This section contains suggestions for in-class or pre-class educational exercises, while a post-class assignment for assessing student understanding of the Module is suggested in a separate section.
The exercises in this section are most appropriate for classes of up to 50 students, where students can be easily organized into small groups in which they discuss cases or conduct activities before group representatives provide feedback to the entire class. Although it is possible to have the same small group structure in large classes comprising a few hundred students, it is more challenging and the lecturer might wish to adapt the facilitation techniques to ensure sufficient time for group discussions as well as providing feedback to the entire class. The easiest way to deal with the requirement for small group discussion in a large class is to ask students to discuss the issues with the four or five students sitting close to them. Given time limitations, not all groups will be able to provide feedback in each exercise. It is recommended that the lecturer makes random selections and tries to ensure that all groups get the opportunity to provide feedback at least once during the session. If time permits, the lecturer could facilitate a discussion in plenary after each group has provided feedback.
All exercises in this section are appropriate for both graduate and undergraduate students. However, as students' prior knowledge and exposure to these issues varies widely, decisions about the appropriateness of exercises should be based on their educational and social context.
A great way of engaging students in an interactive manner is by means of a quiz. This could either be by using an online tool such as Kahoot or orally in a classroom setting if such technology is not available. There are different ways in which a quiz could be used, such as testing general knowledge about terrorism at the start of the University Module Series and/or at the end as a means of consolidating module learning. The examples detailed here are illustrative of the types of general knowledge questions that could be asked, and be readily adapted to your own, for example, national or regional perspectives. The correct answers are in bold.
1. When was the word "terrorism" was used the first time?
a. French Revolution 1794
b. Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of Terrorism 1937
c. Convention on Offences and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft 1963
d. Iranian Revolution 1979
2. Which of the following is a form of terrorism?
a. Hostage taking
b. Organized crime
c. Extremism
d. Trafficking
3. How many terrorist attacks worldwide were recorded during 2016?*
a. 6,771
b. 9,351
c. 11,072
d. 13,463
4. What was the value of insurance property losses attributable to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?*
a. US$13 billion
b. US$19 billion
c. US$25 billion
d. US$32 billion
* Terrorism statistics are available from websites such as Statista, which was the source of the statistics drawn upon here.
An exercise that could be used to facilitate group discussions in class or as a possible assessment exercise (e.g., along similar lines as was done for the case studies) would be to ask students to discuss or develop case studies of groups that might be regarded as terrorist groups operating within your own country or region. Groups could assume the role of members of the Security Council 1267 Committee, tasked with assessing the possible adoption or designation of such groups as terrorist groups under Security Council resolution 1267 (1999) and related resolutions. In doing so, they could consider the factors relevant to such assessments, the evidential sufficiency required for designations, and the applicable legal and procedural safeguards that should be available to individuals or groups under consideration for designation.
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