Study Guide HLS 2301 UnitI (3).pdf - UNIT I STUDY GUIDE The...

HLS 2301, Introduction to Terrorism 1
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Evaluate the historical trends of domestic terrorism in the United States of America.
1.1 Assess the organization and structure of international and domestic terrorist groups to include
left- and right-wing terrorist groups.
1.2 Describe historical and current characteristics and motivations of various terrorist groups in
relation to political, religious, and ideological movements.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1: Defining, Conceptualizing and Understanding Terrorism
Chapter 2: Political Ideology and the Historical Roots of Terrorism
Unit Lesson
This unit examines and analyzes several topics related to the evolution, characteristics, and motivations of
both domestic and global terrorism. What is terrorism? Is this a relatively new phenomenon, or has it changed
over time? In this unit, you will discover the answers to these questions and many others. You will learn about
the historical trends and aspects of terrorism within the United States of America. You will examine the crucial
components of terrorism: violence, audience, and fear. You will also learn about counterterrorism and how it
has evolved as the characterization of terrorism has changed.
Further, you will assess the cyclical nature of terror, to include the tactics and force multipliers utilized. You will
research an international and/or domestic terrorist organization, and explain the rationalization of terrorism
including religious, political, ethnic, and ideological motivations. Finally, the unit will outline the tactics of
terrorism and the overall impact of force multipliers.
Terrorism is difficult to define as the term and its interpretation have changed over time. Terrorism is not a
physical entity that has dimensions to be measured, weighed, and analyzed. As the authors of your textbook
outline, “Terrorism is the deliberate and unlawful use of threats or actual violence to inculcate fear, intended to
intimidate or coerce individuals, groups, or governments to change their political, social, religious, or
ideological basis” (Taylor & Swanson, 2016, p. 8). As a result, global society and the international community
have assigned many different definitions and characterizations to the term terrorism .
The social construct of terrorism has changed as the social construct relates to the way people interpret and
perceive the term. Research indicates that specific social and political groups create a framework or a
perception based around a concept or incident. This concept changes as social and political order shifts. In