, no. 4 (2014): 508–24.

Recommended Materials:

I have added some recommended readings to the Resources folder in MyLearning and will add more based on the topics discussed in the class and/or upon request.

4.      Teaching methodology

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

5.      Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
Session 1: August 31, 2026	Topic: Introduction Description: The first part of the session focusses on introducing the course, syllabus and elaborates on the 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. Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes after 9/11. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2008, 1-11 Assignments/deadlines: None
Session 2: September 07, 2026	Topic: Mapping the history of terrorism Description: Lecture. The first part of the session provides a brief history of terrorism as a political strategy/tactic, and the usage of the terminology and modes are explained in historical context. In the second part of the session research presentation topics will be discussed and finalized. Reading: Bigo, Didier, and Anastassia Tsoukala, eds. Terror, Insecurity and Liberty: Illiberal Practices of Liberal Regimes after 9/11. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2008, 1-11; Ditrych, Ondrej. Tracing the Discourses of Terrorism. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014, 1-8 and 30-39. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to the reading of the previous week. We will discuss topics for research presentations during the last 30 minutes of the session and finalize them. All students must come prepared with potential topics in their minds.
Session 3: September 14, 2026	Topic: The new (face of) terrorism Description: Lecture. A modern history of terrorism, 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 with the help of the required reading. Readings: Jackson, Richard. “Constructing Enemies: ‘Islamic Terrorism’ in Political and Academic Discourse.” Government and Opposition 42, no. 3 (2007): 394–426. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week. Students submit a maximum one-page outline about their chosen research presentation topic by Sunday, September 20, 23:59 (11:59 pm) CET. The outline should state the research question/puzzle, selected case(s), chosen theory/concept (if any) and the reason behind the choice, and provide between two to four scholarly sources intended to be used for the research. More information about the outline will be given during the last 15 minutes of the lecture.
Session 4: September 21, 2026	Topic: Why/how terrorist groups emerge? Description: Lecture. With the help of a multi- and inter-disciplinary approach, this session discusses 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 terrorism – that is marked by the rise of “religious fundamentalism” – with a specific focus on al-Qaeda. Reading: Sedgwick, Mark. “Al-Qaeda and the Nature of Religious Terrorism.” Terrorism and Political Violence 16, no. 4 (2004): 795–814. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week. Students prepare for the first in-class quiz that will be given on October 05, 2026.
September 28, 2026	Public Holiday.
Session 5: October 05, 2026	Topic: Global War on Terror (GWoT): new ways of fighting terror Description: Lecture. Through case studies the session explores how different countries began and continued the fight against terrorism after 9/11. The second part of the lecture will discuss the Taliban’s rise to power in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of the US-led international forces in 2021, their ideology and governance. The article in the reading assignment presents a critique of how terrorism has been studied in the post-9/11 period. This offers a contrasting perspective than the content of the lecture. Reading: Jackson, Richard. “The Study of Terrorism after 11 September 2001: Problems, Challenges and Future Developments.” Political Studies Review 7, no. 2 (2009): 171–84. Assignments/deadlines: Students will take the first quiz of the semester during the last 30 minutes of the session.
Session 6: October 12, 2026	Topic: The Islamic State: emergence, ideology, and its war Description: Lecture. The students will understand how the Islamic State emerged in Iraq and Syria, why it became popular and in how it successfully recruited educated people from the US and Europe. The session will give particular attention to the ideology of the Islamic State (and al-Qaeda), discuss Salafism and Wahhabism, and describe key ideological differences between the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Reading: Cronin, Audrey Kurth. “ISIS Is Not a Terrorist Group.” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2015. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week. Students prepare for the mid-term exam.
