Università Roma Tre

The course is divided into two parts. The first part deals with the most important issues related to terrorism as a global phenomenon, by adopting a historical perspective. The second part is devoted to a specialized theme: history of terrorism in Italy from the Sixties to the Eighties.

FIRST HALF OF THE COURSE (3 CFU)
Terrorism in Historical Perspective
Contents: 1. The Age of Terrorism: An Introduction 2. Defining Terrorism 3. The Roots of Terrorism 4. Typologies of Terrorism 5. What Kind of People Become Terrorists? 6. The “Anarchist” Wave and the “Era of the Attempts” 7. The “Anti-colonial” Wave: Algeria and beyond 8. Nationalist and Separatist Terrorism in Europe: ETA and IRA 9. The Ideological Wave 10. The “Religious” Wave and the Rise of Islamist Terrorism 11. al-Qaeda and ISIS 12. Reacting (to) and Countering Terrorism 13. The Debate over “New” vs. “Old” Terrorism (and Counterterrorism) 14. The Role of Mass Media 15. How Terrorism Ends: Historical Patterns


SECOND HALF OF THE COURSE (3 CFU)
Terrorism in Italy from the Sixties to the Eighties
Contents: 1. Terrorism in Italy: A General Overview 2. The Origins and Causes of Italian Terrorisms 3. “Black” Terrorism: History and Features 4. “Red” Terrorism: History and Features 5. The Red Brigades: Roots, Ideology, Organization, Strategy, and Tactics in Historical Perspective 6. The “Aldo Moro Murder Case” and its Impact on the Italian Political System 7. The Issue of the International Links of Italian Terrorism: Analyses and Interpretations 8. The “Profile” of Italian Terrorists 9. The Italian Response to the Terrorist Threat 10. Crisis and Fall of Italian Terrorisms


The first part of the course will consist of lectures, during which also photographs and footage will be employed.
The second part of the course will be structured as a specialized seminar. First, the instructor will introduce the main topics of the seminar in his lectures. Subsequently, attending students will be required to write a 4000 word paper about a book, which will be chosen from a selection provided by the instructor during the course.

Only for students attending the course, the assessment related to the first part of the course may take the form of a mid-term exam, to be taken during the course (esonero).
With regard to the seminar, the grade for this part of the course (which will average with the grade obtained for the first part) will be attributed on the basis of the student’s 4000 word paper.

The course is entirely taught in English.
For students of the International Studies Program attendance is mandatory.

Books for students attending the course:
- Leonard Weinberg, Global Terrorism, Oneworld-Rosen, 2008
- Randall D. Law, Terrorism: A History, 2nd Edition, Polity, 2016
- Readings assigned by instructor


Books for students not attending the course:
1. Leonard Weinberg, Global Terrorism, Oneworld-Rosen, 2008
2. Randall D. Law, Terrorism: A History, 2nd Edition, Polity, 2016
3. Leonard Weinberg and William Lee Eubank, The Rise and Fall of Italian Terrorism, Routledge 2019