F1IS 5520 - Understanding and Responding to Violent Extremism

Why do some people join violent extremist or terrorist groups, and what can be done to prevent this? Policy debates often overlook the motivations of individuals involved in terror, oversimplifying the complex nature of radicalization. Understanding these motivations allows for more nuanced and effective responses. This course uses four complementary methodologies:

Human-centred perspective:Adopting a human security lens, the class focuses on personal stories and biographies to understand motivations behind violent extremism. This bottom-up approach identifies push and pull factors and helps design tailored, context-specific interventions.

Multi-disciplinary approach:Drawing on security, sociological, socio-economic, ideological, psychological, gender, youth, and prison perspectives, each approach is used to dissect relevant elements before constructing a comprehensive picture.

Interplay between individuals and society:The course analyzes push and pull factors at micro, meso, and macro levels, examining how personal motivations, social networks, institutions, and broader socio-political dynamics interact to shape behaviour and to inform strategic responses.

Critical thinking for problem-solving:Students learn to assess causes of VE through multiple disciplinary lenses and to develop concrete prevention, countering, and rehabilitation programmes while evaluating existing policies. They also gain presentation, facilitation, and moderating skills through interactive learning.

At the end of the semester, students participate in a workshop where they scrutinize CVE and CT strategies from different countries using the approaches studied, followed by a tabletop simulation in which they role-play and propose concrete measures at various stages of a crisis.

The class meets for 30 hours: 24 hours at the rate of 2 hours a week for 12 weeks, and a 6 hour policy workshop on a Saturday at the end of the semester.

Learning Outcomes:

Understand the multidimensional causes of violent extremism, including security, ideological, sociological, socio-economic, psychological, gender, youth, and prison-related factors, and how push-pull dynamics operate at micro, meso, and macro levels.

Analyze motivations of individuals involved in violent extremism through a human‑centred, human‑security approach grounded in biographies, personal stories, and contextual factors, and identify how these inform tailored interventions.

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each disciplinary approach to explaining and responding to violent extremism, including their assumptions, analytical contributions, and policy implications.

Apply multiple theoretical frameworks simultaneously to assess a case study of a violent extremist, explaining pathways into VE and proposing evidence‑based prevention, countering, and rehabilitation measures.

Critically assess national and international CT/PVE strategies by examining their integration of multidisciplinary approaches and identifying gaps and areas for improvement.

Professional Skills:

Critical thinking and analytical reasoning using multiple disciplinary lenses.

Policy design and evaluation, including formulation of prevention, countering, and rehabilitation programmes at micro/meso/macro levels.

Facilitation, moderation, and presentation skills developed through leading thematic sessions.

Applied problem‑solving in real‑time scenarios through the end‑of‑semester TableTop simulation.

Collaborative teamwork and professional communication through group hosting sessions and collective assignments.

Previous classes on terrorism/counter-terrorism will provide a comparative aspect but are purely optional. This class is a multidisciplinary approach to the question of terrorism and extremism. Students have to bring an open mind to the class, critical thinking, independence, and interest.

CONTENT AND ASSIGNMENT

• After two introduction sessions where definitions are laid out and motivations looked at in general, the following classes each take a different approach to understanding and responding to violent extremism (ideological, sociological, psychological, socio-economic, gender, youth). The last two thematic sessions concern bridging classes where the process of radicalization to violent extremism is looked at in prisons and through the Internet. The class ends with a Saturday workshop where different countries’ strategies are scrutinized using our approaches, before engaging in a simulation exercise.
• At the beginning of the semester, students will choose which of the thematic classes (starting with session 3) they would like to ‘host’ in groups of 3.
• One week before each class, the professor will send all students a PPT presentation of various profiles of violent extremists/terrorists, with some short videos to watch. All students are required to look at the slides and the videos and come to class with ideas, based on the profiles sent, the readings and questions sent in advance to guide reflection. The host students can draw on the profiles for the thematic discussions.
• During the first hour of the class (1h), the professor will present the theoretical part and guide discussions among students based on the profiles they looked at and the readings.

