This course will explore the law and practice relating to crimes of terrorism and piracy. We will explore how states have come to define and prosecute these crimes and the subsequent implications for individual liberties, international norms, and the ever evolving role of the state in protecting national security. Course materials will include treaties, statutes, case law, historical essays, contemporary commentary and news articles, executive orders, and other works. We will cover various themes including: competing international and domestic definitions of the crimes of terrorism and piracy; the law governing states? jurisdiction to prosecute such crimes; the nexus between terrorism and piracy and the laws of armed conflict?such as that governing detention, trials, and targeted killing; as well as the law governing surveillance for counter-terrorism purposes and the anti-piracy efforts of non-state actors. The course will focus on contemporary U.S. law and policy, but will also provide historical context.