Teaching About Terrorism: University of Exeter

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?

Currently the University does not have any approved policy or advice to students and staff on this matter. A code of conduct relating to the downloading of such materials for research purposes is currently being written, it is expected that this will be in place for the next academic year. The University’s IT Regulations forbid the creation, display, and circulation of material that promotes terrorism. The regulations are available at.

• 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?

The University does not have a procedure to review or assess reading lists or teaching materials in this way.

• 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?

There is no particular policy or procedure to deal with these circumstances, however we would have support from the University’s Insurance and Legal advisers.

• 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’.

The University does not have a specific policy in place for preventing violent extremism. The following policies may have some relevance:

• Protection of Dignity at Work and Study
• Disciplinary Procedures
• Disciplinary Procedures 2

Resources

• Freedom of Information Results, Teaching About Terrorism: FOI Results