PPOL4310 - Law and Terrorism

PPOL 4310 Law and Terrorism (3 semester credit hours) In this course, students confront the complexities of combating terrorism within a system of domestic and international law and rights. The course covers the anti-terrorism policies used by the Bush and Obama Administrations since September 11, 2001. Topics include, but are not limited to, the difficulties of defining boundaries for a War on Terrorism, the treatment of suspected terrorists and their rights under American and international law, the use of physical and psychological interrogation techniques as an information-gathering tool, the mass surveillance of communication, the extrajudicial use of lethal force on suspected terrorists, and the role and legality of whistleblowing and leaking in the publics knowledge of classified policies. In each topic, students learn the details of the governments policy, the competing arguments about its legality made in federal court cases, as well as popular opinion and the leading social science on the policys validity and efficacy. Throughout the course, students also learn about the process of challenging government policy in federal court and the various procedural barriers that insulate executive national-security policy from judicial review. (Same as PSCI 4310) (3-0) R