CRJ 475.

001
Terrorism Management
Fall 2021
MWF 1:00-1:50pm

Instructor: Dr. Christian Schlaerth

Phone: (641) 585-8154
Office: Salveson 308A
Office Hours: MTWRF 12:00-1:00pm
*If my office door is open and I am there you are welcome to come in and visit for any reason.
Email: christian.schlaerth@waldorf.edu

Course Description

This course examines the history, philosophies, and tactics of terrorist groups, including
emerging terrorism trends. Course themes include the changing definition of terrorism,
understanding the types of terrorism and known terrorist groups, the idea of homeland security,
and global responses to different acts of terrorism.

Required Reading Material

There is one book for the course that can be purchased through the Waldorf Bookstore or online.
Be aware that sometimes, an online purchase can take some time to arrive. Any supplemental
reading materials for assignments or discussion will be posted on BlackBoard or handed out in
class.

Books

Tyalor, R.W., Swanson, C.R. (2016). Terrorism, Intelligence, and Homeland Security. New
York: Pearson.

Course Objectives

1. Understand the definition of terrorism

2. Identify the characteristics that an act of terrorism possesses that differentiate it from
“normal” crime.
3. Differentiate between state-sponsored terrorism and individual or group terrorism against
a state.
4. Explain the threat that homegrown terrorism poses to western countries.
5. Explain why the war on terror will likely continue for years to come.
Course Requirements

1.) Exams (30%): There will be 3 exams this semester. The format of the exams is flexible,
but will contain at least short answer and essay questions. They shall cover any course
material up to that point in the semester, including news reviews, lectures, discussions,
movies, etc. The final is not cumulative, but there are themes you will need to recall
throughout the semester.

2.) General Assignments (15%): To insure that students are doing the readings and paying
attention to any movies or guest lectures, there may be assignments made for students to
turn in. These may be in-class, take-home, news reviews, or even pop quizzes.

3.) Research Project (40%): As part of the course, you and your fellow classmates will
explore a topics related to terrorism that interests you. The topic of the project is entirely
up to you and your interests. It can be on: case studies (not covered in class), methods of
terrorism, motivations, etc. The main requirement is that you select something that you
are not all that familiar with and learn more about it to teach your fellow classmates. Do
not be overly broad, focus on something particular.

You will be given class time over the semester to work on your projects. You are free to
do whatever you want, as long as it pertains to the project.

The project will have to components: academic research report (8-10 pages) and a
presentation (10 minutes) with which you are expected to elicit a discussion from your
classmates. Each component is worth 50% of this portion of your grade.

4.) Attendance and Participation (15%): Attendance is required as it is critical to your

success in this course.  Late arrivals and early departures are discouraged as it makes it
difficult for you to follow the material and is distracting and disruptive for others.
Additionally, important announcements are made and materials are distributed at the
beginning of class. If you must arrive late, please do so quietly as to minimize the
disturbance to the class. If you are unable to attend class, it is your responsibility to get
notes from another student. I recognize that sometimes your lives outside of school may
interfere with your ability to attend class.  As such you are entitled to three (3) absences
for whatever reason (sick, appointments, etc.) with no penalties reflected in your
participation grade. If you have more than three absences, points will be subtracted from
your attendance grade for each absence. You are not required to notify me of the reasons
for your absence but a common courtesy is to notify an instructor in advance of known
absences. If you experience an unforeseeable problem (extended illness, death, injury,
etc.), please inform me so that I am aware of your predicament and perhaps, with proper
verification, I can grant additional excused absences. I generally do not give out notes or
slides (handouts are an exception) for absent students regardless of the circumstances
unless provided to the entire class. However, if you have any specific questions about the
material discussed in-class, please do not hesitate to ask me. Showing up late for class,
i.e. after attendance has been taken, will result in an absence. Further, sleeping and
 unapproved cell phone or computer usage will count as class absences. Likewise,
leaving class early without previously notifying the instructor will result in an absence. If
you have excessive absences I retain the right to further reduce your overall course
grade.

Participation is important, especially in small classes, as it lets me know that you are
engaged and understanding the materials. Attendance is part of this, but asking
questions, answering questions, and joining class discussions will be noticed.

Grading

(Exams * .3) + (General Assignments * .15) + (Research Project * .4) +

(Participation/Attendance * .15) = Final Grade

Grade Scale

A 90-100
B 89-80
C 79-70
D 69-60
F <60

Pluses and Minuses will only be used to help students (boost grade) not to punish.

Rubric

Assignments are used to demonstrate your mastery in the course. This includes: following
direction, clarity, grammar, connections with material in class, quality of submissions, etc.

A Excellent: Well above and beyond the expectations

B Proficient: Above Average
C Sufficient: Average; you did the work
D Insufficient: You did the work poorly
F Lacking: Student did not do the work, handed in work that could not be graded
+/- Delineates between the above criteria

Additional Information

Student Special Needs:

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) provides protection from illegal
discrimination for qualified individuals with disabilities. Students requesting instructional
accommodations due to disabilities must arrange for such accommodations by contacting Kristin
Wempen, the Director of AACE (Academic Achievement Center), at 585-8209 or
Kristin.wempen@waldorf.edu.
Any student who requires special accommodations should provide the appropriate
documentation from the AACE by the end of the second week of class. If your condition is
identified during the semester, please see me as soon as possible after you have received the
relevant supporting documentation so we can make arrangements to accommodate you for the
remainder of the term.

