Prospectus

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Terrorism & Foreign Fighters

Course
2015-2016

Admission requirements

  • Students must be enrolled in the CSM Master program

  • At least 8 students must enrol for the course to take place

  • A maximum of 35 students can participate, on a first come, first serve basis

Description

This course gives a brief outline of (the study of) the phenomenon of foreign fighters. This includes an in-depth analysis of the number 1 issue on today’s counterterrorism agendas in Europe: European citizens and residents fighting in the civil war in Syria and Iraq. These persons are also referred to as ‘global jihadists’, ‘mujahedeen’ or simply ‘travellers’. The course addresses this specific ‘wicked problem’ from various theoretical perspectives, ranging from the literature on agenda setting to radicalisation theories. It aims to provide answers to the fundamental questions: who are these foreign fighters, do they pose a threat, and who should do what in order to deal with this phenomenon?

Course objectives

After completing the course students will be able to – Understand and apply the main conceptual and theoretical approaches with regard to the phenomenon of foreign fighters – Present examples of foreign fighters and their specific features, relevant processes and governance challenges; – Present and critique the approaches to manage or govern this specific phenomenon – Analyse the complex phenomenon of foreign fighters and ways to deal with this ’wicked problem’, and to translate this analysis into a policy paper.

Timetable

Timetable

Mode of instruction

This course consists of seven lectures.

Course Load

Total study load 140 hours
– contact hours: 21
– self-study hours: reading, preparing lectures, assignments, etc 119

Assessment method

  • Midterm Assignment (40%)

  • Final paper (60%)

The resit will take the same form.

You can find more information about assessments and the timetable exams on the website.
Details for submitting papers (deadlines) are posted on Blackboard.
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website, uSis and Blackboard.

Resit
Students will be permitted to resit an examination if they have taken the first sit and have a mark lower than 5.5 or with permission of the Board of Examiners.

Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.

Blackboard

Yes, course will be available one week in advance.

Reading list

A selection of articles. To be announced on blackboard.

Registration

Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.

Contact

Prof.Dr. Edwin Bakker
e.bakker@cdh.leidenuniv.nl

Remarks