Session 7: October 19, 2026	Topic: Mid-term exam Description: Students take the mid-term exam. They must bring their laptops to the class. The mid-term will consist of two parts; the first of which will have MCQs and/or short answers and the second will have a one essay question (between 500-550 words). For more information, please refer to the detailed description of the assignment in section 7 of the syllabus. Assignments/deadlines: Students submit a maximum one-page outline explicitly stating their progress and already utilized sources for their research presentation. The outline should begin by stating the research question/puzzle, the case(s) chosen, the theory/concept used for the analysis (if any), and describe the progress made so far including providing a list of sources that have been consulted. The deadline is Sunday November 01, 2026 by 23:59/11:59 pm CET.
October 26- 30, 2026	Mid-term Break
Session 8: November 02, 2026	Topic: Critical Terrorism Studies Description: This lecture maps the evolution of the discourse on terrorism in historical context before critically scrutinizing it. In doing so it also tracks the development of Critical Terrorism Studies (CTS) as a subfield of Critical Security Studies (CSS). Then, with the help of concrete examples and case studies after 9/11 it shows how government and security agencies depoliticize militant organizations and how securitization strategies shrink space for fundamental liberties and rights. Reading: Toros, Harmonie, and Luca Mavelli. “Collective Evil and Individual Pathology: The Depoliticization of Violence against Afghan Civilians.” International Politics 51, no. 4 (2014): 508–24. Assignments/deadlines: Students work on preparing their presentations on topics approved during the third session of the course.
Session 9: November 09, 2026	Topic: Media and Terrorism: Who is the terrorist? Description: Lecture and discussion. The session will explore how the media react to militant attacks and similar incidents. The students will understand why media label some attacks as terrorist and some as massacre, mass-shooting and so on. While the lecture itself will explore the subject matter from a CTS perspective, the required reading, which provides valuable empirical evidence, will be discussed and analyzed with the students in the second part of the session. Reading: De Coster, Stanley, Yannick Veilleux-Lepage, Amarnath Amarasingam, and Tahir Abbas. “Uncovering the Bias and Prejudice in Reporting on Islamist and Non-Islamist Terrorist Attacks in British and US Newspapers.” Perspectives on Terrorism 18, no. 3 (2024): 24–50. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week.
Session 10: November 16, 2026 – Online Class via Teams	Topic: Terrorism goes viral: The Social Media Effect Description: Online Lecture. Students will understand how terrorist groups use social media and if social media is more for connectivity and networking but for recruitment as well. Students will discuss and analyze the required reading in the second part of the session. Reading: Klausen, Jytte. “Tweeting the Jihad: Social Media Networks of Western Foreign Fighters in Syria and Iraq.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 38, no. 1 (2015): 1–22. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week. Students submit their final presentations via MyLearning by Sunday November 22, 2026, 23:59/11:59 pm CET.
Session 11: November 23, 2026	Topic: Terrorism and Europe: right-wing political parties and the “threat” of political Islam Description: Lecture. The session explores pre and 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. In the second part of the session a typology of the right-wing violent extremist groups/movements will be offered. Reading: Koehler, Daniel. “Right Wing Extremism in Europe: Current Developments and Issues for the Future.” PRISM 6, no. 2 (2016): 84–105; 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 1, no. 1 (2017): 6–22. Assignments/deadlines: Q&A related to readings of the previous week. Students prepare for the final quiz that will be given on December 07, 2026.
Session 12: November 30, 2026	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? The second part of the lecture explores the role of the UN in combating terrorism and discusses challenges. Finally, an assessment of the US approach to fighting terrorism during the GWoT and the European Union’s (EU) countering violent right-wing extremism strategies will be offered. Reading: Heath-Kelly, Charlotte, and Sadi Shanaah. The Politics of Preventing Violent Extremism: Liberal Democracy, Civil Society, and Countering Radicalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2025, 1-50; Sahill, Pamir H. “The Terror Speaks: Inside Pakistan’s Terrorism Discourse and National Action Plan.” Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 41, no. 4 (2018): 319–37. Assignments/deadlines: Students who volunteered and/or were assigned earlier during the semester will present on December 07, 2026.
Session 13: December 07, 2026	Topic: Student Presentations and Discussion Description: In the first 30 minutes of the session students will take the final quiz of the semester. After that, the first batch of assigned students will present their research. Each presentation will be followed by Q&A and discussion. Assignments/deadlines: Individual student presentations.
Session 14: December 14, 2026	Topic: Student Presentations and Discussion Description: Student will present, and each presentation will be followed by Q&A and discussion. Assignments/deadlines: Individual student presentations.

