Social and Behavioral Science Contributions to TerrorismRelated Research and Education

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Social and Behavioral Science Contributions to
Terrorism-Related Research and Education
17 April 2007 Food Defense Education Post
9/11 Michigan State University
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Centers of Excellence Program
The ST Directorate is developing a robust,
results-oriented network of Homeland Security
Centers of Excellence (COEs) to leverage the
independent thinking and ground-breaking
capabilities of the Nations colleges and
universities.  The COEs are conducting
multidisciplinary research and education, each
focused on an area critical to homeland
security. Under Secretary Jay M. Cohen 

• National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of
  Terrorism Events (CREATE)
• National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic
  Disease Defense (FAZDD)
• National Center for Food Protection and Defense
  (NCFPD)
• National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism
  and Responses to Terrorism (START)
• National Center for the Study of Preparedness and
  Catastrophic Event Response (PACER)

Four new COEs to be added in FY2008
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START

• Mission
• To harness the methods and resources of the
  social and behavioral sciences towards a better
  understanding of the
• Formation of terrorist groups
• Dynamics of terrorist groups
• Social and psychological impacts of terrorism
• To translate this new and cutting-edge research
  on terrorism into increased educational
  opportunities
• Primary Disciplines
• Anthropology Communications Criminology
  Economics Geography History Political Science
  Psychology Sociology
• Primary Methodologies
• Survey instruments
• Experimentation
• Analysis of statistical data
• Archival research
• Ethnographic fieldwork

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STARTs Educational Philosophy

• 2001-2007 Boom in homeland security-related
  educational programs
• Wide variation in academic rigor and
  interdisciplinarity of new programs
• Repacking of coursework in security policy,
  international relations, and/or criminal justice
• Focus on vocational training and practical needs
  of the first-responder community
• Lack of any truly interdisciplinary programs
  emphasizing rigorous, research-based training
• 2005 National Research Council of the National
  Academies convened the Committee on Educational
  Paradigms for Homeland Security Policy and Global
  Affairs

• Issued report Frameworks for Higher Education in
  Homeland Security
• START draws on three primary recommendations from
  the report
• A comprehensive education in topics related to
  homeland security requires inputs from multiple
  perspectives and disciplines
• Education in this area must combine efforts to
  teach content knowledge with instruction in the
  skills and capabilities essential for academic
  and professional work relevant to terrorism
• Providing students with experiential learning
  opportunities will enhance their education as
  well as increase their level of interest in the
  study of terrorism and homeland security

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START Educational Programs

• Undergraduate Minor in Terrorism Studies
• Three new courses Terrorist Motivations and
  Behaviors Responses to Terrorism Practice of
  Terrorism Studies
• Anticipated Launch Fall 2007
• Graduate Certificate in Terrorism Analysis
• Launch Spring 2007
• Limited-enrollment graduate program currently
  open only to new analyst cohort at Booz Allen
  Hamilton
• Four courses (three new) Motivations and Intents
  of Terrorists and Terrorist Groups Trends in
  Terrorism and Counterterrorism Tools and
  Practices of Terrorism Analysis Homeland
  Security
• Partner University of Maryland School of Public
  Policy
• Joppatowne High School Homeland Security and
  Emergency Preparedness Program
• START staff serving on advisory committee to
  evaluate classroom curricula pertaining to
  homeland security
• Anticipated Launch September 2007

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A Sampling of START Curricula

• Behavioral and Social Sciences 699W Motivations
  and Intents of Terrorists and Terrorist Groups

• Pilot offering Spring 2007
• Major course topics
• Contending theories on why specific individuals
  and groups employ terrorist tactics in certain
  conditions
• Theories on the extent to which individual
  characteristics and socioeconomic contexts foster
  acceptance of the use of terrorism
• Theories on how the goals of terrorist groups
  impact their behavior
• Behavioral and Social Sciences 388 Terrorism in
  Africa
• One-time offering Summer 2007
• Major course topics
• Historical case studies colonial terrorism in
  Kenya, Apartheid-related terrorism in South
  Africa, terror and genocide in Rwanda
• African Union approaches to counterterrorism
• Behavioral and Social Sciences 331 Responses to
  Terrorism
• Pilot offering Spring 2008
• Major course topics
• Impact of terrorism on societies and on
  individuals
• Community preparedness and response capabilities

