UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

• You should spend an average of 12 hours per week on this unit. This includes listening to lectures prior to seminar or tutorial, reading weekly required materials as detailed in iLearn, and preparing assessments.
• Internal students are expected to attend all seminar or tutorial sessions, and external students are expected to make significant contributions to on-line activities.
• In most cases students are required to attempt and submit all major assessment tasks in order to pass the unit.

REQUIRED READINGS

• The citations for all the required readings for this unit are available to enrolled students through the unit iLearn site, and at Macquarie University's library site.  Electronic copies of required readings may be accessed through the library or will be made available by other means.

TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED

• Computer and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
• This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
• Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.

SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS

• All text-based assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically.  This will only happen through the unit iLearn site. 
• Assessment tasks must be submitted as a MS word document by the due date.
• Most assessment tasks will be subject to a 'TurnitIn' review as an automatic part of the submission process.
• The granting of extensions of up to one week are at the discretion of the unit convener or nominated delegate such as a tutor.  Any requests for extensions must be before the due date for the submission of the assessment task.  Extensions beyond one week are subject to the university’s Disruptions Policy

LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKS

• If an assignment is submitted late, 5% of the available mark will be deducted for each day (including weekends) the paper is late.
• For example, if a paper is worth 20 marks, 1 mark will be deducted from the grade given for each day that it is late (i.e. a student given 15/20 who submitted 4 days late will lose 4 marks = 11/20).
• The same principle applies if an extension is granted and the assignment is submitted later than the amended date.

WORD LIMITS FOR ASSESSMENT TASKS

• Stated word limits include footnotes and footnoted references, but not bibliography, or title page.
• Word limits can generally deviate by 10% either over or under the stated figure.
• If the number of words exceeds the limit by more than 10%, then penalties will apply. These penalties are 5% of the awarded mark for every 100 words over the word limit. If a paper is 300 words over, for instance, it will lose 3 x 5% = 15% of the total mark awarded for the assignment. This percentage is taken off the total mark, i.e. if a paper was graded at a credit (65%) and was 300 words over, it would be reduced by 15 marks to a pass (50%).
• The application of this penalty is at the discretion of the course convener.

REASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER

• Macquarie University operates a Grade Appeal Policy in cases where students feel their work was graded inappropriately

Unit Schedule

PART I - WHAT IS ‘TERRORISM’?

Week 1 - Introduction to the Unit 

Week 2 - Terrorist of Freedom Fighter?

PART II - POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND ‘TERRORISM’

Week 3 – A Brief History of Terrorism Part I

Week 4 - A Brief History of Terrorism Part II

Week 5 - What makes someone a terrorist?

Week 6 - The Means and Methods of Terrorism

Week 7 - The Media and Terrorism

Week 8 – Contemporary Terrorism Part I

Week 9 - Contemporary Terrorism Part II

PART III - COUNTERING  POLITICAL VIOLENCE AND ‘TERRORISM’

Week 10 - Constraining Political Violence: Strategy, Intelligence and Policing

Week 11 - Responding to Political Violence: Hard Power and Soft Power

Week 12 – State Repression and Overreaction

Week 13 – Counterterrorism and the Media - Unit Conclusion