homeland security book or textbook syllabus

CAVEAT:
            It is important that online students realize online classes require a heavier reading load than campus classes.  The justification for this is that students have to read everything the instructor would have told them in a campus class.  Dictating for note-taking is much faster and easier than reading for note-taking.  That said, this course comes with a heavy reading load.  Good time management and daily course work is extremely essential for successful completion of this class.
           Everything on this website has been designed to be printed out.  Students should definitely print out the Syllabus, Calendar, and the material on the Assignments page. This material is essential to passing the class, and if you have a print-out, you do not have to worry much about unforeseen technical problems.
           Students are mature adults and more intellectually advanced at the college level than they were in high school.  Therefore, instructors cannot teach students anything at the college level.  An instructor merely shows students how to learn.   Students can learn from the instructor without being taught, but students must want to learn.  However, students will learn only as much as they choose to.  Obviously students'  final class grades will be indicative of how much importance and effort they put into learning.

TEXTBOOKS: 
        1) Walter Brasch.  America's unpatriotic acts: the Federal Government's violation of constitutional and civil rights. P. Lang, 2005. ISNB: 0820476080. [You must read my three-page critique of this book.  Students should be afforded the opportunity to hear both sides of an issue so they can make an informed decision on whether the federal government has gone too far with its battle against suspected terrorists.   Click here to get my review.]

        2)  David Cohen and John Wells. American National Security and Civil Liberties in an Era of Terrorism. Palgrave MacMillan, 2004. ISBN# 1403962006.

        3) The 9/11 Commission Report: Final report of the national commission on terrorist attacks upon the United States. WW Norton, 2004. ISBN# 0393326713.

        The third book, which is actually a governmental report, is available online at  http://www.9-11commission.gov/report/index.htm .  You are encouraged to buy the book nonetheless because the discussion questions and writing assignments are derived from the book listed above.  You will have to read each book, which is about 75 pages per week, and then email answers to discussion questions that are based on the chapters of the books.  Please do not wait until the last minute to read your material.  This reading material has been stretched over a 13-week period.  If you procrastinate, you will make yourself miserable.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
            There are two main--but broad--topics to be covered in this class, both of which will be addressed simultaneously throughout the course session.  The first topic is civil liberties since the terrorist attacks that occurred on our American homeland on September 11, 2001.  Upon successfully mastering this topic, students will be able to assess and explain the extent America--which purportedly has the most democratic and free society--can deter terrorism without violating the civil liberties that Americans have come to expect.  Even three years after 9/11, the dilemma of the security-liberty paradox is still current politics.  Is not defending the Constitution as patriotic as defending the homeland? Which should have the greater emphasis?  Is finding a balance between the two impossible? How do we protect freedoms and rights of one people without encroaching upon those of another?  It cannot be gainsaid that the new war on terrorism is being fought under one premise of protecting freedom; yet some freedoms are being withheld or removed altogether simultaneously.  Is the American Patriot Act protecting or destroying freedom?  Presidential, legislative, and judicial politics, and the 1^st Amendment with regards to national security—these traditional topics of civil liberties will be addressed, and each will include an intermixing with pubic interaction at the federal and state levels of government. 
            The second topic is a large case study of the terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center towers, which has become known succinctly as 9/11 (nine eleven).  Who were the terrorists? Why did they attack America? Specifically and narrowly, how were they able to harm the homeland?  What can be learned from this large case study that will preserve homeland security and prevent further terrorist events?  Should the intelligence community have gotten so much blame for 9/11? How should America's defense be organized now?  What "global strategy" should be used to help combat terrorism in America?  These are some of the central questions whose many answers will be explored under this second topic.

