The course provides an advanced understanding of terrorism as a historical and global phenomenon in connection with major types of armed conflict from the twentieth century to the present.
Students analyse causes, actors, ideologies, strategies and practices (propaganda, political violence, state and non‑state terrorism), as well as legal frameworks and institutional responses.
The course develops critical skills to link historical dynamics with contemporary transformations (technologies, transnational networks, internal/external security), assessing their impact on societies, rights, and the international order.
Students apply historical and comparative research tools to interpret case studies and regional scenarios, producing analyses grounded in primary and secondary sources.
Students analyse causes, actors, ideologies, strategies and practices (propaganda, political violence, state and non‑state terrorism), as well as legal frameworks and institutional responses.
The course develops critical skills to link historical dynamics with contemporary transformations (technologies, transnational networks, internal/external security), assessing their impact on societies, rights, and the international order.
Students apply historical and comparative research tools to interpret case studies and regional scenarios, producing analyses grounded in primary and secondary sources.
teacher profile teaching materials
Main contents: 1. Defining Terrorism and War 2. The Roots of Terrorism and the Typologies of Terrorism 3. Why War? 4. The “Anarchist” Wave and the “Era of the Attempts” 5. The First World War and the Second World War 7. The “Anti-colonial” Wave and the Wars of Decolonization: Algeria and beyond 8. Cold War Conflicts 9. Nationalist and Separatist Terrorism in Europe: ETA and IRA 10. The Ideological Wave 11. The Arab-Israeli Conflict 12. The “Religious” Wave and the Rise of Islamist Terrorism 13. After the Cold War: “New Wars” and a “New Terrorism”? 14. al-Qaeda and ISIS 15. The Response to Terrorism and the Role of Mass Media 16. Terrorism in Italy: A General Overview 17. “Black” Terrorism: History and Features 18. “Red” Terrorism: History and Features 19. The “Aldo Moro Murder Case” and its Impact on the Italian Political System 20. The Italian Response to the Terrorist Threat 21. Italian Terrorism: Memories and Representations 22. Interpretations of Italian Terrorism
2) Jeremy Black, Le guerre nel mondo contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006;
3) Giovanni Mario Ceci, Il terrorismo italiano. Storia di un dibattito, Roma, Carocci, 2013.
Programme
The course aims to provide an advanced preparation to the history of terrorism and conflicts in the 20th and 21st centuries in global perspective. A section of the course will be devoted to the history of terrorism in Italy from the 1960s to the 1980s.Main contents: 1. Defining Terrorism and War 2. The Roots of Terrorism and the Typologies of Terrorism 3. Why War? 4. The “Anarchist” Wave and the “Era of the Attempts” 5. The First World War and the Second World War 7. The “Anti-colonial” Wave and the Wars of Decolonization: Algeria and beyond 8. Cold War Conflicts 9. Nationalist and Separatist Terrorism in Europe: ETA and IRA 10. The Ideological Wave 11. The Arab-Israeli Conflict 12. The “Religious” Wave and the Rise of Islamist Terrorism 13. After the Cold War: “New Wars” and a “New Terrorism”? 14. al-Qaeda and ISIS 15. The Response to Terrorism and the Role of Mass Media 16. Terrorism in Italy: A General Overview 17. “Black” Terrorism: History and Features 18. “Red” Terrorism: History and Features 19. The “Aldo Moro Murder Case” and its Impact on the Italian Political System 20. The Italian Response to the Terrorist Threat 21. Italian Terrorism: Memories and Representations 22. Interpretations of Italian Terrorism
Core Documentation
1) Francesco Benigno, Terrore e terrorismo. Saggio storico sulla violenza politica, Torino, Einaudi, 2018;2) Jeremy Black, Le guerre nel mondo contemporaneo, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2006;
3) Giovanni Mario Ceci, Il terrorismo italiano. Storia di un dibattito, Roma, Carocci, 2013.
Reference Bibliography
No additional readings provided.Attendance
Attendance is not mandatory. To be considered “attending students”, students cannot miss more than 10% of the classes.Type of evaluation
- Only for students attending the course: it is possible (not compulsory) to enroll for a mid-term oral exam, to be taken during the course (esonero). - For students not attending the course, the assessment takes exclusively the form of an oral exam during exam sessions. The exam consists of several questions aimed at verifying the student's level of knowledge. The evaluation is based on the following criteria: knowledge of the main contents of the program; clarity, efficacy and accuracy of the vocabulary used by the student; the ability to show a critical approach.