Course CRIM 4396 - 0I1 Topics in Criminology: Terrorism 1

Instructor Ryan Getty

Term August 20, 2009 to December 15, 2008
Meetings eLearning On-Line Class

Instructor’s Contact Information

Office Phone 972-883-4915 – not usually there
Other Phone 415-533-6200 (Cell)
Office Location GR 2.510
getty@utdallas.edu
Email Address
Office Hours Anytime by appointment
Other
To be disseminated in class / on-line
Information

General Course Information

Knowledge and proper usage of eLearning as well as some word

processor i.e MS Word, Works, WordPerfect, Open Office, but NOT
WordPad or Notepad. Work as “simple text” will not be accepted except
Pre-requisites, in the discussion area.
Co-requisites, & Any undergraduate student in the School of Economic, Political &
other restrictions Policy Sciences is welcome to enroll and encouraged to take the
class. Students from other schools who are interested in social
science are also welcome.

The main objective of this course is to examine the origins, nature,

and operational characteristics of terrorist groups around the
world. Students will be exposed to a wide range of topics ranging
from the definition of “terrorism” to the unique characteristics of
Course
terrorist cells in the United States and abroad. Historical and
Description
contemporary terrorist attacks will be explored within their
context. Students will also learn about the legal and operational
(counterterrorism) aspects of terrorism. The future of terrorism /
anti-terrorism will be explored.

Upon satisfactory completion of the course, students will be able to:

 Define what terrorism is and is not;

 Identify and distinguish between the various world-wide
terrorist groups;
 Summarize the various terrorist groups’ ideologies;
Learning
 Extrapolate upon the various terrorist groups goals and
Outcomes
objectives and therefore, predict possible targets;
 Describe and evaluate world-wide response(s) to
terrorist attacks with particular attention to U.S.
involvement;
 Identify and (re)organize counterterrorist elements
/agencies to prevent future terrorist attacks;
 Elaborate on the future of terrorism, given the past;
  Write essays using APA Style and formatting.

Required Texts:

Simonsen, C. E., & Spindlove, J. R. (2010). Terrorism today: The

past, the players, the future (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Prentice Hall.
Required Texts &
Materials Johnson Jr., W. A., Rettig, R. P., Scott, G. M., & Garrison, S. M.
(2008). The criminal justice student writer's manual (4th
ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

The 9/11 Commission Report (available on-line in pdf for free)

Online articles as assigned

Highly Suggested:

American Psychological Association (2010). Publication manual of

the American psychological association (6th ed.).
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (5th
ed. is MUCH harder to understand)

Combs, C. C. (2009). Terrorism in the 21st century (5th ed.). Upper

Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. (or 4th ed. if you want to
Suggested Texts, save money)
Readings, &
Materials Nacos, B. L. (2008). Terrorism and counterterrorism:
Understanding threats and responses in the post-9/11 world
(2nd ed.). NY: Pearson/Longman.

Internet: This class will use eLearning for all communications

and submissions. This will require you to activate your NetID if
you have not already. HAVE A RELIABLE AND AVAILABLE
INTERNET CONNECTION. eLearning is accessible at
http://elearning.utdallas.edu If you have difficulty, see
http://www.utdallas.edu/oee/distance/ or call the helpdesk at (972)
883-2911 See also “eLearning Course Website” below

Any reference(s) to “class” will be defined as on-line and/or on-line attendance.

The outline of assignments is provided below. The course will be on-line but may require you to
find items outside of the computer environment i.e. newspaper or magazine articles. The class units
will consist of a reading assignment, a “lecture” (PowerPoint – like) presentation, a discussion /
response area, and a quiz. There will also be a Midterm exam paper and a Final exam paper due.

