BSDP-571
Terrorist Organizations & Their Motivation

This is an overview course which covers a variety of terrorist related topics pertinent to an understanding of current domestic and international terrorism impacting the United States (U.S.). It is not an in-depth study of the topics presented. The course concentrates on Islamic jihad based terrorism and terrorist use of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD).

Students will be provided the information and training to make fact based assessments regarding the potential for terror attacks against the U.S. using CBRNE WMD's. 

Course Number: BSDP-571
Classification: Elective
Credits Earned: 3
Term Available: Fall
Faculty: Ron Parker

Course Description:
This is an overview course which covers terrorist related topics pertinent to an understanding of current domestic and international terrorism impacting the United States (U.S.).

The intent of the course is to equip the student with the knowledge to make fact based assessments and conclusions regarding the potential of today’s terror groups/individuals to attack the U.S. and the chemical/biological/radiological/nuclear/explosive (CBRNE) Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) they may use in that attack. It is not a terrorism social issues course.

Course Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course a student will be able to:

• Have a working knowledge of today’s terrorists, both domestic and foreign, which will be of value in developing critical infrastructure protection plans and emergency response objectives, plans and operational procedures.
• To become better informed citizens regarding the terrorist threats now facing the U.S. and to develop the knowledge base to conduct assessments regarding our government’s future responses to domestic and international terrorism.

Course Competencies:

• Develop an understanding of the variable definition of terrorism in order to correctly identify the subject.
• Develop a basic knowledge of the history of terrorism in order to understand today’s terror organizations.
• Develop a knowledge base regarding the history of Islam, to include the Sunni/Shi’a split, as it applies to today’s jihad terrorism.
• Develop a knowledge base which will afford an understanding of secular and religious based terrorism motivation, both domestically and internationally, which can be used in the assessment/conclusion process. 
• Develop an understanding of the progression of the Eastern modern day terrorist organizations from their secular beginnings to today’s Islamic jihad dominance.
• Develop a knowledge base regarding the primary Islamic terror organizations and movements to make analytical assessments as to their potential to attack the U.S. using CBRNE WMD’s.
• Develop an understanding of the role nation states play in the support of independent terror organizations, in particular relative to CBRN WMD’s. This knowledge will assist in the assessment of certain terror organizations committing CBRNE WMD attacks on the U.S.
• Develop a historical knowledge of the U.S. domestic terror organizations, right, and left, racist, religious and single issue, which knowledge can be applied to an assessment of the current organizations and movements motivational and operational capability to commit terror actions.
• Develop an understanding of the difference between race and terrorism crimes in the U.S. in order to properly identify and address terror actions as such.
• Develop a knowledge base defining CBRN WMD’s to provide an understanding of these types of weapons, which understanding supports the assessment process for their use by terror organizations.
• Develop an understanding of specific terror organizations’ operational capability to utilize CBRN WMD’s, which facilitates the assessment of terrorist’s potential use of these weapons against the U.S.
• Develop knowledge of the trends in domestic and international terrorism which can be used to project future terror actions.

Course Format:

Web assignments, lectures (written and verbal), one book, and seminar discussions.