Module POL3000 for 2021/2
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL3000: Deadly Words: The Language of Political Violence
This module descriptor refers to the 2021/2 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover the following topics, broadly divided in two parts (theoretical, then empirical):
- What is extremist language?
- Theory: Basic concepts in political communication
- Theory: Polarizing Intergroup language.
- Theory: Plots, narratives, conspiracies.
- Theory: Visual imagery
- Case 1: Nazi propaganda
- Case 2: Forum discussion on case-study.
- Case 3: Rwandan genocidaires’ radio
- Case 4: Salafi-jihadi groups’ communications
- Case 5: The far-right online ecosystem
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
---|---|---|
22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
---|---|---|
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 78 | Reading and preparations for seminars |
Guided Independent Study | 50 | Research and writing required for completion of course work |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
- ELE – http://vle.exeter.ac.uk/
- German Propaganda Archives at Calvin College: http://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/index.htm.
- Rwanda Radio Transcripts at Concordia University: http://www.concordia.ca/research/migs/resources/rwanda-radio-transcripts.html.
- The Genocide Archive of Rwanda collection: http://genocidearchiverwanda.org.rw/index.php?title=COLLECTIONS.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
Basic readings:
Berntzen L.E., Sandberg S. (2014) “The Collective Nature of Lone Wolf Terrorism: Anders Behring Breivik and the Anti-Islamic Social Movement, Terrorism & Political Violence 26(5): 759-779.
Bhatia M. (2005) “Fighting Words: Naming Terrorists, Bandits, Rebels and Other Violent Actors”, Third World Quarterly 26(1): 5-22.
Buzan B., Waever O., De Wilde J. (1998) Security: A New Framework for Analysis. Boulder: Lynne Rienner.
Fekete L. (2011) “The Muslim conspiracy theory and the Oslo massacre”, Race & Class 53(3): 30-47.
Halfmann D., Young M. (2010) “War Pictures: The Grotesque as a Mobilizing Tactic”, Mobilization: An International Quarterly 15(1): 1-24
Halverson J., Goodall H., Corman S. (2011) Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Hewstone M., Cairns E. (2001) “Social Psychology and Intergroup Conflict”, in Chirot, Seligman (eds.) Ethnopolitical Warfare: Causes, Consequences, and Possible Solutions. Washington DC: American Psychological Association, pp.319-342.
Ingram H. (2016) “An analysis of Islamic State’s Dabiq magazine”, Australian Journal of Political Science, Early view.
Ingram H. (2016b) “Deciphering the Siren Call of Militant Islamist Propaganda: Meaning, Credibility and Behavioural Change”, ICCT Research Paper, online document.
Ingram H. (2017) “An Analysis of Inspire and Dabiq: Lessons from AQAP and Islamic State’s Propaganda War”, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 40(5): 357-375.
Kunda Z. (1999) Social Cognition. Making Sense of People. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Lasswell H. (1927) “The Theory of Political Propaganda”, American Political Science Review 21(3): 627-631.
McCauley C., Moskalenko S. (2008) “Mechanisms of Political Radicalization: Pathways Toward Terrorism”, Terrorism & Political Violence 20(3): 415-433.
Milton D. (2016) Communication Breakdown: Unraveling the Islamic State’s Media Efforts”, Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point, online document available at https://ctc.usma.edu/posts/communication-breakdown-unraveling-the-islamic-states-media-efforts.
Oliver J., Wood T. (2014) “Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion”, American Journal of Political Science 58(4): 952-966.
Pegelow T. (2006) “Determining ‘People of German Blood’, ‘Jews’ and ‘Mischlinge’: The Reich Kinship Office and the Competing Discourses and Powers of Nazism, 1941–1943”, Contemporary European History 15(1): 43-65.
Reicher S., Hopkins N., Levine M., Rath R. (2005) “Entrepreneurs of Hate and Entrepreneurs of Solidarity: Social Identity as a Basis for Mass Communication”, International Review of the Red Cross 87(860): 621-637.
Sullivan D., Landau M., Rothschild Z. (2010) “An Existential Function of Enemyship: Evidence that People Attribute Influence to Personal and Political Enemies to Compensate for Threats to Control”, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 98(3): 434-449.
Tajfel H., Turner J. (1979) “An Integrative Theory of Intergroup Conflict”. In Austin W., Worschel S. (eds.) The Social Psychology of Intergroup Relations. Monterey: Brooks.
Whiteside C. (2016) “Lighting the Path: The Evolution of the Islamic State Media Enterprise (2003-2016)”, ICCT Research Paper, online document.
From the module convenor:
Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T., eds. (2019) ISIS Propaganda. Oxford University Press.
Baele S., Boyd K., Coan T. (2019): “Lethal Images: Analysing Extremist Visual Propaganda”, Journal of Global Security Studies, online before print.
Baele S., Brace L., Coan T. (2019): “From ‘Incel’ to ‘Saint’: Analyzing the Violent Worldview behind the 2018 Toronto Attack”, Terrorism & Political Violence, online before print.
Richards H., Baele S., Coan T. (2019): “Studying “Radio Machete”: Towards a Robust Research Programme”, Journal of Genocide Research 21(4).
Baele S. (2019): Conspiratorial Narratives in Violent Political Actors’ Language”, Journal of Language & Social Psychology 38(5-6).
Baele S., Bettiza G., Boyd K., Coan T. (2019) “ISIS’ Clash of Civilizations: Constructing the ‘West’ in Terrorist Propaganda, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, online before print
Baele S., Sterck O., Slingeneyer T., Lits G. (2017) “What Does the “Terrorist” Label Really Do? Measuring and Explaining the Effects of the “Terrorist” and “Islamist” Categories”, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
Baele S., Sterck O., Meur E. (2016) “Theorizing and Measuring Emotions in Conflict. The Case of the 2011 Palestinian Statehood Bid”, Journal of Conflict Resolution 60(4).Baele S., Coan T., Boyd K. (2018) Words of Violence. Theorizing and Mapping Conspiratorial Intergroup Language”, Working Paper.