TEXT:

Reading

1. Moral Psychology of Terrorism (2013)

2. Horgan, J. G. (2017). Psychology of terrorism: Introduction to the special issue. American Psychologist, 72(3), 199-204. doi:10.1037/amp0000148

Forum Assignment for the Week: 300 Words minimum During the previous weeks, we have considered the factors that lead one into the life of terror. This week we will refocus our examination by first reviewing the interview entitled Son of Al Qaeda, about a young Canadian who grew up with bin Laden’s children and was groomed to become a terrorist but instead became a CIA informant.

 

The goal for the week can be thought of as the un-making of a terrorist. To access the interview transcripts go to http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/khadr/

 

As you read the interviews, consider the questions below and share your thoughts on how we can transform former or would be terrorists, making them valuable resources in the efforts to counter terrorism.

 

· How do we un-make terrorists? Should we try? They all cannot be converted to informants.

· For the sake of this discussion, assume that some can re-enter society no longer as threats. Not everyone who becomes a terrorist has to remain one.

· Given that reality, what shall we do to transform them into non-perpetrators of terror?

· What should we look for in determining which terrorist might be a good candidate for un-making?

***Your post must also end with a “Question to the Class” – something related to the topic that you found thought-provoking and about which you’d like to know more and have further dialog. ***

General Instructions Applicable to All Forums:

 Forum post source citation is not required for forum posting in our class.  This is because we are engaging in conversation that happens to be in writing form, not composing essays or research papers. You will, however, need to paraphrase (restate in your own words) any words of published authors in parts of your posts that are based on their work.  Copying of published material, which is plagiarism, is prohibited and any instances of it, including forum posts, will result in a zero score without an option for re-submission to recoup lost points and a report sent to the Registrar’s Office per University policy.

 

Discussion forum posts will be graded on verbal expression, critical thinking, making an effort to not just participate in but contribute to the dialog with initial and reply posts of a substantive nature commensurate with graduate level studies. Posts must have correct grammatical construction, spelling, and punctuation with no texting or other casual style language.

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