Work for the unit will be due by the end of Monday of the second week. Example: for unit four,
the readings, posts and quiz must be completed by midnight on 11/3 to be counted on time. The
class begins the new unit’s exercises at 12:00:01 AM on 11/4. NO ONE CAN POST WRITTEN
ASSIGNMENTS AHEAD INTO THE NEXT UNIT, however, you may post within the discussions
or complete the quiz for that open unit in any order. (Also see “Late Work” and “Make-up Work”
below.)
Assignments & Academic Calendar (TENTATIVE – SUBJECT TO CHANGE – READ
“ANNOUNCEMENTS” AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY to be sure) Assignments and exams
have been listed below. These are tentative – any changes in dates and / or assignment(s), will be
announced on eLearning and / or through emails.

During the below two-week long units, it is highly advised to complete the readings early (the first
few days) so the rest of the assignments can be completed on time.

KEY: (S&S) is the Terrorism Today book, (CC) is the Terrorism in the 21st Century book and (N) is
the Nacos’ book, Terrorism and Counterterrorism.

Dates Tentative Course Schedule, Spring 2009

Face-to-face and / or Skype/Trillian “meeting” possible before /
Before Class
during the class
Introductions / Class Expectations / APA Style Paper
Unit 0 - 8/20 – 9/1
Overview Chap 1 (S&S); Chap 1 (CC); Chap. 1 (N)
Due 9/1 Midnight
“Practice post,” practice quiz due
Sept.4 Last day to drop with a “W”
Unit 1 – 9/2 – 9/15 History of Terrorism Chap 2 (S&S); Chaps. 3, 4 (CC); Chaps.
Due 9/15 Midnight 2,6 (N) Quiz Chap 2 (S&S)
Unit 2 – 9/16 – 9/29 Terrorism in the U.S., Canada & Caribbean Chaps. 3, 4 (S&S);
Due 9/29 Midnight Chap. 9 (CC); Chap. 4 (N); Quiz Chaps. 3, 4 (S&S)
Unit 3 – 9/30 – 10/13 Terrorism in G.B., N. Ireland and W. Europe Chaps. 5, 6 (S&S);
Due 10/13 Midnight Chap. 5 (CC); Chap. 7 (N); Quiz Chaps. 5, 6 (S&S)

Oct. 17 MIDTERM EXAM PAPER DUE by midnight 10/17

Oct. 22 Last day to drop with a WP/WF

Terrorism in E. Europe, N. Africa, Middle East, and the Persian

Unit 4 – 10/21 – 11/3
Gulf Chaps, 7, 8, 9 (S&S); Chaps. 6, 7 (CC); Chaps. 8, 9 (N);
Due 11/3 Midnight
Quiz Chaps. 7, 8, 9 (S&S)
Terrorism in Africa, Asia and S. America Chaps. 10, 11, 12, 13
Unit 5 – 11/4 – 11/17
(S&S); Chaps. 10, 11, 12, 13 (CC); Quiz Chaps. 10, 11, 12, 13
Due 11/17 Midnight
(S&S) (I will be in Philadelphia for ACS from Nov. 4 – 7)

The War on Terror Chaps. 14, 15 (S&S); 9/11 Report; Chaps.

Unit 6 – 11/18 – 12/1
14, 15 (CC); Chaps. 10 – 12, 16, 17 (N); Quiz Chaps. 14, 15
Due 12/1 Midnight
(S&S) and 9/11 Report

12/2 – 12/7 Finals preparation / (approved) “Make-up” Work

Exam Date
FINAL EXAM PAPER DUE by midnight 12/15
12/8 – 12/15

Course Policies
Grading
(credit) / Notice: The assignment / paper must be finished and submitted by
Course midnight on the day it is due because that application will close to you.
Requirements If you have a discussion or quiz box open and it becomes midnight, it
Criteria is likely you will lose your work or not be able to submit. Do not wait
until the last minute.

It is good advice to always do your draft of anything (ex. exam papers,

discussions/participation posts) in a word processor and then SAVE
(early and often to avoid losing work and having access to word count),
and then copy and paste into eLearning. In that way, you have a back-
up and a more powerful editor (than eLearning’s) as well as proof of
your work just in case. Electronics fail. Always have a back-up plan.

