Courses in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity
C EHC 101 (= R PAD 101) Introduction to Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
From hackers to hurricanes, suicide bombing to supply chain interruptions, infrastructure failures to infectious disease outbreaks, the nation's governments, companies and non-profits must prepare for, protect against, respond to, and recover from a growing array of risks and threats. The fields of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity are central to those efforts, and there is an ever growing demand for individuals prepared in these areas. Through lectures, discussion, and case studies, students in this course will develop a broad theoretical, substantive, and practical understanding of the fields of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity. Students will be exposed to various ways to think about, measure, assess and compare risks, as well as how to mitigate them and respond to incidents that do occur. The three disciplines will be explored through the crosscutting themes that tie them together, including prevention, incident management and response, crisis communication, recovery and resiliency. Only one version may be taken for credit.
C EHC 210 Critical Inquiry and Communication in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
This course builds upon UUNI 110's focus on critical argumentation, analysis and communication in the context of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity. Students will learn to build and evaluate arguments, gather and evaluate evidence, and present conclusions within the context of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity by writing briefs and conducting briefings.
C EHC 221 Introduction to Intelligence (3)
This course provides a comprehensive survey of the Intelligence Community and its functions in the United States. It is a general survey of Intelligence covering: the Intelligence Community; the primary collection, analysis, counter-intelligence and covert action responsibilities of the Intelligence Community; the Intelligence Cycle; the role of policy makers in Intelligence; and oversight and ethical issues in Intelligence. This course provides a foundation for advanced work in one of the specialized C EHC Intelligence courses. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 and 210 recommended.
C EHC 242 Cybersecurity (3)
The purpose of this class is to acquaint students with the policy issues associated with cybersecurity, this includes issues like cyber-attacks, network security, incident response, cyber crime, cyber espionage, and cyber conflict. Students will look at how government agencies and private sector entities assess and respond to the changing cybersecurity landscape -- how they assess the risks they face, how they manage those risks through security procedures and practices, and how they mitigate the impact of attacks that do happen on their systems. Prerequisites(s): C EHC/R PAD 101.
C EHC 299 Critical Issues in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
This course is designed to bring awareness about critical issues that are arising in the fields of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity. Through the lectures, readings and class discussions students will develop a broad understanding of the different fields and the issues that they have faced, will face or are currently facing. Specific issues will be selected and announced by the instructor when offered. May be repeated for credit if content varies.
C EHC 310 Research Seminar in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
In many undergraduate classes, students are consumers of research created by others. Students read historical case studies of disasters, examine regression results of probing the relationship between democracy and terrorism, peruse interviews with government officials from homeland security agencies and scrutinize surveys of public opinion of privacy and security. What is often unclear is the research process lurking behind these final results. The mission of this course is to shed light on the research process in the areas of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity. Over the course of the semester, students will conduct literature reviews, develop hypotheses, construct research designs, collect data, test hypotheses, and communicate findings. Students will start by creating a literature review on a topic of the student's interest, identifying a falsifiable research question of interest to them in an area related to his or her concentration and subsequently investigating the question using the procedures and methods of social science. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 and C EHC 210.
C EHC 320 Psychology of Terrorism (3)
This course looks at the challenging problem of terrorism from a psychological and social psychological perspective both in terms of how terrorism can be explained at the individual and group level and how psychological factors can interact with other factors to impact when terrorism starts and how terrorist campaigns might end. In addition to studying the theories that have been developed to explain the politics and history of violent political conflict, students will have an opportunity to participate in simulation exercises designed to sharpen their analytic skills in the subject area and to allow them to examine the psychological determinants of behavior in experimental environments. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 321 Human Trafficking (3)
This course looks at the challenging problem of human trafficking from a comparative politics and international perspective both in terms of how human trafficking can be explained and how human trafficking impacts people as well as the efforts governments are taking to try to stop it. In this course, in addition to studying the theories that have been developed to explain the politics and history of human trafficking, students will have an opportunity to participate in data collection designed to sharpen their analytic skills in the subject area. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 324 Civil Liberties in Context: Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
In this course, students will examine the tensions between civil liberties and government responses to cybersecurity, homeland security, and emergency preparedness. Students will draw from contemporary and historical case studies and a range of legal materials to develop their own analytical and normative views about the appropriate balance between civil liberties and security. Students will be asked to evaluate how the law governing relevant topics has changed and whether it has changed in desirable ways. Students will also be asked to determine what relevant information not yet possessed to answer these questions. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 325 Critical Infrastructure (3)
Students will be able to gain understanding of what the critical infrastructure sectors are and why they are so vital to the United States. They will obtain knowledge on each sector's assets, systems, and networks, both physical and virtual. Learning that critical infrastructure is a shared responsibility, they will also understand how the federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, private companies, and individual citizens play a role in keeping it strong, secure, and resilient. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 340 Contemporary Issues in Security and Preparedness (3)
This course explores contemporary issues related to security and preparedness. Topics will vary from semester to semester based on the most pressing issues facing policy makers in Washington DC, such as homeland security, emergency preparedness, severe weather, cybersecurity, critical thinking, leadership, ethics, immigration, terrorism, risk analysis, digital forensics, critical infrastructure, transnational crime, border security, and privacy and civil liberties. Prerequisite(s): one of C EHC 101 or R PAD 140 or R POS 101 or R POS 102; one 300 level course in C EHC, R PAD or R POS; junior or senior standing; or permission of the Department.