GRADES:
        1 online test at 100 points = 20%
        4 discussion question sets at 100 points each = 30%
        3 Writing Assignments at 100 points each = 50%              

TESTS:
             There is 1 online test required in this class and it is taken the last week of class.  This test is based completely on the 4 discussion question sets you must turn in separately.  There is a pool of 250 true/false, multiple choice, and short-answer essay questions from which students will get 100 at random.  No student will get the same essay questions. 
            Tests often cause anxiety and pressure, although they should be fun to take, so no points will be deducted for spelling and grammar.  There is a short practice test available that you should take to make sure you work out any unforeseen technical problems on your end before you take the real test.  That is, if the practice test works flawlessly on your computer, the real test should also.  See the Calendar for test dates.  Students may take the test earlier than specified on the calendar if they wish by requesting it in email.
      
Make-Up Policy:  No student can be treated differently in this class when it comes to grading.  Students have 5 days on which they may take the test and students pick which day to take it, so there really is no excuse for missing a test. The word of caution is do not wait until the last day to take the test! No matter what the excuse, students missing the test will have to take an alternative test with 2-10 essay questions instead of the original test.  Those questions will be completely different from the original and there will be little room for error.  This policy makes it fair for those students who take the test on time.

DISCUSSION QUESTION SETS:
            Students have assignments in this class that take the place of lectures that on-campus students get. These assignments are a set of discussion questions based on the textbook. The due dates are on the Calendar.  The test is where I judge your knowledge and content; these discussion questions are where I judge the quality of your writing and your ability to analyze the textbooks.  See the Assignments page to get these discussion question sets.  The first 2 chapters of the textbook have been scanned and placed online so that students can begin their work while waiting for their textbook to be delivered.  These discussion questions cannot be turned in late, so students are encouraged to begin answering these questions immediately.   The book should be ordered from the CSW book store now.  Alternatively, two-day shipping is available if the book is ordered on Amazon.com.

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
            Writing is one circumstance--some of you will say consequence--that sets college apart from the training you will get from your employer when you obtain a job or a promotion.  Your employer will expect you already to possess certain writing skills; your writing ability will be a reflection of your education.  Therefore, there is a good deal of writing in this class.  The test is where I judge your knowledge and content; the writing assignments are where I judge the quality of your writing.  The three writing assignments are based on various chapters of the Brasch book and the Cohen and Wells book.  These assignments account for a significant portion of your final class grade.  See further details on the Assignments page.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY:
            Technical problems cannot be used against submitting late assignments.  Two computers with WebCT access are provided at the Hobbs campus in the Instructional Technology Office.  The ITO has people there who will walk students through the online class process.  Call 505.392.6561, ext. 1012 or email webcthelp@***** to set up an appointment.  Students who go to the ITO should remember to take their user name and password and the course code for whatever online class they need technical help with.
            All this course work has been designed so that it can be printed out (and it should be printed) and there is a back-up email address for the instructor.  If you have a computer crash, get to your local library or a net café.  You may also mail the assignments through the US Post Office, which I will accept as long as the envelope is postmarked by the due date of the assignment. My mailing address is ************, MS, ****. If you do mail me a hard copy though, you assume the risk of its getting lost in the mail.
            Again, technical problems cannot be used against submitting late assignments. Accepting late assignments, which I do not do without severe penalty, is not fair to those students who submit on time.

LATE POLICY:
            We all have reasons why we do not do something on time or according to instructions.  However, students cannot be treated differently when it comes to grading assignments.  In order to be fair to those students who submit their assignments on time, any assignment submitted one day past the due date will lose 50% credit.  After one day late, the assignment is not taken at all.  Again, one student cannot have more time than another student to submit the same assignment.  Doing so could quite possibly create an unfair opportunity.  Everything needed to complete this class is online now.  Please work ahead so that this late policy does not become applicable to you. 

ADA STATEMENT:
            Any student requiring special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements should contact the instructor as soon as possible to make the necessary accommodations.  Students with verification of a disability should submit the appropriate paperwork to the Office of Disability Services.