2 Exam Papers (worth 300 points each)

There will be 2 exam papers in this course; a Midterm

and a Final. The 1st exam will be worth 300 points or
roughly 12% of the final grade, the 2nd exam paper will
also be worth 300 points. The exams’ format and
procedure will be fully explained later but will likely be
3 to 4 pages, APA Style, and require a knowledge of all
the material covered in class prior to that date. The
“final” will cover all the material covered in class after
the midterm exam paper.

The dates noted on the syllabus for the exams are

tentative and are subject to change – any changes will be
announced in “class.”

The work must be done in an approved and acceptable

word processor program i.e. MS Word, Works,
WordPerfect, Open Office, NOT WordPad or Notepad.

Weekly Discussions / Participation (900 points; 6 x 150 per unit)

Students are required to post an answer to the discussion

question(s). It should be completed in APA style and
require citations from the text(s) and other sources in
order to defend / argue their position / assertion. It
should be free of grammatical and spelling errors. It
will be analytically graded for conception, thesis,
development and support, structuring and language just
as if it were a “paper” submission.
Minimum length is 250 words, single “main post”
(WORTH MAX. 100 POINTS IF POSTED BY
SUNDAY AT MIDNIGHT OF THE FIRST WEEK OF
THAT UNIT – MAX. 80 AFTER) and one 150 words
comment / retort post (worth max. 50 points). Please
start your Main Post with “Main Post” and your reply
post with “Reply post to (student[s] name) post” as well
as a word count at the end/any of EACH post. Short,
non-qualifying posts (to include texting-style) will count
as a zero and cannot be “made up.”
In order to be counted “present” for the week, you will
have to have completed either a quiz, a post, or the
 midterm/final by the end of the week. Weeks end at
midnight on each Monday. Units close as per the
Tentative Course Schedule.

Quizzes (500 points; 100 points per unit, 6 units, lowest

dropped and one “practice unit” – not officially graded)

Students will be required to take a unit quiz sometime

during that unit’s time frame. The quiz will be taken on-
line and consist of multiple choice and T/F questions.
No grade / answers will be released to the student until
all students have completed their quiz or the ending date.
There will be six (6) quizzes – one during each unit –
and the lowest quiz will be dropped. (The 1st “practice
quiz” does not count except as experience.) You will
have 1 – 1 ½ hours to complete the quiz, which may
vary depending on the quiz (instructor’s discretion). It is
obviously open book but do not be complacent. You
will not usually have enough time to look up each
answer – study and organize before quizzes.

Readings

Students are expected to complete all assigned readings

at the beginning of the unit (early in the first week) for
which the readings are assigned. This will provide
students with adequate background of the materials
covered as well as serve to facilitate students’
understanding and ability to ask questions and
participate in the class/discussion/posts as well as post
their “Main Post” before Sunday of the first week – for
maximum points.

Class Attendance

See “Weekly Discussions / Participation”

It is a good habit to complete the assignments within the

unit as soon as possible WITHOUT unnecessarily
hurrying or compromising any quality of work. This is
due to the fallible nature of on-line courses. Computers
crash, students get sick, relatives pass away, etc.

HAVE A PLAN B & C.

There will not be a certain time everyone will have to

be on-line. Budget your own time in order to aptly
complete the assignments.
 Grading Scale:

A+  2000 ‐1934 
A  1933 ‐1868 
A‐  1867 ‐1800 
B+  1799 ‐1734 
B  1733 ‐ 1668 
B‐  1667 ‐ 1600 
C+  1599 ‐ 1534 
C  1533 ‐ 1468 
C‐  1467 ‐ 1400 
D+  1399 ‐ 1334 
D  1333 ‐ 1268 
D‐  1267 ‐ 1200 
F  < 1200 

You will notice if you do the math, these numbers are

rounded. Although there will be a precise number, I will
round up when the situation dictates.

