Course Objectives
To introduce students to the history, theories, and debates on modern terrorism; study trends in terrorism and political violence in South Asia with an emphasis on Bangladesh; examine global strategies for combating terrorism; understand terrorist financing and intelligence; review legal instruments against Transnational Organized Crime; and explore beat/community policing roles in preventing violent extremism.
Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge regarding:
- CLO1: Learn about the theories and methods of researching organized crime and terrorism.
- CLO2: Acquire the skills of collecting, analyzing, and writing research reports on organized crime and terrorism issues.
- CLO3: Develop a critical analytical skill in studying terrorism and law enforcement responses.
- CLO4: Survey the knowledge base on the evolving complexities of crime, terrorism, and transnational threats.
Syllabus & Lecture Details
| Lecture | Topics / Contents | CLOs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Historic Evolution of Terrorism: Roots, waves, and historical timeline. | CLO1 |
| 2 | Definition, Typology and Debates in Terrorism. | CLO1 |
| 3 | Terrorism and Violence in South Asia: Regional threats and geopolitical implications. | CLO1 |
| 4 | Radicalization into Violent Extremism: Radicalization models and Islamic radicalization in Bangladesh. | CLO3 |
| 5 | Counter-Terrorism Strategies: Hard power (military/law enforcement) and soft power (CVE/deradicalization) instruments. | CLO3 |
| 6 | Terrorism Financing: Methods of raising, moving, and using funds; countermeasures. | CLO3 |
| 7 | Intelligence and the Fight against Terrorism/Organized Crime: Role of collection, analysis, and dissemination. | CLO4 |
| 8 | Legal and Policy Instruments: Anti-Terrorism Act of Bangladesh, international conventions. | CLO4 |
| 9 | Presentation on Role of Community and Beat Policing in Countering Violent Extremism. | - |
| 10 | Mid-term Exam | - |
| 11 | Organized Crime Concepts: UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), similarities/differences with other crime. | CLO1 |
| 12 | Causes and Facilitating Factors: Social, economic, and political factors. | CLO1 |
| 13 | Persistent Threats: Drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, money laundering, and cybercrime. | CLO4 |
| 14 | Legal Countermeasures: UNTOC implementation, domestic laws of Bangladesh, and challenges faced by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs). | CLO3 |
| 15 | Investigation of Organized Crime: Case study and practical group exercise (solving a fictitious case study). | CLO2 |
| 16 | Discussion on Recent Researches: Context, analysis, and findings. | CLO2 |
| 17 | Presentation by participants on preferred topics. | - |
| 18-20 | Guest Lectures: Academic scholars and senior counter-terrorism practitioners. | - |
Quick Course Data
Credit points
4 Credits
Course Type
Compulsory
Guided Self-Study
22 Hours
Assessment & Evaluation
Class Attendance & Participation5%
Writing Assignments10%
Mid-Term Exam15%
Presentation10%
Final Exam60%
Recommended Readings
- Imtiaz Ahmed & Monirul Islam (2022) - Ensuring Life without Terror: Responses to Terrorism in Bangladesh, UPL
- A.S.M. Ali Ashraf (2016) - Intelligence, National Security and Foreign Policy: A South Asian Narrative, BILIA & DUIR
- Andrew Silke (2019) - Routledge Handbook of Terrorism and Counterterrorism, Routledge