Terrorism

Why do we categorize some acts of violence as terrorism? How do the practitioners of such violence legitimize their actions? What are the effects of terror on culture, society, and politics? This course explores these questions around the globe from the nineteenth century to the present. Topics include the Russian populists, Ku Klux Klan, IRA, al Qaida, state terror, and the representation of terrorism in law, journalism, literature, film, and TV.