Political Science 397TWH - S-Terrorism, War & Democracy

An examination of the historical, legal, and political issues relating to the American "War on Terrorism." Discussions and readings will include the war on al Qaeda and ISIS, war powers and the laws of war, criminal actions against terrorists, FISA, wiretapping and the NSA, and torture. Discussion topics will include (i) history of jihadism and "war against Islamic terrorism", (ii) Constitutional and legal Issues impacting "war on terrorism", (iii) why and should we have a war on terrorism as opposed to treating terrorism as a criminal action, (iv) military commissions v. civil trials for terrorists, (v) the laws of war and the use of drones and robots in war (vi) use of torture and harsh interrogation techniques, (vii) the promotion of democracy as a primary goal of American military and diplomatic power, (viii) NSA and the invasion of privacy,(ix) cyber technology and its use by terrorists, and (x) the Snowden saga.

Sr & Jr COMCOL SOCIOL majors Visiting Instructor of Practice: Robert Rosen
prerequisite: to read The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright over the summer before the first class.

Please contact Instructor with any questions about registration for this course.