4,000-word problem-based assignment (meets learning outcomes 1, 2, 3 & 4)

The problem-based assignment invites students to imagine they have been commissioned by the Government to produce a critical, objective account of what academic scholars know about the threat of an attack by an international terrorist group

Completion of weekly learning journal entries. These entries can be used to inform the problem-based assignment (meets learning outcomes 1 & 4)

This module provides a comparative and transnational analysis of the historical and recent development of state crime, war crimes and transnational terrorism. In the past these 'crimes' have not been seen as part of the established canon of criminology but more recently they have been identified as an area of increasing importance. Traditionally 'crime' has been associated with highly visible and socially harmful acts carried out by individuals and small groups. However, corporate and state crime are crimes carried out by large and powerful organisations which are generally transnational in scope or scale. This module will, therefore, focus on:

- The conceptual, theoretical and methodological problems raised by the idea of state crime; the historical involvement of the state in activities such as piracy, slavery and the drug trade; the monopoly of legitimate violence held by the state (Weber); the evolution of the concept of 'state crime' and its acceptance within both academic and practitioner circles; significant examples of state crime such as human rights abuses, genocide, illegal surveillance, political corruption, support for terrorism, and political assassinations; and distinctions between state sponsored, supported and directed crime.

- War crimes as a specific sub-category of 'state crime'; international responses to war crimes; the difficulty of treating war crimes as 'crimes' per se; the idea and feasibility of 'crimes against humanity'; and in-depth case studies of major forms of war crime such as torture, civilian massacres, use of weapons and practices banned by international law, and 'ethnic cleansing'. - State and non-state forms of terrorism; the historical development of terrorism; different definitions and approaches to terrorism; distinguishing between terrorism and orthodox forms of war; boundaries between criminological and political approaches to terrorism; and detecting, punishing and preventing terrorism.

A particular focus for the module will be the social construction of 'terrorism' through the media and the government agencies responsible for dealing with terrorism at the national and transnational levels. Terrorism has been seen as one of the main forms of transnational organised crime and the apparatus for detecting and dealing with it has grown enormously since 9/11. However, not only the definition of 'terrorism' but also its significance, scope and scale are all heavily contested.

The context for this module will be the growth of internal and regional conflicts located in developing countries after the Second World War which have provided opportunities for organised crime as well as for systematic abuses of human rights. At the same time, the growth of international terrorism, paralleled by the technological development and transnationalisation of the illegal arms industry, has created a situation where terrorist groups can call upon relatively advanced weaponry. In these circumstances both states and international banks have acted as financiers and hosts for terrorist groups. The module will examine these developments as well as the claim that there has been a shift from 'old' style terrorist groups (e.g. ETA, IRA, the Red Brigades), characterised by local political objectives and relatively low levels of violence, and 'new style' groups (epitomized by Al Qaeda), characterised by loose multinational networks and a readiness to employ 'weapons of mass destruction' (Giddens).

In preparation for the dissertation, the module will focus upon the difficulties of researching sensitive and security related topics such as state crimes and terrorism; the reliability of news and official sources; techniques for analysing media coverage; the utility of investigative journalism; and the factors governing the availability of documentary evidence

This module will be based on flexible learning materials delivered using the Blackboard virtual learning environment and selected readings provided in (a) a limited number of course texts (b) reading packs of selected articles and book chapters and (c) e-books, e-journal articles and online news coverage.
The Blackboard environment will provide a context for:

- Tutors to provide an overview of the core subject material for the module and to highlight key issues, problems and debates for discussion.
- Learners to undertake a range of structured activities which will involve, for example, problem solving, literature searching, engagement with group discussions, and scenarios.
- Learners to deliver online presentations on topics and issues related to the module.
- Tutors to seed discussions and provide one to one guidance and advice.
- Learners to access guidance on online resources available via the web and the university's e-resources pages.

The readings will provide:
- An essential knowledge base for the module which will be available to all learners.
- A resource for coursework and all assessed assignments.
- A point of reference for the topic overviews provided by tutors (see above).
- A point of departure for the structured activities set for learners. Learners will be expected to engage fully and critically with the resources and activities that are provided and to engage in detailed discussion with tutors and other learners. Tutors will give online academic support and guidance to learners throughout the lifetime of the module and will respond on a timely basis.

Ankersen, C. (ed.) (2007) Understanding Global Terrorism. (Polity)+G11
Tsang, S. [2008] Intelligence and Human Rights in the Era of Global Terrorism. (Eurospan)
Mockaitis [2008] The New Terrorism. (Eurospan)
Gutman, R. et al (2007, 2nd edn.) Crimes of War: what the public should know. (W.W. Norton)

A networked computer capable of accessing the internet and running applications such as Blackboard and Adobe Acrobat. A Word Processor compatible with Microsoft Word.
The Blackboard VLE will be available to support this module. Details will be supplied in the module handbook

1. Gain an in-depth and critical understanding of the academic and public debates surrounding state crime, war crimes and transnational terrorism
Knowledge & Understanding Learning

2. An ability to undertake analysis of the complex, incomplete and contradictory aspects of our knowledge concerning state crime, war crimes and terrorism in terms of their contested status within international law and human rights legislation at the transnational level
Analysis, Reflection

3. An ability to apply an in-depth and critical knowledge of conceptual issues in transnational organised crime to case studies of state crime, war crimes and terrorism
Knowledge & Understanding

4. An ability to understand and critically evaluate the effectiveness of the responses of governments and inter-governmental agencies to state crimes, war crimes and transnational terrorism using knowledge which may be at the forefront of the discipline.
Enquiry, Problem Solving, Reflection