Description:

This course defines and describes for students and current police officers the following terms: terrorism, current terrorist organizations, which includes their history, their personnel and their capacity to threaten the security and interests of the United States. Within this context, students learn how law enforcement officials can predict patterns of terrorist activities. The course focuses especially on law enforcement's methods for combating terrorism within multiple arenas, including deterrence, detection, prevention, and swift response. The course further addresses the challenges facing law enforcement and intelligence agencies in developing a coordinated response to terrorism. 3 hrs. lecture/wk. This course may be offered as a Learning Communities (LCOM) section, see current credit schedule for LCOM details.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor's course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Prerequisites: NONE

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Define terrorism and explain key concepts associated with the phenomenon of terrorism.
2. Cite the legal perspectives on terrorism and determine which actions legally constitute terrorism.
3. Trace the use of terrorism from the ancient Greek and Roman republics to the present.
4. Describe causes for which the terrorist fights and the belief systems in which terrorists operate.
5. Explain the role of the media in terrorist events with an emphasis on how technological
6. progress in communications systems makes the media a potentially significant weapon in the terrorist arsenal.
7. Analyze policy efforts taken by specific nations in dealing with terrorism and evaluate the effectiveness of counter-terrorism.
8. Analyze security measures governments are forced to take and the increasing amounts of time and money spent on the problems related to security.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. Definition of Terrorism and Typologies of Terrorism
   A. Define modern definitions of terrorism.
   B. Explain crucial components of terrorism.
   C. Explain the typologies of terrorism.

II. History of Evolution of Terrorism
   A. Trace the development of terrorism from ancient Greek and Roman
republics to the
present.
   B. Describe the impact the contemporary acts of terrorism have on law
enforcement and
political systems.

III. Current Terrorist Beliefs and Causes
   A. Discuss the rationalization of violence.
   B. Examine the beliefs of terrorist and the historical causes of
terrorism.

IV. Terrorist Operations
   A. Describe the training, including sites and topics, and methodologies
of terrorists.
   B. Describe the weapons available to and used by terrorists.
   C. Describe the recruitment techniques used by terrorists, as well as
their planning
strategies.

V. The Media: A Weapon for Both Sides
   A. Explain why terrorists choreograph dramatic incidents to achieve
maximum publicity.
   B. Explain the terrorist goals regarding media.
   C. Describe the relationship among terrorism, the media and the law.

VI. Counter-Terrorism: The Use of Special Forces
   A. Describe the strike forces, military or police units specially
trained, equipped and
organized to combat terrorism.
   B. Discuss whether the use of strike forces is a legitimate and useful
tool in combating
terrorism.

VII. Terrorism, Intelligence and the Law
   A. Explain the major legal efforts to counter terrorism.
   B. Discuss the way nations can, and cannot, cope with the rising threat
of terrorism today.
   C. Discuss two case studies of governments’ use of
intelligence/investigation tools in
counter-terrorism.

VIII. Security Measures: A Frail Defense
   A. Discuss the increasing amounts of time and money spent on the
problems related to
security.
   B. Define the major facets of security.
   C. Describe airport security in the United States.
   D. Define threat assessment and how to know when the public is at
risk.

IX. Future Trends
   A. Explore the potential patterns of future acts of terrorism.
   B. Discuss the use of mass destruction weapons.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

4–5 Exams = 60%–75%
1–2 Essays = 15%–30%
Class Participation = 5%–10%

Grades will be calculated using the following:
   A = 90-100%
   B = 80- 89%
   C = 70- 79%
   D = 60- 69%
   F =  0- 59%

Caveats:

1. Students will need basic word processing and Internet searching skills for the completion of some papers, exercises and projects.

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.