SOCIOLOGY OF TERRORISM

Term Paper Proposal (10%): Students will prepare a mini-proposal for their term papers to be submitted for review and feedback, due online on Friday, November 13. Additional details to be provided online.

and should not exceed two pages (double-spaced).
Provide a separate title page with a specific paper title, the name of the author, student number, date, course name and number.
Please do not put your name anywhere else in the proposal or use a “running head” with your name.
Use 12-point font, one-inch margins, and number the pages. Include your list of “References” on a separate page, or p. 3 of your proposal.

In summation, your proposal should have a title page,
a two-page outline of the issues identified in the above bullet points, and a Reference page.
These should be turned into the Dropbox no later than Friday, November 13

• Specify briefly the theoretical perspective(s) you think will be the most helpful as an explanation for why certain groups in general engage in terrorism. You will be expected to conduct a brief literature review as part of your final paper. Be sure to cite references you have consulted and keep track of any and all sources that you use for your proposal and for your final paper.
• Identify one specific group from the TRAC website (see above). The terrorist group you select will then be used be a “case study” and typically can be identified as having a certain ideological orientation (e.g, separatists, radical Marxists, right-wing extremists, religious terrorists, etc.).
• Compose a thesis statement to demonstrate how you believe the theory you will be discussing in your term paper can be logically connected to the case study to help explain their behavior.
• Develop an outline of the issues you plan to investigate in detailing the key information required, such as the group’s origins, their main grievance(s), their targets and tactics, their historical development, and your expectations of what will happen to the group in the long run.
• For academic research information and sources, use the Omni search function through the Western library system and/or “Sociological Abstracts” (under Databases on the library homepage). You may consult online information or websites, provided these are credible sources that engage in serious investigative reporting. You may use up to two sources from the assigned class readings.

Term Paper (35%): Each student will be required to submit a 8-page term paper on an any aspect of terrorism that s/he might wish to research. The papers should: 1) describe the nature of the type of terrorism being investigated; 2) identify a general thesis and develop an argument to help explain the phenomenon being investigated; 3) gather and report on some high-quality data and/or case studies from a valid public source (e.g., government statistics, crime reports, academic research, national surveys, etc.) with respect to important trends or patterns; and 4) discuss the issue further in light of the evidence and present conclusions accordingly. A detailed rubric will be provided (due December 11).

SOC 3363: SOCIOLOGY OF TERRORISM
TERM PAPER INSTRUCTIONS (FALL 2020)
Due Date: December 11, 2020
Substantive Details: The purpose of the term paper is to help students analyze terrorism from a sociological perspective. Students should ask any “why” question (e.g., why some people join terrorist organizations, what explains the gender distribution of those involved in terrorism, why right-wing terrorism occurs, etc.). Discuss briefly a theoretical perspective(s) that you think most plausibly and reasonably explains terrorism in general. Second, select a currently active organization that has been identified as a “terrorist group” by the broader global community of nations. Consult the “Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium” (TRAC) to review the hundreds of well-known terrorist groups at the website: https://www.trackingterrorism.org/groups/list. For the bulk of the paper, you are expected to do some historical research regarding the origins of the group, the nature of their grievances, their targets and tactics, how the group’s actions can be explained from the theoretical perspective you have chosen, and your expectations or “hypotheses” as to what you think ultimately will happen to the group (and why).
In preparing the paper, students must do the following:
• In the first section, introduce the nature of the issue you plan to examine and context of your particular analysis, including the nature of the terrorism issue or the “type” of terrorism you hope to explain and the specific group that will be your main focus. Then conclude the section by stating the specific question you plan to investigate. (5 pts)
• In the second section, present a general thesis statement—the main “answer” to your “why” question. Please develop an argument as to why such terrorism has occurred and/or the conditions that contribute to explaining the situation you are investigating. Draw upon any specific theoretical perspective(s) considered in the class lectures and/or readings to frame your arguments. (6 pts)
• In section three, gather and report on some high-quality data from a valid public source (e.g., government data, published academic research, historical evidence, TRAC, etc.) with respect to the terrorist organization at the heart of your analysis and document their behavior (trends or patterns) that you think help illustrate your arguments. In what ways do the data or examples that you use help support your key thesis? Provide a convincing argument that links your specific thesis statement or main argument to the evidence. (6 pts)
• In the final section, discuss the issue further in light of your chosen group and present your conclusions. That can be a restatement and “verification” of your main thesis, but, in addition, think analytically about the possible weaknesses of what you have presented. For example, what are the limitations of the evidence you presented in defence of your thesis? What other research would you recommend to help investigate and understand the issue further? It is quite common to end a paper by offering such “recommendations for further research.” (5 pts)
• Additional Administrative Details (3 pts): The paper should be well-written, using a professional or analytic style (e.g., use third-person voice, subheadings, proper language, etc.). Furthermore, the paper should have a separate title page with a specific paper title, the name of the author, student number, date, course name and number, and seminar day/time. Please do not put your name anywhere else in the paper or use a “running head” with your name. The paper must be typed, double-space, using 12-point font, one-inch margins, and numbered – and should not exceed a maximum of eight (8) pages (excluding the title page, references, etc.). Attach and label any appendices, as needed. The paper must be turned in by December 11, 2020, in the “Dropbox.” If turned in after that time, the late policy will be in effect as specified in the course syllabus.