This course will function as an interactive seminar. Students are expected to complete the assigned readings and review the slides and profiles sent by the professor before each session in order to participate fully and actively. Course requirements include:

• COLLECTIVE ASSIGNMENT (Group of 3): Oral presentation of a profile and leading a class exercise on responses - 50% of the grade. Oral presentation during the thematic session, 7-10 pages write-up due one week later

Each group of three students will deliver a 10 minutes oral presentation introducing a selected profile of a violent extremist/terrorist and analyzing the push and pull factors through the lens of the assigned thematic approach. This will be followed by the group moderating a class exercise on what could have been done to respond (prevention and rehabilitation) at the micro, meso, and macro levels for 20 minutes.

The written component - a 7-0 page Word document - must include the profile analysis and a summary of the class exercises, along with any PPT used.

Evaluation will be based on creativity; analytical coherence within the chosen thematic approach; effective use of readings; the strength and clarity of the scenario; the ability to guide the class through the policy exercise; and the quality of the written summary.

Detailed guidelines will be distributed at the start of the semester.

• INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT - 40% of the grade. 10-15 pages, due 2 weeks after end of class

The individual assignment may take a format of the student's choice, with prior approval of the instructor. Possible formats include (among others):

An academic research paper on a topic of the student's choice (using the frameworks and approaches studied in class).

A creative project, such as a short story, visual project, or podcast. (with written transcript).

A comprehensive analysis of one violent extremist/terrorist, drawing on all relevant thematic approaches studied in the course. The paper must include (1) an analytical section explaining how and why the individual became a violent extremist, using the approaches and relevant push and pull factors studied in class; and (2) a policy section outlining specific actions, actors, and measures that could have prevented the individual's pathway into extremism, using the relevant approaches and the micro/meso/macro levels.

• INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPATION - 10% of the grade

Active and informed participation in class debates and discussions, including contributions based on the assigned readings.

In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester + 6 hours in a workshop at end of class: 30 hours (this is a 13 session class)

Online learning activities: 1 hour a week/13 hours a semester (Reviewing profiles, watching short videos, and engaging with materials posted on Moodle before each thematic session.)

Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week/52hours a semester (Required readings, reviewing PPTs, preparing for discussions, and analyzing the weekly profiles sent in advance.)

Research and Preparation for Group Work: 24 hours per semester (Preparing a profile to analyze, designing policy exercises, coordinating facilitation, preparing PPT, and writing the summary)

Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 24 hours a semester (Researching, analyzing, and writing the individual case-study paper, including meetings with the professor if needed.)

The class meets for 30 hours: 24 hours at the rate of 2 hours a week for 12 weeks, and a 6 hour policy workshop on a Saturday at the end of the semester.

Readings for the sessions will be posted at the beginning of the semester. Skimming through the readings is a requirement.

The PowerPoint presentation of the professor will be put on the Moodle drive for students after each

The class is interactive, and students are expected to contribute to discussions with their examples from the readings and from their experiences and opinions.

After two introduction sessions where definitions are laid out and motivations looked at in general, the following classes each take a different approach to understanding and responding to violent extremism (ideological, sociological, psychological, socio-economic, gender, youth). The last two thematic sessions concern bridging classes where the process of radicalization to violent extremism is looked at in prisons and through the Internet. The class ends with a Saturday workshop where different countries' strategies are scrutinized using our approaches, before engaging in a simulation exercise.

One week before each class, the professor will send all students a PPT presentation of various profiles of violent extremists/terrorists, with some short videos to watch. All students are required to look at the slides and the videos and come to class with ideas, based on the profiles sent, the readings and questions sent in advance to guide reflection.

During the first hour and half of the class (1.30 h), the professor will present the theoretical part and guide discussions among students based on the profiles they looked at and the

For the last 30 minutes of thematic sessions (starting with session 3), a host group of students (in groups of 3) will present a profile and guide students through policy exercises on how to understand and respond.