CALENDAR

            Note: Unless told otherwise on the bulletin board or through email, all assignments are due through email by 11:55pm on the calendar date for which they appear. For example, Question Set 1 must be submitted by September 18, 11:55pm. and Question Set 2 is due on October 16 by 11:55pm. Of course the questions may be submitted early, and students are encouraged to do so. If any part of this calendar is unclear, contact the instructor immediately.
            Students are encouraged to work ahead. I will not dictate when and how you should read the book or prepare for the tests.  You are adults, so I leave the reading pace to your discretion.  The caveat here is that you do not wait until a few days before test time to begin.  The best case scenario is that you work on your discussion questions and test preparation a little bit each day.  I am liberal with my due dates, but you should not try to do all this work in a few days.  If you procrastinate and let it pile up, you will make yourself miserable.
 

ASSIGNMENTS PAGE

      Except for the test, this page contains everything that is due in this class:  1) discussion questions  2) writing assignments.  At first reading it appears to be a monolithic amount of work.  However, it is all stretched over 13 weeks, and this is an online class.  Online classes were never meant to be easy in regards to content; they were meant to accommodate working students or homebound students.  I think you will agree that with the following information and responsibilities, you will be getting the same course work as students who are on campus.

        Because some students invariably have problems obtaining their textbook the first week of class, I have enclosed below the first section of the textbook in portable display format (pdf). Please be aware that most of these files below are 3 or 4 mb in size, so if you are using dial-up, it could take about 20 minutes to open each one. It took me exactly 15 minutes to download the first file with dial-up. I cannot assist any student with technical difficulty in opening these files, as they are put here only for the convenience of the student rather than the necessity of the student. You can also right click on any of these files and choose "Save As" in order to download them directly to your computer to open and read them later.  If you click on the links below and they do not open, you probably need to download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader and install it on your computer.  You can read more about pdf and how to print these files out and how to get the Adobe Acrobat reader, if you need it, by clicking here.

        If you have trouble opening any of the other files, you might not be using a Microsoft Word compatible program. If you do not have Microsoft Word and need it to read any item on this page, you can also download the free Microsoft Word viewer by reading about it on this page.

SCANNED TEXTBOOK 
 

If you do not want to print these out and plan to read them on your monitor instead by using Adobe Acrobat, you can hold down the "control" key and hit the " + " key to make the words bigger. That is the Plus key.  Likewise, you can hold down Control and hit the " - " to make the words smaller. That is the Minus key.
 

Introduction  (pdf)

Chapter 1 part 1 (pdf) Brasch book

Chapter 1 part 2 (pdf) Brasch book

Chapter 1 part 1 (pdf) 9/11 book

Chapter 1 part 2 (pdf) 9/11 book
Chapter 1 and 2 (pdf) Cohen and Wells book

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DISCUSSION QUESTION SETS

The answers to the chapter questions below must be emailed to the instructor in accordance with the due dates on the Calendar. You can cut and paste your answers in the body of the email if you do not know how to send an attachment. You must use your textbook to answer these questions, because the textbook is the key I use to grade your answers. Basically, these are short-answer essay questions, so the quality of your writing will be assessed as a significant portion of your grade. The test is where I judge your knowledge and content; these discussion questions are where I judge the quality of your writing and your ability to analyze the textbooks.  Because these are take-home assignments, obviously you will get the answers correct.  For an example of short-answer discussion questions and their answers from another class, click here.
 

Discussion Question Set 1

Discussion Question Set 2

Discussion Question Set 3

Discussion Question Set 4

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WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

For instructions on how to submit your assignments and how to complete your assignments, click here .

Writing Assignment 1 – Using Chapter 2 of the Brasch book, write a 4-5 page essay.  The main part of the essay will be mostly a summary of the chapter in your own words that proves to me that you read and understood the chapter.  However, to be considered an essay, the writing should reflect your own thoughts, opinions, and analyses.  The title and topic of the essay will be the title of the chapter. You must include a work-cited page even though you are using the Brasch book as your only source.

