1 Course Title: Introduction to Homeland Security Course Prefix: CRJS Course No.: 2443 Section No.: 001 Department of Justice Studies College of Juvenile Justice & Psychology Instructor Name: Camille Gibson Office Location: Don Clark 358 Office Phone: 936-261-5228 Fax: 936-261-5249 Email Address: cbgibson@pvamu.edu U.S. Postal Service Address: Prairie View A&M University P.O. Box 519 Mail Stop MS 2600 Prairie View, TX 77446 Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday 9:00a.m.-1:00p.m.; Tuesday Noon-4:00 p.m. & other times by appointment. Course Location: Don Clark room 235 Class Meeting Days & Times: Monday & Wednesday 2:00 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. Catalog Description: CRJS 2443: Introduction to Homeland Security Credit 3. The course will introduce students to the history of the Department of Homeland Security as a federal entity and homeland security as an area of study in the United States. It will include major research and theoretical perspectives that have resulted in significant initiatives to keep persons in the United States safe from various threats. Prerequisite: None. Required Text: Introduction to Homeland Security: Principles of All-Hazards Response, 4 th ed. (2012) by Jane Bullock, George Haddow & Damon Coppola. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Recommended Text/Readings: Access to Learning Resources: Essentials of Terrorism by Gus Martin. Sage Publishing Co. Note: Articles will be assigned as additional readings. Some of these are via Twitter: CB Gibson@gibson_cb FEMA Emergency Management Institute free online course materials at: http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/edu/completecourses.asp PVAMU Library: phone: (936) 261-1500; web: http://www.tamu.edu/pvamu/library/ University Bookstore: phone: (936) 261-1990; web: https://www.bkstr.com/home/10001-10734-1?demokey=d The Writing Center is in Hilliard Hall. The Tutoring Center is on the second floor of the library. Tutoring in criminal justice and statistics is available from Juvenile Justice doctoral students. Visit Don Clark room 342 for the times. Course Goals or Overview: The goal of this course is to introduce students to domestic developments in Homeland Security and careers therein.
2 Course Outcomes/Objectives At the end of this course, the student will - have knowledge of the history of Homeland Security - have knowledge of domestic initiatives to improve safety - have knowledge of emergency response requirements for various situations - have knowledge of Homeland Security careers. Course Requirements & Evaluation Methods This course will utilize the following instruments to determine student grades and proficiency of the learning outcomes for the course. Three exams (each worth 27-28% of the final grade). Each exam will have approximately 40 questions (more, if cumulative). The questions will be a mixture of multiple choice, true/ false, short answer and short essay items. It is most ill-advised to miss any of the exams! Make-ups will be given ONLY in instances of a documented emergency (i.e. death of someone close, hospitalization of oneself or one s child, or a spouse (near death), surprise work audit, etc.). Expect such tests to be more challenging than regularly scheduled exams. If most of the class does not pass an examination then the next examination will be cumulative (i.e. on old, plus new materials). The point is that you learn if not sooner, later. Writing a reaction paper. This is worth 7% of your final grade. The paper involves writing an argumentative response to an article on homeland security. These articles will be provided. However, if you have an article that you would like to use, see the instructor about this possibility. The paper should be no more than 250 words or 1 page, typed, double-spaced and in APA format per the 6th edition of the manual. Papers are due Wednesday, October 10, 2012 by 2:00 p.m. in Word format electronically and hard copy: The following must be submitted to receive credit: 1) a slip from the Writing Center in Hilliard Hall (or from a doctoral tutor) showing that you visited for consultation on improving your writing, 2) a copy of the typed paper that you took to the lab 3) a typed copy of the corrected paper after your lab visit. * The university might require that this assignment be uploaded into a program yet to be announced. Late penalty = 3% points off of the final grade. Interviewing someone in Homeland Security or who researches Homeland Security matters about his/her work. The interview may be in person or on video or via audio. This is worth 10% of your final grade. Students will work in groups of at least 3 to secure and complete these interviews. Interviews should be about 30 minutes long with general discussion following. Sample questions and possible persons to contact will be provided by the instructor. To avoid overlap, your interview plans should be pre-approved by the instructor. Please note: The grade for this effort is a group grade. Thus, if someone fails to pull his/her weight - first try to resolve this between you. If this fails, then notify the instructor at least a week before the presentation date. You should all be present for the presentation to the class. Professional attire (that is, conservative clothing and appearance appropriate for an