Students interested in terrorist behaviors and tactics are invited to take START’s summer session II courses, which are completely online and open to all students, regardless of university or major. Students can apply for classes up until the summer session start date on Monday, July 8. Classes include:
BSST372: Terrorist Hostage Taking
Taught by Dr. Margaret Wilson, of the Imperial College London, this course will examine different forms of hostage taking and consider approaches to studying behavior, along with the problems inherent in such research. Weekly topics will include issues such as scripts and patterned behavior, victim resistance, and what Stockholm syndrome might really mean. This course explores the tactical choices of terrorist groups, the responses of other actors, and how the combinations might impact the end results. For University of Maryland students, this course fulfills the Scholarship in Practice general education requirement.
BSST338O: Special Topics in Terrorism Studies; School Shooters and Spree Killers
Can we predict spree-killer incidents before they occur? Taught by Dr. Mike Egnoto, a clinical informaticist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and a START research affiliate, this course evaluates the spread of emergency information during crises, and the predictors that influence individual perceptions of safety. Dr. Egnoto's research deals with risk and crisis communication in a digital world by focusing on communication in social environments. This course in particular looks at the current state of the field with attention to spree killer profiles, current research, and response from social science perspectives. Understanding the costs and consequences of school shootings and spree killer incidents bridges terrorism, communication, and criminology with consequences that affect us all.
- To register as a UMD student, visit the class schedule at https://go.umd.edu/UFh
- To register as a non-UMD student, visit the Office of Extended Studies website at https://go.umd.edu/UF7
- If you have any questions, please email the START education team at education-start@umd.edu