The Challenge of Modern Terrorism (11245.1)

Please note these are the 2026 details for this unit
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The Challenge of Modern Terrorism
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Business, Government & Law
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
Canberra School Of Politics, Economics And Society Level 3 - Undergraduate Advanced Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 4 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan Social Work_Exclude 0905)
Terrorism challenges individuals, the national state, and the global community. On a daily basis people fall victim to terrorist attacks, and our sense of well-being, security, and freedom are challenged. Terrorism is lethal, unpredictable, and causes mass casualties. Terrorists bring fear into our lives and are attacking us both physically and psychologically. Some argue that terrorism is a challenge to the existence of the modern state and it is part of a new global insurgency. This unit will attempt to define terrorism, review the history of terrorism and evaluate the philosophy, and objectives of terrorists. The actual threat from terrorism will be assessed as will the means of countering the threat from modern terrorism. The unit will conclude with an examination of the likely trajectory and threat of terrorism in the future.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Evaluate the changing nature of terrorism in a globalised security environment;
2. Analyse the different terrorist philosophies, motivational factors and objectives;
3. Compare the different terrorism organisational structures and assess their weaknesses and strengths;
4. Assess the development and effectiveness of modern counter-terrorism strategies;
5. Critically evaluate actual and potential responses to the challenge of terrorism in the future; and
6. Reflect upon their unit experience, including theories, discussions and feedback, and how it relates to the goals set out in their professional portfolio.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - understand issues in their profession from the perspective of other cultures
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas


Skills development

There is no exam for this unit.



Prerequisites

11238 Introduction to International Relations AND must have passed 24 credit points.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 26 May 2025 On-campus Prof Peter Leahy
2026 Bruce, Canberra Winter Term 08 June 2026 On-campus Prof Peter Leahy
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Given the contemporary nature of this unit there is no prescribed text.  Students are to complete the reading set for each lecture and tutorial (available on the Unit Canvas site) and remain up to date with current affairs by reading newspapers, journals and web sites which cover matters relating to terrorism.  As a minimum, students are to view the essential videos for each week and complete the essential readings and tasks before each lecture or tutorial.  Students should pay attention to Canvas for any additional contemporary readings for each lecture.

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Additional Assessment Guidance

Word count is inclusive of in-text referencing but excluding the reference list and bibliography.  Students may utilise the 10% rule, whereby the final word count can be up to 10% under or over the prescribed word count .  For word counts outside this range one mark will be deducted for every 100 words under or over the stated requirement.

Format.  Submit your work in Canvas in Word format to facilitate the effective communication of feedback via the use of track changes and comments inside Word.  Please do not submit your work in a PDF format.

Late Submissions. When a student does not submit an assessment on or before the prescribed date/time, their mark will be reduced by ten (10) percentage points per day up to a maximum of three (3) days, at which time the submitted assignment will receive a mark of zero (the prescribed date and time being either the advertised due date, or revised due date in instances whereby an extension has been granted). No assessment items are accepted after three (3) days 

Reusing previously submitted work.  Each written assignment submitted to this unit must be an original contribution.  Students are not permitted to reuse previously submitted material.  Similarly, unless students have published their work (via a legitimate peer reviewed and academic process) students are not permitted to reference/cite their previous work. Students that fail to comply with this requirement may be penalised.

Submitting work to other websites.  Students are not to upload their assessments to text matching submission boxes available in other units, this may return a match that we are unable to verify.  When students submit assessments in this unit they will receive an Ouriginal report and may adjust and resubmit their assessments if needed.  The final assessment item uploaded will be the assessment made available to the teaching team for grading (unless the paper is late, in which case the first submission will be graded).  Students that fail to comply with this requirement may be penalised.

 

 

Special assessment requirements

To be eligible to pass the unit students are to attempt all assessment items.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Participation requirements

It is expected that students participate in all lectures and tutorials unless they have made alternate arrangements with the lecturer or their tutor.

Required IT skills

None

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Additional information

You should monitor the Canvas site for any additional information.

The readings and tutorial questions are available at the individual lesson modules on Canvas.

Next step

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