Proseminar, Winter 2016: Introduction to International Relations: Behavioral Approaches to Terrorism
Instructor: Clayton Besaw
HWS 2016 ECTS: 5 SWS: 2
Description:
Description: While much contemporary terrorism literature has focused on mezzo (group-level) and macro (country-level) explanations for terrorism, the study of micro (individual) explanations of terrorism is currently experiencing a genesis of robust scientific work. This seminar will introduce students to the scientific behavioral study of terrorism. Questions of interest for behavioral approaches concern the motivations for joining and/or supporting terrorist-organizations, the choice to use violence, and leadership decision making within terrorist organizations. Students will be exposed to a diverse set of literature that examines the role of social-psychology, socioeconomic factors, political circumstance, and ideology. The goal of this seminar is to help students to better understand the theoretical and empirical connections between complex group and country mechanisms and the individual-level behavior of terrorist violence.