Course Title:
Concepts in Homeland Security | |
Required Texts and Readings:
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Supplementary Readings:
The 9/11 Commission Report. Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.
The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. Report to the President of the United States. March 31, 2005.
Protecting the American Homeland: One Year On. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. ISBN: 0815764537.
Committee on Science and Technology for Countering Terrorism, National Research Council. (2002). Making the Nation Safer: The Role of Science and Technology in Countering Terrorism. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. ISBN: 0309084814.
Cordesman, Anthony H., with Justin G. Cordesman. (2002). Cyber-Threats, Information Warfare, and Critical Infrastructure Protection: Defending the U.S. Homeland. Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. ISBN: 0275974235.
Interagency Working Group on Information Technology Research and Development, National Science and Technology Council. (2002). Strengthening National, Homeland, and Economic Security. Arlington, VA: National Coordination Office for Information Technology Research and Development.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.ed.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills.
The standard for papers in the graduate program is the APA style. All participants in this course and all graduate ITEC, HSMN, INFA, TMAN, SWEN, UCSP, INSS, MGMT, PUAD, and ECON courses should have a copy of the style guide:
American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th edi.). Washington DC: Author.
All graduate students should be prepared to utilize theUMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
| Publications of the various professional societies (such as ACM -- the Association for Computing Machinery, the IEEE Computing Society, and the various management professional societies) are strongly recommended. In addition, there are many trade journals (such as eWEEK) that MIS professionals should become familiar with, many of these being published both weekly and on-line. | |
Course Description:
| An overview of the basic concepts of homeland security, including infrastructure protection, jurisdiction, and issues in techn ical areas such as interconnectivity and interoperability. The nation's telecommunications and information technology networks are both vulnerable assets and critical solutions. Formerly ITSM 620. | |
Course Goals:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should understand and be able to apply knowledge concerning:
- The homeland security needs at all levels of government,
- Institutional vulnerabilities in both the public and private sectors,
- The trade-offs inherent in providing both protection and privacy,
- Technology's importance as both an asset to be protected and a critical element of support in providing security.
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Course Objectives:
At the end of the course the students should,
- Delineate the primary domestic and international, state and local aspects of homeland security, their inherent links, practical interrelationships, significance and vulnerabilities.
- Explain the diverse but interdependent dimensions of homeland security, including the fundamental importance of safeguarding of key infrastructures and political, economic and social institutions.
- Recognize significant vulnerabilities, whether widespread or peculiar to a location or circumstance and be aware of possible threats to homeland security that may arise from individuals, groups or nations.
- Elaborate the far-reaching challenges of organizing, managing and coordinating homeland security operations within the federal government itself and in its relationships with state, local and international governments and with the private sector.
- Recognize that fundamental human rights and responsibilities, including privacy and due process of law, are essential to homeland security and must be safeguarded as such.
- Understand the critical value of advanced technologies, systems and services --telecommunications and information technologies and systems, in particular -- in making our nation safer.
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Grading Information:
The final grade will be determined as follows:
Class Participation 10%
Study Group Assignment 20%
Individual Research Report 20%
Mid Term Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
According to the Graduate School grading policy, the following symbols and scale are used:
A = excellent (90-100)
B = good (80-89)
C = passing (70-79)
F = failure (less than 70)
The grade of "B" represents the benchmark for the Graduate School. It indicates the student has demonstrated competency in the subject matter of the course, i.e., has fulfilled all course requirements on time, has a clear grasp of the full range of course materials and concepts, and is able to present and apply these materials and concepts in clear, reasoned, well-organized and grammatically correct responses, whether written or oral.
Only students who fully meet this standard and, in addition, who demonstrate exceptional comprehension and application of the course subject matter, merit an "A."
Students who do not meet the benchmark standard of competency fall within the "C" range or lower. They, in effect, have not met graduate level standards. Where this failure is substantial, they earn an "F." | |
Course Requirements:
| Students are required to read materials assigned each week and participate in the discussion threads on posted topics; to take a role with others in leading discussions as assigned, typically one week during the course; actively participate with others, as assigned, in the research of a specified topic and submission of a Word document and Power Point report on the topic; selection of a topic for individual research, researching the topic and preparing a Word document report on the topic; researching and responding to final exam. | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Active participation on a timely, regular basis is essential to quality distance education and is expected of all students. The study group assignment is integral to collaborative learning, providing a dimension that complements the ongoing interactive role afforded through the classroom website; the individual research report affords each student an opportunity to research in depth a relevant topic of particular interest; and the final exam will seek to pull together fundamental elements of homeland security.
Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment. | |
Course Schedule:
Session 1: Dimensions and Parameters of Homeland Security
- Domestic and International Dimensions
- Political, Social and Human Factors
- Physical and Cyber Elements
- Complex and Interdependent Links and Relationships
Session 2: Vulnerabilities
- Widespread and Local
- Within the U.S. and its Territories and Beyond
- Common and Specific Vulnerabilities
- Causes, Prevention and Correction
Session 3: Threats
- Deliberate Acts of Disruption, Destruction or Terrorism
- Physical, Biological, Chemical, Cyber and Propaganda Attacks
- Nuclear and Radiological Threats
Session 4: Marshaling Resources
- Military and Government, Domestic and International
- State and Local Governments
- Major Universities, Laboratories, Hospitals and Research Institutions
- Corporations and the Private Sector
- Prominent Civic and Religious Leaders and Informed Individuals
Session 5: Developing and Introducing Advanced Technologies
- Critical infrastructures and industries
- Modeling and Simulation
- Systems Analysis and Management
First paper due
Session 6: Organizing for Homeland Security
- The USA Patriot Act
- The Homeland Security Act
- HSPD-7 and HSPD-8
- DHS
- State and local government
Session 7: Mid-term Exam
Session 8: Safeguarding Buildings and Fixed Structures
- Key Government and Military Locations
- Harbors, Bridges and Tunnels
- National Monuments and Landmarks
Session 9: Strengthening Critical Infrastructures I
- Travel and Transportation Facilities
- Energy Production and Supply
- Potable Water Reservoirs and Supply Systems
Session 10: Strengthening Critical Infrastructures II
- Core Communications Facilities and Links
- Information and Internet Services
- Telecommunications Facilities and Services
- Central Banking and Financial Institutions
- Banking and Financial Transactions and Services
Session 11: The Federal Government
- Executive, Legislative and Judicial Offices
- Military Command Posts
- Critical Government Operations and Services
- Assuring International Communication
Session 12: State and Local Governments
- Key Offices
- Police, Fire and Emergency Services
- Assuring Federal, State and Local Cooperation
Session 13: Academic and Other Key Institutions
- Schools, Colleges, and Universities
- Research Institutions
- Hospitals, Clinics and Health Services
Second Paper Due
Session 14: Responding to Terrorist Acts
- Political response:
- Informing the Public on a Timely and Regular Basis
- Engaging International Allies and Essential Partners
- "First Responders"
- Industry response
Session 15: Final Exam
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Academic Policies:
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The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course.
Students with disabilities should contact the appropriate support office at UMUC-Europe.
Jan Keller, Director of Student Services
UMUC-Europe, Heidelberg
Phone: +49-6221-378299
Email: edstudent_svc@ed.umuc.edu
Mailing Address: Unit 29216, APO AE 09102 OR Im Bosseldorn 30, D-69126 Heidelberg, Germany
Please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Code of Civility
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
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