Syllabus for HLS-520

PREPAREDNESS: PREVENTION AND DETERRENCE

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Preparedness: Prevention and Deterrence will focus on how strategic planning, incident management, and intelligence techniques combine to provide the necessary foundation for anti-terrorism preparedness. Topics covered include infrastructure protection, National Incident Management System, data collection and analysis techniques, threat and vulnerability assessments, information sharing, resource planning, intelligence failures, terrorism prevention and deterrence.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:  

1. assess the preparedness model, techniques and resources.
2. evaluate the findings of the 9-11 Commission and others regarding the preparedness of the U.S. in September 2001.
3. assess the National Incident Management System and integrate the necessary components of planning for Homeland Security
4. analyze information gathered from varied sources and summarize its trends as they reflect terrorism knowledge and thought.
5. compare information sharing models used in Homeland Security and evaluate their effectiveness.
6. select appropriate intelligence techniques and methods to use in a Homeland Security context.
7. rank critical infrastructure and other significant targets to support effective use of protective resources.
8. write in clear and concise language, using proper grammar, syntax, spelling and punctuation.
9. document sources in proper APA style

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

1. 9/11 Commission: The 9/11 Commission Report (W.W. Norton 2004) at http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/911Report.pdf

1. Arthur S. Hulnick, Keeping Us Safe Secret Intelligence and Homeland Security (Praeger, 2004).

ISBN-13: 978-0275981501

1. Marilyn B. Peterson, Bob Morehouse and Dick Wright, Intelligence 2000: Revising the Basic Elements, ( IALEIA and LEIU, 2001).

Minimum System Requirements

To participate fully in course assignments, you need to have daily access to a personal computer and command of certain basic computer skills, including the ability to send and receive e-mail with attachments.

In addition, your computer system must meet the following minimum specifications:

1. Windows 95 or higher or equivalent operating system.
2. Personal Internet access.
3. An Internet browser like Netscape 4.x or Internet Explorer 4.x or better.

COURSE STRUCTURE

Preparedness: Prevention and Deterrence is a three-credit online course, consisting of nine (9) modules. Modules include an overview, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: Were We Unprepared? Are We Prepared Now?

2. Module 2: Planning Against Terrorism – How Can it Work?

3. Module 3: Major Infrastructure Security Planning – What Does it Mean?

4. Module 4: NIMS and Training

5. Module 5: Collecting Terrorism Data in the Information Age: Too Little Data or Too Little Clarity?

6. Module 6: Information Sharing: Is It Too Regulated?

7. Module 7: How Critical Is Intelligence Prevention and Deterrence?

8. Module 8: How Risk, Threat and Vulnerability Assessments are Used in Homeland Security Prevention

9. Module 9: Was the Key Intelligence Failure the Lack of Information Sharing and Coordination?

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

Your initial post during units that require discussion should address these questions in at least 250 words and you should respond to the postings of at least two other students during the discussion period. Your remarks should be concise and without spelling or grammatical error.

Written Assignments

Prepare your written assignments using whatever word processing program you have on your computer. Include your name at the top of the paper, as well as the course name and code and the semester and year in which you are enrolled.

Before submitting your first assignment, check with your mentor to determine whether your word processing software is compatible with your mentor's software. If so, you can submit your work as you prepared it. If not, save your assignment as a rich-text (.rtf) file, using the Save As command of your software program. Rich text retains basic formatting and can be read by any other word processing program.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (5)—40 percent
2. Written assignments (4)—40 percent
3. Final project—20 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

3. Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

4. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

1. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.