C EHC 341 (= R PAD 341 & R POS 341) Washington in Perspective (3)
This course uses different policy areas to examine the institutional structures, key non-state actors, and domestic and international context of American government. Course faculty will take advantage of the course location in the nation's capital and include field trips and guest speakers. Prerequisite(s): one of C EHC 101 or R PAD 140 or R POS 101 or R POS 102; one 300 level course in C EHC, R PAD or R POS; junior or senior standing; or permission of the Department.
C EHC 342 Semester in Washington Internship (9)
This course is the internship component of the Semester in Washington program in the fall semester. Admission is by application. Enrollment is limited. Three of the nine credits may be used to satisfy the requirement for the C EHC 390 internship course in the BA/BS in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity. Prerequisite(s): one of C EHC 101 or R PAD 140 or R POS 101 or R POS 102; one 300 level course in C EHC, R PAD or R POS; junior or senior standing; or permission of the Department. S/U graded.
C EHC 343 (= R PAD 343 & R POS 343) Homeland Security (3)
This undergraduate survey course introduces students to the U.S. government response to the attacks of September 11, 2001, specifically, the second largest reorganization of the executive branch that produced the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Topics examined include border and transportation security, customs, immigration policy and enforcement; preparedness and capabilities building, response and resilience; critical infrastructure protection; threat and vulnerability assessment and risk management; cybersecurity; counter-terrorism. Although the course is primarily focused on U.S. Federal government activities, it will also examine state and local dimensions of homeland security as well as U.S. government interactions with other countries in the homeland security domain. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 344 (= R PAD 344) Emergency Preparedness (3)
This course provides a study of applicable policies, protocols, and laws that impact the practice of emergency preparedness at the federal, state, and local levels of government. The study includes a brief review of the history of emergency management setting the stage for an examination of "best practices" and philosophies. These drive the nation's preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts of various levels of emergencies and disasters which in turn helps facilitate a community's resilience in the face of disasters. The methodology used in this course includes classroom discussions and activities, studies of applicable case studies, and individual exploration resulting in a well crated paper. Where applicable, simulation activities provide opportunities for the student to "experience" realistic situations similar to real-world emergencies and disaster operations. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 345 Leadership and Ethics in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
This course provides a foundation for applying philosophical and ethical understanding to homeland security professions by drawing on both theoretical and practical approaches. It includes an overview of philosophical theories of ethics and political philosophy relevant to security practices and policies, as well as opportunities to develop critical thinking and communication skills in their application to particular cases related to homeland security through analysis and discussion. Historical and contemporary material will be examined to investigate issues such as the right to privacy, the nature and value of freedom, the justification of state security, and rights and responsibilities of public officials and health professionals. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/ R PAD 101 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 350 Cybersecurity Case Analysis - The Threat Within (3)
A new operating reality is confronting public and private sector organizations and institutions of all shapes and sizes everywhere: the threat from within that is able to exploit and expose an organization's greatest competitive edge — the "secret sauce." Initially many experts thought of the insider threat challenge as a technical problem to solve. However, if there is anything that one of the largest and most damaging data breaches in U.S. Government history — Edward Snowden — has taught us, it is that this challenge is simply not one dimensional. Insider threats can surface at the strategic, operational and tactical layers of an organization, and therefore, the solution needs to be comprehensive, logical, and balanced. In this course, students from a variety of disciplines will work in teams of six to eight students with course faculty, student liaisons, and industry experts as mentors using an online/cloud communication platform. The goal of the course is to enable students to analyze realistic case scenarios and identify the depth and breadth of the cybersecurity challenge from multiple perspectives. Students will focus on the interrelated dimensions of the threat (which may include but are not limited to technical, procedural, legal, behavioral, skills/proficiencies) and the spectrum of constituent cyber domains/functional areas in which to identify solutions. Prerequisite(s): sophomore, junior, or senior standing.
