MA-HLS Degree Requirements

This course provides an overview of the essential ideas that constitute the emerging discipline of homeland security. The objectives of the course are to expand students’ abilities to think critically, analyze and communicate the central tenents of homeland security from a social justice perspective. Students will examine the evolution of terrorist movements, strategies to combat terrorism, crisis management, response to conventional and non-conventional threats and the impact of heightened security and surveillance on individual rights and civil liberties. (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to advance critical thinking, research and inquiry skills as a first step in the thesis writing process. This course identifies and teaches the principles of quality investigational research including research methodologies, sources, thesis organization and development. The goal of the sequence is to provide a sound foundation for initiating a thesis project and to support the degree objectives of the MA-HLS program by preparing students to conduct graduate-level, policy-relevant research and deliver the results of this research in an academically rigorous thesis. (3 credits)

This course will provide students with the skills to learn from global best practices and successful tactics used in combatting terrorism and apply those lessons to current threats in the United States. Students will learn to apply best practices within the scope of U.S. law while protecting individual human rights. Students will better understand the threats, policies and strategies democratic countries use to cope with terrorism. (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the operational and organizational dynamics of terrorism. Specific topics addressed in this course include terrorism by suicide, the role of the media, innovation and technology acquisition, the decline of terrorism and methods of measuring the effect of counterterrorism policies, strategies and sabotage. Emphasis in designing effective measures for countering and responding to terrorism based upon an understanding of organizational and operational dynamics in Homeland Security are integrated within the course to provide students with a real world approach to unconventional thinking in order to counter unconventional threats." (3 credits)

This course analyses principles of critical infrastructure, in both the private and public sectors, vital to our community on a local, state, and federal level while demonstrating how critical infrastructure protection is one of the cornerstones of homeland security. This course evaluates risk reduction techniques to determine the optimal strategy for protection of each sector of critical infrastructure. This will include risk assessments for hard and soft targets that address risk mitigation plans and appropriate countermeasures in an all-hazards approach. Students will also apply vulnerability analysis techniques to critical infrastructure within their multi-jurisdictional region and derive optimal strategies and draft policies for prevention of future terrorist attacks. (3 credits)

The purpose of the research sequence (HLS 2013 and HLS 4081) is to advance critical thinking, research and inquiry skills for HLS students in order to produce a strong thesis. The Research Colloquium identifies the main steps and modalities of good research methods and practices including further development of a compelling research question and preparing research and analysis for the question while formulating this into the scientific method. (3 credits)

This course serves as an introduction for homeland security professionals to terrorism as a psychological phenomenon. Government agencies involved in homeland security need to understand the psychological consequences of mass-casualty terrorist attacks and other disasters. This course provides a broad overview of the psychological effects of terrorism; the status of and fallacies related to the interventions applied to victims of terrorism and the generalized fear and anxiety experienced by the public at large. Current government strategies used to disseminate information to terrorist groups; psychological phenomena related to media coverage of terrorism; misconceptions and inaccuracies about the socio-political and religious motivations of terrorist groups; “profiling” and the typical psychological and cultural makeup of modern terrorists; and the social and cultural psychology of public conceptions of terrorists and acts of terror will be examined. (3 credits)

This course examines key questions and issues facing the U.S. intelligence community and its role in homeland security and homeland defense, including terrorism, emergency management, and cyber security. Intelligence community operations at the state and local levels, with federal cooperation through the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 are examined. This will afford students the opportunity to address, analyze, and critique policy, oversight, intelligence support, organizational protection of civil liberties and substantive issues regarding homeland defense/security and national decisionmaking. (3 credits)

This course is designed to highlight important topics pertinent to the protection of human rights during a time of national security concerns. Protecting individual rights is an inseparable part of a democratic society, the rule of law and a government dedicated to the advancement of the common good. The aim of this course is to create a clear understanding among students how respect for human rights can positively impact human security and promote civil societies. (3 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with insight into the structural, conceptual, intellectual foundations and implications of a multi-disciplinary approach to homeland security. Students will examine how the perceptions of homeland security varies among professionals in the field, the general public and differing ethnic, racial, religious and socio-economic groups. (3 credits)

This course provides practitioners involved in homeland security a broad overview of homeland security technology, information systems, inspections and surveillance technology, communications, knowledge management and information security with an emphasis on an individual’s right to privacy. A specific focus on technology as a tool to support homeland security personnel regardless of functional specialty is used to frame technology in terms of its contribution to deterrence, preemption, prevention, protection and response after an attack through the study of principles and theory combined with homeland security examples and cases. (3 credits)

The purpose of the research sequence (HLS 2013 and HLS 4081) is to advance critical thinking, research and inquiry skills for HLS students in order to produce a strong thesis. The Research Colloquium identifies the main steps and modalities of good research methods and practices including further development of a compelling research question and preparing research and analysis for the question while formulating this into the scientific method. (3 credits)