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START Resource Global Terrorism Database

• START is compiling and validating the largest
  open-source database on domestic and
  international terrorist events in the world
• 2003-2005
• START researchers coded and computerized a
  database originally collected by the Pinkerton
  Corporations Global Intelligence Services (PGIS)
• PGIS data included 69,000 terrorist incidents,
  with information on type of activity, incident
  date, location, groups claiming responsibility,
  weapons used, victim characteristics, target
  characteristics and incident outcome
• 2005-Present
• START building off this framework to create the
  Global Terrorism Database (GTD) and make it the
  most comprehensive open-source database on global
  terrorism ever assembled
• START working to develop GTD as a real-time
  resource
• May 2007
• START will release GTD data via web page linked
  off of the START site
• Spring 2008
• START plans to develop and release analytical
  tools available through the GTD page, including
  comparative analytical and visualization tools

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GTD Terrorist Activity by Region, 1970-1997
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GTD Terrorist Activity by Country
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GTD Terrorist Activity by City
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GTD Spatial Diffusion of Terrorist Incidents
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GTD Spatial Diffusion of Terrorist Incidents
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START Resource International Survey Data

• START is collecting a range of international
  survey data from individuals in countries that
  have demonstrated perceptible levels of
  anti-United States sentiment
• Intended to generate a more accurate picture of
  attitudes and beliefs about the use of terror and
  about the United States and its policies
• Goal of generating descriptive data and
  incorporating anonymous individual-level data
  into analyses of factors affecting terrorist
  group formation, recruitment, and behavior
• Conducting surveys in select countries which meet
  two essential criteria
• There is evidence of recruitment for terrorist
  groups affiliated with al Qaeda or groups seeking
  to attack U.S. interests
• It is possible to conduct polling without
  excessive government censorship and where the
  security situation permits polling
• Topics addressed in focus groups and surveys
  include
• Views of globalization and modernization
• Attitudes towards social and political
  institutions
• Perceptions of the United States and its
  foreign-policy intentions

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Internet Survey Results Support for Attacks on
U.S. Troops and Civilians
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Internet Survey Results Moroccan Perceptions of
U.S. War on Terrorism
Do you think the primary goal of what the United
States calls the war on terrorism is to
Morocco
Weaken and divide the Islamic religion and its
people
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Achieve political and military domination to
control Middle East resources
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Protect itself from terrorist attacks
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Internet Survey Results Moroccan Perceptions of
U.S. War on Terrorism
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START Resource Social Vulnerability Index

• Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI)
• Intended to identify areas that will be most
  vulnerable in the event of a terrorist attack or
  other disaster
• Index synthesizes 42 socioeconomic and built
  environment variables to assess vulnerability

• Variables derived from social science literature
  on factors known to reduce community
  preparedness, response, and recovery
  capabilities, including
• Socioeconomic status
• Elderly and children
• Development density
• Rural agriculture
• Race
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Infrastructure
• Employment
• County debt/revenue

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SoVI Social Vulnerability, State of Michigan
(2000)

• SoVI supplies
• Maps detailing social vulnerability by county
• Accompanying data
• SoVi can be accessed through the University of
  South Carolinas Hazards and Vulnerability
  Institute website http//www.cas.sc.edu/geog/hrl/
  sovi.html

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Takeaways Roles for Social Science in Food
Defense Education
The social and behavioral sciences bring
important insights to a range of factors relevant
to the risks posed by terrorism
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Contact Information
Katherine Worboys, Ph.D. Education
Director National Consortium for the Study of
Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism 3300 Symons
Hall University of Maryland College Park, MD
20742 Office 301/405-6600 Fax
301/314-1980 kworboys_at_start.umd.edu