The total points attempted for each exercise are:

Quiz 5 x 100 = 500 total points (about 25 % of grade)

Discussion /Comments area = 6 x 150 = 900 total points
(about 45% of grade)
Midterm = 300 total points (about 15% of your grade)
Final = 300 total points (about 15% of your grade)
Grand total = 2000 possible points (each student starts
with 0)

If you miss an assignment including quizzes and exams without a

documented (that means a verifiable document from the authorities
responsible for your absence) pre-approved (that means before the test
or exam) excuse (clear and convincing proof of “emergency”
circumstances is mandatory and the right to excuse is in my sole
discretion) you will receive a zero at the time of that unit/quiz/exam.

Make-up work must be approved by the instructor and will be

Make-up conditional on the above. Please be aware there will be no make-
Work up for exams under any circumstances except as provided for in
university policy. This is why there is a large amount of time to do
them. The exam question(s) will be given prior to the beginning
date and it is highly encouraged to finish them as soon as practical
i.e. don’t wait for the last date. Work cannot be done during the
“make-up” period to increase one’s grades on something already
submitted or to retake a quiz. There will be a time (12/2 – 12/7) to
“make-up” instructor-approved work except the midterm. This is an
emergency stopgap, please don’t rely upon it. You will likely need the
time for your Final Exam in this and other classes.
 It is your responsibility to contact me during the first two weeks of
class, i.e. by September 4, 2009, if there’s anything about which I
should know concerning special accommodation for any of the
assignments. I will try to work out a suitable arrangement but I must
know about it during the first two weeks of class. It is also your
responsibility to bring me the required documentation(s) or have the
responsible parties contact me in a timely manner for any kind of
special accommodation need(s) for any of the assignments.

If any extra credit is given, it will be announced in class. Extra credit

Extra Credit will NOT be offered on an individual basis. If extra credit is offered,
I will let you know as a class.

Except for unusual circumstances, late submissions and make-up

assignments will not be allowed except during the “make-up” period
Late Work and then, only when instructor approved. Written work is expected to
be turned in on or before the assigned date. See “Make-up Work” as
above. Short or non-qualifying posts count as a zero.

Special
None intended unless Participation / Readings are not complied with.
Assignments

Class Class will be conducted on-line. No “attendance” per say will be

Attendance taken. See “Weekly Discussions / Participation”

Absolutely NO anti-religious, racist or sexist remarks will be

tolerated within the class! No “flaming” or cursing. Any such
remarks will be dealt with severely to include a zero for that
assignment and your work will be deleted!
Also, no part of the class content or any work product may be
copied in part or whole on/into any other medium than THIS
class’s coursework areas. This may be a MAJOR university, civil
and/or criminal violation if done.

Criticism of each other’s work is expected but WILL be done in a

Classroom
constructive and educational manner befitting a student at the UTD.
Citizenship
There is little doubt there will be disagreements from time to time
because of the subject matter of the class but unacceptable behaviour
will not be tolerated.

It is not recommended to provide another student your personal email

account. See UTD computer usage policy and below “Email Use” for
further recommendations/policy. There may also be other restrictions
regarding computer usage if you are using a UTD computer (lab) or on
the UTD computer network. See: http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/labs/#
 Off-campus, out-of-state, and foreign instruction and activities are subject to state
Field Trip
law and University policies and procedures regarding travel and risk-related
Policies
activities. Information regarding these rules and regulations may be found at the
Off-Campus
website address http://www.utdallas.edu/BusinessAffairs/Travel_Risk_Activities.htm.
Instruction &
Additional information is available from the office of the school dean. Below is a
Course Activities
description of any travel and/or risk-related activity associated with this course.

Technical If you experience any problems with your UTD account you may send an email
Support to: assist@utdallas.edu or call the UTD Computer Helpdesk at 972-883-2911.

