A consortium of researchers dedicated to improving the understanding of the human causes and consequences of terrorism

Exciting Winter Courses Now Offered ONLINE

We are pleased to announce that in order to make our exciting Winter course offerings available to a wider audience, we have decided to make them SYNCHRONOUS ONLINE courses. This means that individuals interested in enrolling, who were not planning on being in College Park this winter, will now be able to take the courses from anywhere with an internet connection.

The two courses promise to be very interesting and give students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to take courses on the subject matter a chance to get insight into this dynamic field of study. Both courses are open to anyone, and those interested in enrolling should contact the University of Maryland Office of Extended Study, by visiting www.oes.umd.edu.

Please see details of the classes below:
Dates of Start and End of Classes: January 3, 2011 - January 21, 2011. Classes meet Monday through Friday for this three week period.

BSOS 338A: Political Islam in the West. Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. The course seeks to introduce students to the history, evolution, modus operandi, and policy implications of the various manifestations of political Islam existing in Europe and North America. An extremely diverse movement in the Muslim world, political Islam/Islamism takes even more peculiar and complex forms in the West, where over the last forty years various Islamist groups have sought to attract sympathies among often disenfranchised Muslim communities. What are the tactical, strategic, and ideological differences among the many Islamist organizations operating in the West? How do they seek to appeal to and mobilize Western Muslims? And how successful are they? And how do Western governments perceive and conceive their policies towards various Islamist groups operating in the West?

BSOS 388L: Terrorism in Small Wars. Monday though Friday 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. As the insurgency in Iraq intensified it quickly became clear that military commitments in the 21st century would look nothing like those of previous eras. Less clear, however, is how a conflict like Iraq differs from a conflict like Vietnam. They both involve a stronger power (the United States) trying to defeat a weaker power (al-Qaeda/NVA) that is making use of irregular methods, but there is a distinctness in the way al-Qaeda is waging war: the anti-civilian nature of the violence; the particular tactics (suicide attacks); and the lack of uniforms and desire to hold territory. It is, in effect, a blurring of the lines that separate terrorism from war.

If you have any queries please e-mail education@start.umd.edu.