interview for a federal homeland security job - such as a dark colored suit) is required when conducting the interview. For starters: Women: Dark colored suits- blue, black, gray (skirts or pants); closed toe pumps, stockings (no mesh); no chipped nail polish, nor nails that look like claws, no dangling earrings, no visible tattoos, no visible body piercings besides the ear, no gold tooth cap in the front of the mouth, skirts should not be shorter than the span of your arms, nor too tight; no cleavage, hairdo should be neat and not overly creative; minimize the number of accessories. Men: Dark colored suit navy or black preferred (no zoot suits); dress shoes and socks; dress pants (no khaki); white shirt (or other non-bright color shirt without patterns and well coordinated with the choice of pants), and a tie; no earring(s); no visible tattoos; no visible body piercings; no gold tooth cap in the front of the mouth; hair and
3 face neatly groomed (no braids; no pony tails; no flowing locks; no dreadlocks except with a religious excuse). Attire is calculated into your presentation grade. You have been given this sheet prior to your presentation date. Therefore NO excuses about attire will be accepted! Grading Matrix Instrument Value (points or percentages) Total Examination I 27 27% Examination II 28 28% Examination III 28 28% Reaction Paper 07 07% Interview Presentation 10 10% Total: 100 100% Course Procedures Grade Determination: A = 100 90pts; B = 89 80pts; C = 79 70pts; D = 69 60pts; F = 59 pts or below NOTE: Syllabi subject to change with advance notice. Tardiness and absenteeism are NOT encouraged a considerable amount of information will be covered each week. Of course, classes will begin on time. If for some reason you will be absent for more than one class during the semester, call the instructor to let her know. YOU are responsible for materials covered in any classes that you miss. The instructor will be available for clarification on lecture materials. Please see the latest version of the undergraduate handbook for the university attendance policy. * You need a flashdrive for class. Late assignments are discouraged and may result in a grade penalty. Expect no extra credit assignments. With instructor approval, attending a lecture on campus that has relevance to the course may earn you points towards the final grade (submit proof of attendance (e.g. program and, or summary of the event). Incompletes are rarely given. Please see the university handbook for the university policy on the assignment of incomplete grades. NOTE: Students who have a failing average in a course cannot receive an incomplete grade. Academic misconduct: (e.g. plagiarism, cheating) [see Student Handbook] will not be tolerated!!! Anyone caught engaging in any such activities FAILS the course!!! Criminal Justice demands persons of impeccable integrity. * If you encounter problems in meeting any of these requirements, do not hesitate to utilize my office hours. Submission of Assignments: Written assignments should be typed, double-spaced and in APA format per the 6th edition of the manual. Assignments are due as indicated. They may be required to also be submitted electronically into an electronic program to be announced. Late penalty = 3% points off of the final grade. Formatting Documents: Microsoft Word is the standard word processing tool used at PVAMU. If you are using other word processors, be sure to use the save as tool and save the document in either the Microsoft Word, Rich-Text, or plain text format. The format for the case briefs will be disseminated. Professional Organizations and Journals Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice. American Society of Criminology
4 Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Administrative Dates: Last day for dropping and adding classes - Friday, August 31, 2012 Registration cancelled for non-payment - Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Last day to withdraw from course(s) without receiving a grade of W Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Late deadline to apply for Fall 2012 graduation Tuesday, September 11, 2012. Last day to withdraw from a course with automatic grade of W Monday, November 5, 2012. Early registration for Spring 2013 begins Tuesday, November 13, 2012 16 WEEK CALENDAR Week One: Aug. 27 & 29: Review of the syllabus; defining terrorism; the Department of Homeland Security.. Chapter 1: Homeland Security: The concept, the organization. Assignment: Secure contact information for your group members on the project. Week Two: Sept. 3 & 5: Historical antecedents of Homeland Security; the terrorist threat. Chapter 2: Historic overview of the terroristic threat. Week Three: Sept. 10 & 12: Terrorist related hazards. Chapter 3: Hazards. Assignment: Submit details of intended interview in writing (hard copy). Week Four: Sept. 17 & 19: Homeland security structures and organizations.. Chapter 4: Governmental homeland security structures. Week Five: Sept. 24 & 26: Intelligence and counterterrorism. NOTE: Wednesday Sept. 26 th Examination I. Week Six: Oct. 1 & 3: The intelligence community. Chapter 5: Intelligence and counterterrorism. Week Seven: Oct. 8 & 10: Border security. Chapter 6: Border security, immigration, and customs. Assignment: Reaction papers due Wed. Oct. 10 th by 2:00 p.m.