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	42	30%	Explore concepts related to terrorism, and approaches to the study of political violence.	1
Mid-term Exam	45	25%	Theory-driven work, critical thinking; research-writing skills	1
Quizzes based on readings and lectures	23	15%	Understand, interpret data and use along with theories	1
Research Presentation	40	30%	Communicating ideas, presenting and public speaking	2
TOTAL	150	100%

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

7.      Detailed description of the assignments

Class 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. Sometimes students will be divided into groups to discuss the reading material.

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.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Being present and attentive Refraining from using phones refraining from using computers for non-class purposes Refraining from talking with individual students outside the bounds of the class discussion	15%
Actively engaging in the class discussion and offering critical insights. Demonstrating understanding concepts relevant to the subject-matter discussed in each session Asking questions when something is not understood	55%
Clearly communicating ideas Attempting to answer questions Refraining from talking off topic	30%
Total	100%

Mid-term 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 (at least 500-word long and must not exceed 550 words), having 30% weightage of the total marks. The exam session lasts for 120 minutes. After the allotted time, the exam will not be available.

The exam will be given online to all students via MyLearning on October 19, 2026, at 18:20 (6:20 pm) CET. All students must be present during the exam in the classroom and remote students will be taking it via Teams.

All students must be present during the exam in the classroom.

Students with approved remote status will be taking the exam via Teams with their cameras on throughout the session. The course instructor may also ask them to share their screen for the duration of the exam. Non-compliance with both conditions will automatically result in receiving failure for the assignment. 

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

If an on-site student cannot attend the exam due to a justified (and excused) reason, they will take it on campus on a different date, otherwise, they will receive an automatic failure for the assignment and will not be allowed to retake it.

Assessment breakdown

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

Quizzes:

Apart from discussing reading assignments each week, quizzes will be given to students from readings and lectures. The quizzes will be given in class on October 05 and December 07, 2026. These will be MCQs, and/or short answers, in written form. All quizzes will be given online via MyLearning.

All quizzes must be answered during the allotted 30 minutes time in class, at campus.

Students with approved remote status will be taking the quiz via Teams with their cameras on throughout the session. The course instructor may also ask them to share their screen for the duration of the exam. Non-compliance with both conditions will automatically result in receiving failure for the assignment. 

If an on-site student cannot attend the quiz due to a justified (and excused) reason, they will take it on campus on a different date, otherwise, they will receive an automatic failure for the assignment and will not be allowed to retake it.

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Understanding of theory and concepts	50%
Interpret and analyze data	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 case studies and provide a comparative and critical analysis.

Students will select a topic and discuss it with the course convener in the class by the end of the second week of the semester. They will be guided in choosing appropriate topics/case studies and assisted with sources. Off-site students with approved remote status can send their topics via email to the lecturer or discuss them during his consultation hour on Tuesday between 13:45 (1:45 pm) and 14:45 (2:45 pm) CET via Teams. Other time for a Teams meeting can also be arranged by appointment through email.

Students are required to submit a maximum one-page outline of the approved topic by Sunday, September 20, 23:59 (11:59 pm) CET. The outline should state the research question/puzzle, selected case(s), chosen theory/concept (if any) and the reason behind the choice, and provide between two to four scholarly sources intended to be used for the research. More information about the outline will be given during the last 15 minutes of the lecture on September 14.

Research progress will be discussed with the students every two weeks in class and their questions will be answered. They are required to submit the second one-page outline explicitly stating their progress and already utilized sources for their research presentation. The outline should begin by stating the research question/puzzle, the case(s) chosen, the theory/concept used for the analysis (if any), and describe the progress made so far including providing a list of sources that have been consulted. The deadline for the maximum one-page outline submission via MyLearning is Sunday November 01, 2026 by 23:59/11:59 pm CET.

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

Final presentations should be submitted via MyLearning by November 22, 2026, by 23:59/11:59 pm CET. Missing the deadline may result in failing the course.

Presentations should have proper structure by beginning with an introduction to the problem/case(s) discussed and outline the structure of the following sections. The introductory slide(s) must state the research question/puzzle 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 citations) and a reference list at the end. Wikipedia and Grokipedia are not proper academic sources. Students need to rely only on academic literature and credible media information sources for their presentations.

Students will present on December 07 and 14th. Each presentation will be followed by a Q&A-based discussion.

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 MyLearning 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 MyLearning. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of MyLearning.

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                                                 July 22, 2026.

Approved by and when: Dr. William Eddleston                                           July 26, 2026.