Course Syllabus

FES 4884: Introduction to terrorism

Course Description

Introduces the fundamental concepts, theories, principles, and practice of terrorism and terrorist
events. This course introduces the threat of terrorism and impact on community preparedness by
identifying the concepts of terrorism. The course compares and contrasts the historical roots of
terrorism to contemporary society by critiquing past terrorism preventative measures and
analyzing terrorism impacts on society.

Credit Hours: 3

Textbook: No Textbook. All readings are provided within each module.

Additional Resources: https://dcp.ufl.edu/rinker/academics/fes-course-descriptions/ 

Prerequisite Knowledge and Skills: None

Download a copy of the SYLLABUS

Learning Objectives

The student will be able to:

• Recognize the threat of terrorism and impact on community preparedness
• Identify the concepts of terrorism
• Describe specific ways to reduce the terror threat
• Compare & contrast the historical roots of terrorism to contemporary society
• Critique past terrorism preventative measures
• Analyze terrorism impacts on society

Course Goals

How This Course Relates to the Student Learning Outcomes in the Fire & Emergency
Services program: Demonstrate strong verbal and written communication skills for leadership
in fire and emergency services.

• Teaching Philosophy: I am looking for students to demonstrate a working knowledge of the subject. You need to be creative when you complete your assignments but maintain a professional appearance of your work. Your work should be completed in such a manner that someone can pick up your document and understand what you are trying to convey. Your work should be supported with research and cited in APA format. 

• Instructional Methods:The course is designed for individual and group interactivity. It is important to post and respond to discussion questions in the course within the time frame allotted. This provides a learning environment by networking with other students in the course. The assignments are individual base to give you the opportunity to do a variety of activities, in many cases, similar to what you will be doing in role as a leader in the emergency services profession.g

Course Policies

Attendance Policy: The course is designed in module format. You should check the site at least once a week. You are required to complete the assignments including discussion questions within the time period designated on the module. There will be meetings set up throughout the course. Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found in the online catalog at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx.

• Assignments & Discussions:  All assignments and discussions have a due date. Please be sure to check the dates and times they are due in each module. All due dates are set in order to provide consistency with the discussions and assignment submission. Each module will be opened early so you have time to read the material, formulate and answer discussions and finish and submit the assignment. Each discussion and assignment will be closed one week after the due date.
• Final Project:  There is a final project for this course. There are no exams or quizzes. The final project will cover all material learned and discussed throughout the course.
• Make-up Policy:  You must contact me, prior to the assignment deadline if you are going to be late on any discussion or assignment to receive credit. In the event of an unforeseen inability to complete an assignment, due to technology, notify me as soon as possible.
• Course Technology: Class meetings will require a web camera and mic/audio. If you are not able to use a web camera you will need to at least provide audio/mic, you can call in on a phone also. 

Canvas Information & Technology

Class meetings may require a web camera and mic/audio. If you are not able to use a web camera you will need to at least provide audio/mic, you can call in on a phone also. Otherwise, discussions and assignments will be web based and submissions will occur electronically. If technology help is required, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

• Learning-support@ufl.edu
• (352) 392-HELP - select option 2
• https://lss.at.ufl.edu/help.shtml

Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from LSS when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.

Other resources are available athttp://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for:

• Counseling and Wellness resources
• Disability resources
• Resources for handling student concerns and complaints
• Library Help Desk support

Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints to submit a complaint.

UF online/internet privacy statement: http://privacy.ufl.edu/privacy-policies-and-procedures/onlineinternet-privacy-statement/​

UF Honor Code

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honor and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code.  On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”

The Honor Code (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions.  Furthermore, you are obliged to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor of in this class.

UF Policies

University Policy on Accommodating Students with Disabilities: Students requesting accommodation for disabilities must first register with the Dean of Students Office. Here is the link. 

The Dean of Students Office will provide documentation to the student who must then provide this documentation to the instructor when requesting accommodation. You must submit this documentation prior to submitting assignments or taking the quizzes or exams. Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the office as soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations.

University Policy on Academic Conduct:

UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." 

Netiquette: Communication Courtesy:  All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. 

Grading Scale

Course Grades

Late Assignments and Discussion Posts

• Assignments 48 hours late will receive a 10% deduction in their grade.
• Assignments more than 48 hours but less than 30 days late will receive a 20% deduction in their grade.
• Assignments more than 30 days late but submitted during the semester will receive a 50% deduction in their grade.
• Discussions more than 48 hours late will receive a 25% deduction in their grade.
• Discussions more than 48 hours later will receive a 50% deduction in their grade.

Please note: Any student have less than 75% of their work complete for the semester cannot earn an “I” contract. If you have 75% of the work complete, you can propose an I contract to the instructor. It is your responsibility to keep your instructor informed at all times. The instructor does have the right under extenuating circumstances with proper notification to assist the student by extending the above time requirements.*Points will be deducted for all late assignments.

Information on current UF grading policies for assigning grade points:

To convert the final grade to credit hours please refer to by using the link to the web page:  https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx

Course Schedule

Evaluation Process

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.