Teaching About Terrorism: Queen Margaret University

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

According to the response of this University to the initial four part teaching terrorism FOI request, the answer to all four questions was 'no' . The four questions being:

• 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 ?

Queen Margaret University does not provide any such information or advice to students or to staff.

• 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 ?

Queen Margaret University does not have in place such a procedure to review or assess reading lists, module descriptors or other teaching materials. Details of the issues considered as part of programme review may be found at the following url.

• 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?

Queen Margaret University does not have a specific system, policy or procedure in place for deali ng with any potential actions taken by the authorities against the institution, its students or staff under Terrorism legislation. The University does have published procedures for investigating breaches by students of the University's Disciplinary Code . That would include taking action to suspend and where appropriate, exclude any student charged with a serious offence ie one that would be likely to attract a custodial sentence if proved in a criminal court or one that can be tried as a criminal offence only at the High Court/Crown Court. A copy of the Code of Disci pline for students and of the Code of Conduct may be found at the following url. Similarly, the University pu blishes procedures in respect of staff discipline and grievance. That procedure lists conduct that would be considered gross misconduct, which would include µviolent, dangerous or intimidatory conduct, or conduct which alarms or frightens anyone on unive rsity premises or who are receiving university services; harassment on grounds of sex, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief, disability, age or any other form of unlawful discrimination; and failure to comply with the university's rules for computer users, such as viewing material on the internet that could offend other members of staff or university service users.

• 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’

Resources

• Freedom of Information Results, Teaching About Terrorism: FOI Results
• Queen Margaret University, Teaching About Terrorism E-mail, Scribd