C EHC 355 Comparative Homeland Security (3)
Studying the cultural, historical and political differences from different countries, students will be able to determine the shared characteristics they play with the U.S. and be able to determine the relevance with current homeland security policies. Students will be able to analyze different policy issues, including both political and public policies
C EHC 356 Transnational Crime (3)
This class introduces the major ideas and problems associated with the study of international and transnational crime in the context of global politics. It will examine transnational criminal activities, illicit markets, those individuals and organizations involved in such crime, and how governments attempt to respond to and cope with such criminality. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 360 The Legal, Ethical, and Operational Impacts of Unmanned Systems (3)
This course introduces students to unmanned systems (US) and their ethical use, legal and operational challenges concerning homeland security, policing, and emergency response. Students will be exposed to the history, types, and applications of US, as well as the operational safety and rule-compliance requirements for US utilization. The course will also provide basic knowledge of US guidance, navigation and control, concept of operations, and mission planning. Extending beyond operational capabilities, this course will also contextualize the US phenomenon within existing legal and ethical challenges regarding privacy, disaster response, and airspace management. Finally, students will have an opportunity to develop their own unmanned system innovation for the public-safety, emergency response, or humanitarian communities.
C EHC 389 (= H SPH 389) Introduction to Emergency Health Preparedness and Response (3)
This course provides an introduction to emergency preparedness and response to health threats including natural disasters, infectious diseases, acts of terrorism, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. Federal, state, and local policies underlying emergency management and preparedness are reviewed. The course discusses the distinct contributions of the various sectors of the emergency preparedness and response workforce including public health, healthcare, and emergency management personnel. The importance of community engagement and strong private and public collaborations for effective emergency preparedness and response is discussed. The crucial role of social and cultural factors, including health and healthcare disparities, in emergency preparedness and response are emphasized throughout the course. Current and past catastrophic events in the U.S. and in other countries are examined. Students apply the course content to a simulated catastrophic event of their choice. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 390 External Internship in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
This course is intended to give students an opportunity to effectively apply what they have learned in their classroom studies through work in relevant professional settings. Students will secure placement at an off-campus agency or organization, including public, private, and not-for-profit organizations. Alongside that internship, there will be an accompanying class meeting in which students will integrate the theoretical concepts that they have learned in their courses with the practical experience of their internship as well as engage in career preparation activities. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 and junior or senior standing.
C EHC 391 Research Internship in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
The research internship provides students with insight into the personal qualities and skills that make a good researcher, as well as learning about the broader impact of scientific discovery. While working alongside a faculty member students will be able to hone their research and analytical skills, through hands-on experiences. While each course design will vary, students will primarily be involved in library research, compiling literature reviews, data collection, programming and/or data analysis. Students may repeat the course for a maximum of 6 credits. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 and junior or senior standing.
C EHC 393 Simulation: Building Security and Preparedness (3)
This is an intensive four week course that provides the student with an opportunity to blend "practice" with "theory" through a mix of high-end simulations and other blended learning activities. The course is typically offered in four week blocks of time and includes a blend of on-line readings, discussions, and related activities, capstone writing activities, and a residential one week mix of face-to-face classroom instruction with intensive simulation activities. The topics for the simulation course will vary with each one focusing on a core theme within the emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity framework. This course may be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 394 Exercise Design and Implementation (3)
Through this course, students will learn to develop, execute, and evaluate exercises that address the priorities established by an organization's leaders. Based on the National Preparedness Goal, risk assessment concepts, and social scientific insights, this course will engage in a progressive exercise development program across a number of different disaster scenarios (natural, technological, and intentional). Methods of conducting and evaluating exercises are discussed and analyzed, and each student participates in producing, conducting and evaluating a disaster exercise. C EHC/R PAD 101, C EHC/R PAD 343, C EHC/R PAD 344 and junior or senior standing.
