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SOCI-285 Sociology of Terrorism
Spring only
This course focuses on terrorism from a sociology perspective. Sociology is the study of human social interaction and structure in groups. Sociologists examine systematically the ways people behave and arrange themselves in groups. Why people behave and organize the ways they do. We tend to take the behavior and structure for granted, since we are part of the group, but our perspective is clouded by what we have been taught to believe. By systematically observing and analyzing both the group interactions and the group structures, sociologists can describe, explain, and interpret the group behavior patterns, and explain the influences of the social structure on that behavior. Sociology’s companion field, Anthropology, adds the critical dimension of culture to the understanding of human behavior. Sociology’s structure/functional, interaction, and critical theories have been very useful in understanding social issues, and have been very influential in deciding social policy issues: sometimes beneficially, sometimes not so well.
Sociology of Terrorism takes a deviance and social control approach to the concept, theories, structure, and control of terrorism. A concept of many meanings and applications, the first section of the course will examine the social construct of the concept, terrorism, from several social and cultural perspectives. The second component of the course will examine theories of terrorism from the traditional functional/structural, conflict, and interaction theories. The first is the theoretical approach normally applied by governments, the second is the classic argument used by terrorist groups, while the third theory focuses on the protagonists and the victims. Part three will focus on the current state of terrorism, and part four on the current debate about controlling terrorism. The method is lecture participation, and discussion. The last section will present expected future trends in terrorism.
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: SOCI-001
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