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the
responsibility of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable
about the rules and regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General
information on student conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD printed
publication, A to Z Guide, which is provided to all registered students each academic
year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the

procedures of recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and
described in the Rules and Regulations, Series 50000, Board of Regents, The
Student Conduct University of Texas System, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities
and Discipline of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and
regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff
members are available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU
1.602, 972/883-6391) and on-line at
http://www.utdallas.edu/judicialaffairs/UTDJudicialAffairs-HOPV.html

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject
to discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place
on or off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such
conduct.

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute
integrity of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.

Scholastic Dishonesty, any student who commits an act of scholastic dishonesty is

subject to discipline. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating,
plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are
Academic attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another
Integrity person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to
commit such acts.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and
from any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s
policy on plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the
resources of turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is
over 90% effective. Also, a guideline will be provided for class expectations
(80/20 rule)

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the
making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted materials, including
Copyright Notice
music and software. Copying, displaying, reproducing, or distributing copyrighted
works may infringe the copyright owner’s rights and such infringement is subject to
appropriate disciplinary action as well as criminal penalties provided by federal law.
 Usage of such material is only appropriate when that usage constitutes “fair use”
under the Copyright Act. As a UT Dallas student, you are required to follow the
institution’s copyright policy (Policy Memorandum 84-I.3-46). For more information
about the fair use exemption, see
http://www.utsystem.edu/ogc/intellectualproperty/copypol2.htm

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of

communication between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the
same time, email raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each
individual in an email exchange. The university encourages all official student email
correspondence be sent only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty
and staff consider email from students official only if it originates from a UTD
Email Use
student account. This allows the university to maintain a high degree of confidence in
the identity of all individual corresponding and the security of the transmitted
information. UTD furnishes each student with a free email account that is to be used
in all communication with university personnel. The Department of Information
Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method for students to have their U.T. Dallas
mail forwarded to other accounts.

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-
level courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to
Withdrawal from
handle withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or
Class
withdraw any student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not
receive a final grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you
are enrolled.

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make
a serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
Student
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean.
Grievance
If the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
Procedures
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not
resolved by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the
Dean of Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene
an Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final.
The results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the
Dean of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting
the rules and regulations.

As per university policy, a grade of incomplete may be given, at the discretion of the
instructor of record for a course, when a student has completed at least 70% of the
required course material but cannot complete all requirements by the end of the
semester. An incomplete course grade (grade of X) must be completed within the
Incomplete
time period specified by the instructor, not to exceed eight weeks from the first day of
Grades
the subsequent long semester. Upon completion of the required work, the symbol X
may be converted into a letter grade (A through F) by the instructor. If the grade of
Incomplete is not removed by the end of the specified period, it will automatically be
changed to F.
 The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational
opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located
in room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30
a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)
disabilityservice@utdallas.edu

If you anticipate issues related to the format or requirements of this course, please
Disability
meet with the Coordinator of Disability Services. The Coordinator is available to
Services
discuss ways to ensure your full participation in the course. If you determine that
formal, disability-related accommodations are necessary, it is very important that
you be registered with Disability Services to notify them of your eligibility for
reasonable accommodations. Disability Services can then plan how best to
coordinate your accommodations.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to
faculty members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class
or during office hours.

If you feel you have a computer addiction (or any other issue), this site may be
helpful: http://www.utdallas.edu/counseling/selfhelp/computer-addiction.html

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code,
Texas Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as

possible regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student,
so excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any
missed exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails
Religious Holy
to complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a
Days Excuses
failing grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the
purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations [because of a religious holy day(s)], either the student or
the instructor may request a ruling from the chief executive officer of the institution,
or his or her designee. The chief executive officer or designee must take into account
the legislative intent of TEC 51.911(M), and the student and instructor will abide by
the decision of the chief executive officer or designee.

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Being on- line
and participating is the best way to discover changes and do well in class.