C EHC 398 Field Experience in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (0-9)
This course provides academic structure and oversight to service-learning and community engagement components available as options in other Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity offerings. The goal of the field experience course is to improve students' understanding of a topic explored during a semester length course. Courses will typically include guest speaker events, field excursions, and class session on-site (i.e. Puerto Rico, Oklahoma, Fukushima Japan, etc.) The course topic will change from semester to semester based on the topic of the semester length course. A version of the course could be used to offer a stand-alone course with service learning, community service, internship and other community engagement activities as a central theme.
C EHC 399 Selected Topics in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
This course is designed to discuss selected topics in the fields of emergency preparedness, homeland security and cybersecurity. Through the lectures, readings and class discussions students will develop a broad understanding of the different fields and their specific topics. The topics will be selected and announced by the instructor when offered. May be repeated for credit if content varies.
C EHC 410 Capstone Project in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (3)
Capstone Projects are designed to be the synthesizing educational experience for students majoring in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity. The experience provides students with an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge acquired in their academic careers to solve a problem for a client. The Capstone Project requires students to engage in higher-order intellectual activity such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation in a new or novel situation. In addition, students are expected to communicate the results of this intellectual activity in oral or written form to an appropriate audience. Capstone Projects are student-centered experiences that demonstrate that the students have become independent learners. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101, C EHC 210, and C EHC 310 and permission of instructor.
C EHC 445 (= R PAD 445) Principles and Practices of Cybersecurity (3)
This course provides a broad introduction to cybersecurity and the way in which cybersecurity is viewed, studied, or executed by professionals in industry, government, the military, and academia. For students that approach the topic from a policy management perspective, this class will enhance their understanding of the interaction between social, technical, policy, and management factors that affect the creation and management of secure cyber infrastructure. A brief introduction to the technical side of cybersecurity will be provided. The course will offer technically advanced students an opportunity to better understand management, policy, and political equities involved in cybersecurity. Students approaching the subject from either the technical or policy/management perspective will be equipped to take more advanced technical courses in a multitude of disciplines that make up cybersecurity. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 449 (= R PAD 449) Cybersecurity: Long Term Planning and Risk Management (3)
The goal of this course is to equip decision makers with the principles and methods that will allow for more informed budget decisions as it relates to cybersecurity. First this class will review budgeting basics as well as the core of budgeting for information technology and cybersecurity. Then the class will examine risk management as a total program component of cybersecurity as well as apply it to the budgeting process. Finally the class will take a comprehensive approach to managing IT/IS projects from a risk management, budgeting, and procurement point of view. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 450 Cybersecurity Policy, Law & Institutions (3)
This course examines some of the key debates and issues in cybersecurity - including legal, policy, and economic concerns. Additionally, it will look at key stakeholders; including a variety of enforcement and regulatory institutions at different levels of government, businesses and industries across many sectors, as well as civil society organizations and other non-profit organizations. Some of the topics that will be considered include cybersecurity information sharing, breach notification, the dated legal underpinnings of current cyber enforcement, vulnerability disclosure, encryption and law enforcement access, attribution, liability, and international norm building and coordination. Classroom activities include student debates or mock congressional hearings on many of these issues. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 242 or C INF 124X.
