Middlebury

NPTG8632A-F16

Seminar: Eco-Radicalism

This seminar is designed to provide an in-depth examination of certain key aspects of contemporary terrorism, and is specifically intended for graduate students who have already taken lecture-oriented undergraduate or graduate courses dealing with terrorism. The class will be divided into three separate portions. During the first portion, after a session devoted to the provision of basic information about terrorism, terrorism research methods, “light” and “dark” green environmentalism, and whether militant defense of the environment and “ecotage” fall into the category of terrorism, everyone in the class will read chapters from a series of important recent books that deal with radical ecology and animal rights organizations, as well as ideological treatises produced by activists associated with those milieus. Given that the FBI has identified eco-radical groups as a significant domestic terrorist threat, rightly or wrongly, it is necessary for every student interested in terrorism to become more knowledgeable about the ideologies, agendas, and activities of the “primitivist,” deep ecology, and animal liberation groups that promote and employ certain forms of violence. During the brief second portion of the course, students will spend their time working independently on the individual research topics they have selected, which can deal with any aspect of environmentalism or terrorism that interests them. During the third and final portion, each student will give an oral report in class to present and analyze his or her research findings, which will then be discussed by the entire class. Near the end of this last portion of the class, if not earlier, students must submit their completed research papers. The course requirements are as follows: regular attendance and active participation in class discussions (30% of grade), an oral report to be delivered in class (30% of grade), and/or a 15-20 page research paper (40% of grade).
Course Reference Number (CRN):
90996
Subject Code:
NPTG
Course Number:
8632
Section Identifier:
A

Course

NPTG 8632

All Sections in Fall 2016 - MIIS

Fall 2016 - MIIS

NPTG8632A-F16 Seminar (Bale)