5 Interviews # due. Week Eight: Oct. 15 & 17: Securing travel. Chapter 7: Transportation safety and security. Week Nine: Oct. 22 & 24: Cybersecurity; infrastructure security. Chapter 8: Cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection. NOTE: Wednesday, Oct. 24 st Examination II. Week Ten: Oct. 29 & 31: Nov. 5 & 7: Response and recovery. Chapter 9: All-hazards emergency response and recovery. Week Eleven: Nov. 5 & 7: Preparations. Chapter 10: Mitigation, prevention and preparedness. Week Twelve: Nov. 12 & 14: Communications. No class -November 14- see assignment. Chapter 11: Communications. Week Thirteen: Nov. 19 & 21: No class -November 21 st likely university early dismissal. Chapter 12: Science and technology Week Fourteen: Nov. 26 & 28: Science and technology. Chapter 13: The future of Homeland Security. Week 15: : Dec. 3: Review day; EXAMINATION III Wednesday, December 5 at 1:30 p.m. University Rules and Procedures Disability statement (See Student Handbook): Students with disabilities, including learning disabilities, who wish to request accommodations in class should register with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) early in the semester so that appropriate arrangements may be made. In accordance with federal laws, a student requesting special accommodations must provide documentation of their disability to the SSD coordinator. Academic misconduct (See Student Handbook): You are expected to practice academic honesty in every aspect of this course and all other courses. Make sure you are familiar with your Student Handbook, especially the section on academic misconduct. Students who engage in academic misconduct are subject to university disciplinary procedures. Forms of academic dishonesty:
6 1. Cheating: deception in which a student misrepresents that he/she has mastered information on an academic exercise that he/she has not mastered; giving or receiving aid unauthorized by the instructor on assignments or examinations. 2. Academic misconduct: tampering with grades or taking part in obtaining or distributing any part of a scheduled test. 3. Fabrication: use of invented information or falsified research. 4. Plagiarism: unacknowledged quotation and/or paraphrase of someone else s words, ideas, or data as one s own in work submitted for credit. Failure to identify information or essays from the Internet and submitting them as one s own work also constitutes plagiarism. Non-academic misconduct (See Student Handbook) The university respects the rights of instructors to teach and students to learn. Maintenance of these rights requires campus conditions that do not impede their exercise. Campus behavior that interferes with either (1) the instructor s ability to conduct the class, (2) the inability of other students to profit from the instructional program, or (3) campus behavior that interferes with the rights of others will not be tolerated. An individual engaging in such disruptive behavior may be subject to disciplinary action. Such incidents will be adjudicated by the Dean of Students under nonacademic procedures. Sexual misconduct (See Student Handbook) Sexual harassment of students and employers at Prairie View A&M University is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Any member of the university community violating this policy will be subject to disciplinary action. Attendance Policy Prairie View A&M University requires regular class attendance. Excessive absences will result in lowered grades. Excessive absenteeism, whether excused or unexcused, may result in a student s course grade being reduced or in assignment of a grade of F. Absences are accumulated beginning with the first day of class. Student Academic Appeals Process Authority and responsibility for assigning grades to students rests with the faculty. However, in those instances where students believe that miscommunication, errors, or unfairness of any kind may have adversely affected the instructor's assessment of their academic performance, the student has a right to appeal by the procedure listed in the Undergraduate Catalog and by doing so within thirty days of receiving the grade or experiencing any other problematic academic event that prompted the complaint.