Classroom Courtesy & Participation:

Students are expected to show courtesy to their classmates during lecture by refraining from
talking or other distracting behavior, which includes but is not limited to cell phone noise, text
messaging, social media/internet usage, snoring, etc. I realize cell phones are an excellent tool
for rapid access to information relevant to our course but most people do not utilize them this
way. As such, there is no cell phone usage allowed in class unless specified by me. Set your cell
phones to silent mode and put them away. If I see you using your phone in an unsanctioned
activity I will ask you to leave the classroom. If you are expecting, or required, to answer
emergency calls please let me know before class starts. This way if you receive a phone call you
absolutely must answer you may quietly excuse yourself from the classroom and then answer the
phone. Computers and other electronic devices (e.g. tablets) will be judged on a case-by-case
basis. If I notice you are distracted by the device I will ask you to put it away.

Throughout the semester we may be talking about sensitive topics including religion, gender,
race, politics and other topics. Everyone is encouraged and expected to participate in these
discussions. Disagreements may occur but respect must be maintained at all times. The
educational system should be a safe place to share ones beliefs without the fear of any type of
intimidation. I will not tolerate disrespect and please see me if you believe your academic
freedom has been violated.

In-class discussion will correspond to the material found in course readings and lecture material.
Learning is facilitated through the interaction process which involves both the instructor and
student in an environment that permits open, meaningful discussion, and a general respect for the
opinions of others. Students who participate frequently in-class often do better on their exams
and other assessments. Questions are strongly encouraged since it is sometimes difficult to obtain
a clear understanding of course materials without some level of discussion.

E-mail Etiquette:
E-mail exchanges with your professor should be treated as a professional interaction. You are not
texting your friends or acquaintances and should not treat it as such. In many ways this
interaction is no different than writing a business letter and should contain the proper parts of a
letter including an appropriate salutation, specific language, grammatically correct body, and a
signature. Improperly formatted e-mails will not be acknowledged. Further, Waldorf has
provided you with a Waldorf.edu email address. Due to certain legal restrictions I will not
respond to external e-mail addresses regarding assignments, absences, or other educationally
related inquiries.

Also, I do not discuss grades via email. If you have questions about your grades you can meet
with me in person or on Bb Collaborate. Any inquiries about grades via email will result in
your final grade being dropped an entire letter grade. This is all due to FERPA regulations.

NOTE: This does not mean I will not discuss grades, as some have complained to others. I will
not do it via email. You have the syllabus and all assignments handed back or posted to Bb’s
Gradebook. To say “Dr. Schlaerth will not discuss grades with me” is false.

Writing Style:
Papers that you write in this class and while at Waldorf University in Criminal Justice must
follow the guidelines set by the American Psychological Association (http://apastyle.apa.org).
Check the Purdue OWL website or visit the Writing Center in the library for assistance with
APA Style.

Visit the OWL, writing lab, or meet with me, whenever you have an APA question. APA style is
one of the most utilized writing style in the academic disciplines of criminal justice, criminology,
sociology, and psychology.
Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/) .

Visit the following link for a tutorial on how to write using the APA format. APA Tutorial
(http://www.apastyle.org/learn/)

Late Assignments/Exams:
Late/missed exams are not permitted unless there is a documented approved reason or other
extenuating reason that you missed the exam. Missed exams/assignments cannot be considered
for excusal unless documentation or evidence is provided. I further retain the ability to assign an
alternative exam for missed exams. If a pre-planned college approved absence (e.g. athletics) is
provided a make-up exam must be completed prior to your planned absence. If you receive an
excused absence for illness, or other non-planned absence, you have two days to complete your
missed exam upon your return.

Acceptable documented excuses include, but are not limited to severe personal illness, serious
accidents, family death, military duty, religious holy days, and court appearances. Except in the
cases of family death and severe personal illness you must notify me a week in advance to
qualify for excused late-assignments.

Technology: Problems with technology are not an acceptable excuse for late submission of your
assignments/exams. You MUST assume that technology will fail you at some point. You cannot
and should not assume that everything will go smoothly when it comes to computers, flash
drives, and the internet. It is incumbent upon you to PLAN AHEAD and not leave your work for
the last possible moment.

Academic dishonesty: Academic dishonesty of any sort will not be tolerated, academic
dishonesty includes various forms of plagiarism and cheating. Waldorf University takes
academic honesty and integrity very seriously. All students should be familiar with the Waldorf
University Academic Integrity Policy (which is found in the current Student Handbook on the
campus website). You should also be familiar with the consequences that will result from
breaches in this policy. At a bare minimum you will receive a zero on the assignment in
which academic dishonesty was discovered. If you have any questions about what academic
dishonesty, plagiarism, or cheating consist of please feel free to ask me or anyone else at
Waldorf.

NOTE: Two copies of all papers will be submitted, one on Bb within the proper assignment
section so SafeAssign can check for plagiarism and a paper copy, handed in to me.

NOTE: Our department is going to start taking a ZERO tolerance policy on plagiarism. All
incidents of plagiarism will be reported as academic integrity violations, regardless of the
circumstances.

PLEASE ask me about using artificial intelligence to write your paper.

Course Outline
Reading of the assigned chapters should be completed prior to attending class. I will keep you
up-to-date on the readings in-class and via Blackboard.

This syllabus does not constitute a contract. The instructor reserves the right to change this
syllabus and any of its contents at any time during the course by notifying students in the
classroom.

Course Schedule TBD