| Towson University Syllabus Fall 2006 |
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Course DescriptionExamines America’s critical infrastructures and their relationships to one-another, and issues pertaining to safeguarding and managing these infrastructures under serious threat. Analyzes key asset identification, threat and vulnerability, and studies technologies for their ability to support planning, mitigation, response, recovery, and prediction |
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Objectives / Learning OutcomesThere are three core elements of knowledge required for understanding the challenge of protecting the U.S. Homeland: 1) the evolution of the homeland security threats and responses before and after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks; 2) the nature of the threat; and the response to the threat, i.e. the contemporary organization, principles, and practices that govern U.S. Homeland security activities at the federal, state, and local level as in the private sector. Of special management concern is the deployment of national assets into critical infrastructure sectors (CIS) and their protection against terrorist threats. There are two main objectives for addressing the core knowledge requirements (supra). They are:
Students completing this course will possess an introductory level skill set to:
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Textbooks |
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Required Sauter, M. A., & Carafano, J. J. (2005) Homeland Security: A Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing, and Surviving Terrorism. New York: McGraw Hill. Evers, D., Miller, M. & Glover, T. (2005) Pocket Partner, 4th Ed. Littleton, CO: Sequoia. Case Studies (Material will be taken from these readings and be available via Towson University Albert S. Cook Library on reserve) Howard, R., Forest, J. & Moore, J. (2006) Homeland Security and Terrorism: Readings and Interpretations. New York: McGraw Hill. Kamien, D. G. (2006) The McGraw Hill Homeland Security Handbook: The Definitive Guide for Law Enforcement, EMT, and all other Security Professionals. New York: McGraw Hill. Laqueur, W. (Ed.). (2004). Voices of terror: Manifestos, writings and manuals of Al Qaeda, Hamas, and other terrorists from around the world and throughout the ages. New York: Reed Press References (Additional course material may be drawn from these optional readings. They will be available via email from instructor, on Blackboard common area, or placed on 3-day reserve at Towson University Albert S. Cook Library) Acquista, A. (2003). The Survival Guide: what to do in a Biological, Chemical or Nuclear Emergency. New York: Random House. Barnett, T.P.M. (2004). The Pentagon’s new map: War and peace in the twenty-first century. New York: Penguin Group. Bidgoli H., Editor-in-Chief. (2006) Volume 1: Handbook of Information Security: Key Concepts, Infrastructure, Standards, and Protocols. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. Bidgoli H., Editor-in-Chief. (2006) Volume 2: Handbook of Information Security: Information Warfare; Social, Legal and International Issues; and Security Foundations. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. Bidgoli H., Editor-in-Chief. (2006) Volume 3: Handbook of Information Security: Threats, Vulnerabilities, Prevention, Detection, and Management. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley. Cherkasky, M. with Alex Prud’ Homme. (2003). Forewarned: Why the government is failing to protect us – and what we must do to protect ourselves. New York: Ballantine. Curts, R.J. & Campbell, D.E. (2003). Building a Global Information Assurance Program. New York: Auerbach. Diamond, J. (2005). Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed. New York: Viking. Gordon, L. A. & Loeb, M. P. (2006) Managing Cyber-Security Resources: A Cost- Benefit Analysis. New York: McGraw Hill. Harris, S. (2005). The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the future of reason. New York: Norton. Hall, W. M. (2003). Stray Voltage: War in the information age. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. Johnson, L. K. (2000) Bombs, Bugs, Drugs and Thugs: Intelligence and America’s quest for security. New York: New York University Press. National Research Council of the National Academies. (2002). Making the nation safer: The role of science and technology in countering terrorism. Washington: Author. Rattray, G. J. (2001). Strategic warfare in cyberspace. London: MIT Press. Scheuer, M. (Nom-de-Plume: Anonymous) (2004). Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror. Washington, DC: Brassey’s. Yourdon, E. (2002). Byte wars: The impact of September 11 on information technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall PTR. |
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Web SiteA wealth of supplementary information for our course is available at www.infosec-technologies.com. Material downloaded must be appropriately attributed to contributors in all team / individual papers. |
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Course DeliverablesExams. There will be no formal midterm or final exams. Collaborative Team Research Papers / PowerPoint Presentations. Four (4) ten-page papers and corresponding PowerPoint presentations will be due during the semester covering issues relevant to four interrelated CIS. Students must flesh out the co-dependencies, interrelationships, sector threats, vulnerabilities, cross-impact and potential countermeasures. In addition, a group research paper covering an assigned hypothetical A/D (Attack/Defense with After-Action Reporting) scenario / PowerPoint presentation will be required to demonstrate collaborative skills and asymmetric responses to national crises and terrorist threat. Participation. Students are expected to prepare for each class meeting and participate in the weekly homework discussion conferences. Questions based on the weekly lecturette and assigned text readings require students to contribute regularly. A rubric for participation is available as a benchmark. Quizzes. End-of-chapter Open Book quizzes (generally 5-10 questions) will be submitted by students for credit no later than 10 days after completion of the assigned chapter. Bullets. Each week, students will prepare short, relevant, current bullets (30 - 60 second written summaries) pertaining to this course: e.g., national crises, terror incidents, terror groups, accidents, natural disasters, maritime incidents or piracy, political or infrastructure news, LEO actions, civil / criminal actions, health issues, open intelligence, BW/CW rulings, CIS sector news, Patriot Act, NSA, CIA, WH, laws or rulings of interest; URLS, security events, interesting IT/ INFOSEC finds, agency news or actions, or webliography items. Virus / Anti-Malware bullets do not count. Duplicate bullets do not count. |
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GradingThe final grade will be determined as follows: Group Research A/D Paper and PowerPoint Presentation-- 35% Where: A (90-100%); B (80-90%); C (70-79%); F (<70%) |
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Course ContentIHSM 611 textbook and course is organized into three learning modules. Module 1 covers how we got here from there, outlining America’s traditional approach to domestic security, the evolution of an unprecedented terrorist threat that led to the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the nation’s response to the events of 9/11. Module 2 offers an overview of contemporary terrorists – who they are, what they want, and how they operate. Module 2 is concerned with “knowing the enemy.” This knowledge is essential to understanding the challenge of homeland security. It is the driving force for the massive response and reorganization of functions by the U.S government in half a century. Module 3 describes all the critical elements of the present homeland security regime. Knowing the enemy is not good enough; good security requires “knowing yourself” as well. In respect to homeland security, good security requires understanding the roles and responsibilities of government officials, public servants, businesses, and average citizens. It is in Module 3 that we are concerned with the CIS concept but also the critical relationships and dependencies of each CIS on each other. Module 3 covers a range of issues from national security and public preparedness to business continuity and disaster recovery. Many of the efforts to fight, protect against, and respond to terrorism are “all hazards.” The process is useful for addressing many of the natural and man-made (technological) disasters, national security threats, and law enforcement challenges that affect public safety. Each lecture supporting the three Modules will include: Chapter Summary and Overview; Chapter Learning Objectives; Chapter Outline; Chapter PowerPoint’s; Chapter Quiz; “From the Source Feature;” Issues; Readings; References and Web resources; and suggestions for inclusion into the students final project. |
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Course Schedule |
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