Writing Assignment 2 –  Using Chapters 5 and 7 of the the Cohen and Wells book, write a 6-7 page essay.  The main part of the essay will be mostly a summary of the chapters in your own words that proves to me that you read and understood the chapters.  However, to be considered an essay, the writing should reflect your own thoughts, opinions, and analyses.  The title and topic of the essay will be "Biological Terrorism and Airport Transportation Since 9/11: Finding the delicate balance?"  You must include a work-cited page even though you are using the Brasch book as your only source.

Writing Assignment 3 – Using Chapter 13 of the 9/11 Commission Report and any other source you would like to use, write a 3-4 page essay.  The title and topic of the essay will be  "The Future of Homeland Security: What to do and where we go next."  You must include a work-cited page.

If you need help on how to write an essay or do a work-cited page  click here .

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WRITING ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

             If any part of this assignment instruction is unclear, questions should be emailed to the instructor immediately. The writing assignments must be emailed to the instructor by the due date specified on the class calendar. Of course assignments may be submitted early, and students are encouraged to do so.  After the second week of school, late assignments will be assessed only half credit if one day late. Assignments submitted two days past the due date are not accepted under any condition. Accepting late assignments is not fair to those students who submit their assignments on time. 

FORMAT FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
            Microsoft Word or Word Perfect format or Rich Text Format (rtf)
            Font size either Arial 10 pt or Times New Roman 12 pt. 
            Margins 1 inch all around (not 1.25 or anything else)
            Paper spacing set for double space or 2 (not 2.5 or anything else)
            No spelling mistakes
            Must include a works cited page, even if only the textbook is used
            Title of Assignment, Date, Student’s name in the upper, left-hand corner or on a cover page
           
           
            These are writing assignments, which the department requires in all classes at CSW.  Accordingly, points will be deducted for poor grammar and poorly proofread papers and this takes precedent over the content of the paper. About 25% of the grading is allotted to content, which is whether the answer is convincing that the student read and analyzed the material.  The rules of plagiarism are applicable to students' papers.  The only source used in these writing assignments will be the textbook, but no sentences should be copied verbatim from the book.  Any information derived from the book should be summarized and mostly paraphrased, which means put into your own words.  Direct quotations are discouraged and no more than 2 is allowed.  If words are copied verbatim from the textbook, that material should be put in quotation marks and the author should be cited.  See the plagiarism statement for more information, if you are unsure about summarizing and paraphrasing, by clicking here.
            Writing assignments should have a conclusion that includes the student's personal opinions and analyses.  The opinions expressed in it may be critical, objective, or subjective, but the opinions should be professionally expressed.  This conclusion may be two to four paragraphs long. 
            Writing assignments should be sent through email attachment in text format (.txt), MS Word format (.doc), or html format (.htm).  If you are using Microsoft Works, then save your document in Rich Text Format (RTF).  I will also take it in Word Pad format, but please try not to use Word Pad.  The subject line of the email must have the student's name and which assignment is being sent (For example, John Doe Assignment 2 or John Doe Summary of Lecture 1).  Email the assignment through the Web Ct email.  Students may send it twice, once through WebCT and to csw@****** as a safety precaution.  This email duplication is not mandatory, but it ensures that the instructor gets a copy of the assignment.  If you have computer problems, you may also mail the assignments through the US Post Office at your own risk.  I will accept them mailed as long as the envelope is postmarked by the due date of the assignment.  My mailing address is Patrick Fagan, PO Box ***** ******, MS****.  The excuse that WebCT was inoperative cannot be used against late assignments.             

Help writing essays:

On the homepage and course menu I have a link called Writing Guide. Click on that icon and you will be taken to a wealth of info on how to write an essay and how to cite sources.  I also have 5 actual example essays written by A-students that you can download and study.  A few of the essays even have my comments still on them so you can see some of the items I look for when I grade.