Enrolments for 2020 have closed.
Terrorism in the 21st Century
Undergraduate | MAQ-PICX2015 | 2020
Previously MAQ-PICX113
Course information for 2020 intake View information for 2024 course intake
Explore the range of law enforcement and societal response options available to governments. Understand terrorism as a strategy and as a tactic, recruitment and group dynamics, narratives and the role of global media, and cyber terrorism.
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- No ATAR needed,
- No prior study
- Duration
- 18 weeks
HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Terrorism in the 21st Century
About this subject
Upon fulfilling the requirements of this subject, students will have the skills and knowledge to:
- ULO1 Identify the main types of terrorist events that impact modern society.
- ULO2 Identify the principal actors who pose a terrorist security threat to states both now and over the past century.
- ULO3 Critically evaluate how the concept of terrorism is used in security discourse in the 21st century.
- ULO4 Evaluate how states can respond to terrorist events in an effective, balanced and ethical manner.
- ULO4 Explain the range of strategic and tactical response counter terrorism options available to governments.
- ULO5 Demonstrate the ability to produce well structured essays examining key critical debates in terrorism studies.
- Terrorism and political violence
- Coercion
- Terrorist recruitment and group dynamics
- Global media
- Cyber and terrorist narrative
- Counter-terrorism
- Radicalisation and deradicalisation
- State responses to terror threats
- Policing and intelligence
This subject provides an introduction to the strategies, tactics, causes and solutions to terrorism in the twenty-first century. It explores the global origins and history of terrorism as a means of communication and coercion, evaluates the effectiveness of terrorism as a strategy, and examines the assertion that our era is defined by 'new' terrorism. Attention will be given to case studies of key terrorist organisations throughout the subject. By the end of this subject, students will gain an understanding of the dynamics that underpin twenty-first century terrorism, as well as evaluate both hard and soft approaches to countering terrorism. Special attention will be focused on the sources of successful and ethical counter-terrorism strategies; understanding mechanisms of radicalisation to and from violent extremism; evaluating proportionate state response to terror threats; and assessing the role of new technologies such as social media on how terrorist groups operate.
- Assessment 1 (10%)
- Assessment 2 (20%)
- Assessment 3 (40%)
- Assessment 4 (30%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-intensive university in north-western Sydney offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. With over 44,000 current students, Macquarie has a strong reputation for welcoming international students and embracing flexible and convenient study options, including its partnership with Open Universities Australia.
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 10
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 10
Entry requirements
No entry requirements
Equivalent subjects
You should not enrol in this subject if you have successfully completed any of the following subject(s) because they are considered academically equivalent:
MAQ-PICX113-Terrorism in the 21st Century (no longer available)
Additional requirements
- Other requirements -
Students who have an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion under Macquarie University's Academic Progression Policy are not permitted to enrol in OUA units offered by Macquarie University. Students with an Academic Standing of Suspension or Exclusion who have enrolled in units through OUA will be withdrawn.
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
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What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMAQ-ART-DEG
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