Teaching About Terrorism: University of Roehampton

Teaching About Terrorism is a 2009/10 research project funded by C-SAP, one of the Higher Education Academy's subject networks. The project aims to research the extent and nature of teaching about terrorism in UK Universities, primarily in the disciplines of Sociology, Politics and Criminology.

Freedom of Information Request 1

• Does your institution provide any information or advice to students or staff on any potential liability under Terrorism legislation which might result from accessing materials for teaching or research? If so please provide copies of any documents held which detail or refer to such information or advice.

Roehampton University does not systematically provide any information or advice to students or staff on their potential liability under terrorism legislation which might result from accessing materials for teaching or research. It is of course possible that individual members of staff may, on an ad hoc basis and on their own initiative provide some information of this nature to students, or that academic staff receive advice from their senior colleagues for their own research or academic purposes.

• Does your institution have any kind of procedure to review or assess reading lists, module descriptors or other teaching materials which explicitly or in practice considers questions of safety and risk under terrorism legislation as part of its remit? For example does the institution have anything similar or analogous to the 'module review process' established at Nottingham University described here : If so please supply full details of this policy and procedure and advise when and how it was decided upon and implemented.

The University has not adopted any procedure to review or assess reading lists, module descriptors or other teaching materials which explicitly or in practice considers questions of safety and risk under terrorism legislation as part of its remit.

• Does your institution have any system, policy or procedure in place for dealing with any potential actions taken by the authorities against the institution, its students or staff under Terrorism legislation ? If so please supply a copy of the policy and advise the date it was decided upon and implemented.

The University would treat action (of which it became aware) against the institution, its students or its staff under terrorism legislation in a manner analogous to the situation of any action being taken against the institution, its students or staff under criminal legislation. There are no specific systems, policies or procedures relating to terrorism legislation as such.

• Does your institution have any system, policy or procedure in place for ‘preventing violent extremism’ as recommended for example in the government guidance document ‘Promoting Good Campus Relations’? Please indicate what procedures or policy exist and advise when it was decided upon and implemented, and provide copies of any documents held which detail or refer to such policy or procedures.

The form used by the University for booking rooms solicits information that would allow the University to identify if the proposed use of the room raises issues with respect to public safety. A copy of the booking form is attached. The University has also adopted a policy entitled Guidelines for Engaging with Sensitive Issues which can be found at. The approval date is shown on the Guidelines which would have been available for implementation thereafter. The Event request booking form has recently been revised and the current version is attached.

Resources

• Freedom of Information Results, Teaching About Terrorism: FOI Results
• University of Roehampton, E-Mail Response to Teaching About Terrorism FOI 1, Scribd
• University of Roehampton, Teaching About Terrorism Response to FOI 1, Scribd
• University of Roehampton, Event Booking Form, Scribd