Political Violence and Terrorism

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 6
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: to be confirmed

During episodes of political violence, where the state and its legal apparatus break down, abundant opportunities arise for massive use of force and violence. When we talk about political violence, a preliminary distinction has to be borne in mind: the distinction between authorised force (war) and unauthorised force (terrorism).

The concept of ‘the use of force and violence’ has long been discussed in criminological literature. However, it is extraordinary that this literature has omitted political violence from criminology despite political actors collectively opting to use violence for expressing their demands.

In this module we introduce you to the concept of political violence, or politically motivated violence, such as war and terrorism. We will ground this in criminological theory by:

• providing definitions and examining characteristics and theories of elements of war and terrorism
• critically analysing the changing nature of war and terrorism and discussing these within a criminological framework
• examining the impact of technological advances on the natures of war and terrorism
• examining the differences between crimes in war and war crimes
• evaluating victimisation and diffusion of responsibility where it concerns perpetrators of abuse, rape, violence, torture and destruction.