C EHC 455 (= R PAD 455) Disaster, Crisis and Emergency Management and Policy (3)
The course studies the policies, statutes and priorities established by federal, state, and local governments to plan and prepare for emergencies, disasters, and catastrophic events caused by nature, technology, or humans. The course's scope will include all mission areas established by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and prioritized by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services as an example of state policies. The course will rely heavily upon primary source documents, and will involve simulations. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 456 (= R PAD 456) Homeland Security Intelligence (3)
This course examines homeland security intelligence at the Federal, State, and local levels. It begins with an overview of the U.S. foreign intelligence community, its mission, history, structure, and capabilities. The course will examine how this community's composition and structure have changed as its mission was fundamentally altered twice, first with the end of the Cold War and then with the rise of terrorism. Next, it looks at the capabilities of new producers of terrorism related intelligence at federal law enforcement agencies and at the Department of Homeland Security. The main thrust of the course is intelligence at the state and local levels. The federal government has worked with the states to create significant intelligence capabilities outside the beltway since the events of 9/11/2001. This course identifies and discusses the state and local customers for homeland security intelligence and examines the degree to which these intelligence requirements are being met. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 457 (= R PAD 457) Intelligence Analysis for Homeland Security (3)
This course provides instruction in conducting intelligence analysis, with emphasis on homeland security issues at the state and local levels. After an overview of the history and structure of the U.S. foreign intelligence community, the class will review the fundamentals of intelligence analysis tradecraft as practiced within the CIA and other federal intelligence agencies. Extensive time is devoted to learning and using structured analytic techniques through student-led analytic exercises on terrorism and major crimes. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 458 (= R PAD 458) Intelligence & U.S. National Security Policymaking (3)
This seminar examines the role of intelligence in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy. Through critical analysis and case studies, students will develop techniques to increase intelligence's contribution to policy deliberations while ensuring that it does not prescribe policy. The course will assess the most appropriate role for the CIA and the intelligence community in supporting this executive branch process. After an overview of the CIA, its functions, structure, and capabilities, the class reviews the U.S. foreign policy process, key players, and institutional bias. The bulk of the course is devoted to a series of mock intelligence and policy meetings on the Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq crises to critically analyze the CIA's proper role in supporting the policy process. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 459 (= R PAD 459) Homeland Security: Building Preparedness Capabilities (3)
The short but significant history of the creation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will serve as the starting point for this course which will provide a comprehensive and functional approach to understanding this department and its role. The preponderance of time will be spent in developing an understanding of the nation's effort, led by DHS, to develop preparedness capabilities to prevent, protect from, respond to, and recover from high consequence events caused by acts of terrorism, natural disasters, and accidents. The course will rely heavily upon scenario-based activities and case studies to guide the student through the DHS maze and the nation's preparedness efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 469 (= R PAD 469) Cyber Threats and Intelligence (3)
Cyber threats currently are posed by state and non-state actors whose motivations include financial gain, notoriety, social activism, espionage, and even revenge. This course will examine cyber threats from different angles to introduce students to today's actors; motivations; tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs); and mitigation techniques, while providing insight into the impact of cyber crimes on victim organizations and employees. A variety of case studies will used to study how TTPs are applied, and aid students in understanding attack consequences, responding agency abilities, and the various protection, mitigation, and remediation measures. The course will also examine models of cyber activity, as well as how models from other fields can be applied to thinking about cyber threats. The objective of the course is to provide students with a foundation for leading their organization in prevention, mitigation, and remediation of cyber-attacks. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of the instructor.
C EHC 471 (= R PAD 471) Military Forces in Support of Civil Authorities (3)
This on-line course provides a comprehensive strategic level examination of the Homeland Security Enterprise and the methodology for integrating federal and state military forces in support of civil authorities during the planning, training, and response phases of emergency operations. Federal, state and local civilian authorities are responsible for preparing for and responding to natural and man-made emergency incidents and disasters. Emergency managers often include military forces in their emergency management planning and training programs as necessary to support potentially overwhelmed civilian first-responders during an incident. This course examines various agencies associated with homeland security and focuses on specialized military forces mission support sets such as Weapons of Mass Destruction, Critical Infrastructure Protection and defense of the homeland. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 472 (= R PAD 472) Disasters and Crisis Management in the Public, Private and Nonprofit Sectors (3)
This course will examine how disaster and crisis management has evolved over time in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. It will begin by identifying key issues and challenges facing emergency managers and other crisis management professionals. Then the course will systematically examine the similarities and differences across the various sectors and analyze contemporary trends and common challenges, to include risk management, crisis communication and crisis leadership. Through the use of conceptual models and real-world case studies, the application of theory and practice within the field will be further explored. The course will examine specific events, how organizations responded to those events, and how those events changed and shaped the organizations, and the discipline itself. Only one version may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 495 (= C INF 495) Special Topics in Research, Applied and Experiential Learning (3)
This course is designed to discuss selected topics related to research, application, and experiential learning in the fields of emergency preparedness, homeland security, cybersecurity, and informatics. Through the lectures, readings and class discussions students will develop a broad understanding of the different fields and their specific topics. The topics will be selected and announced by the instructor when offered. May be repeated for credit if content varies. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor and junior or senior standing.
