Courses in Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (C EHC and C EMH)
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 EMH 191 Social Media and Disasters (3)
The advent of the Internet and Web 2.0 has revolutionized the ways we communicate with one another, including the ways we communicate about risk. This course will examine the usage of social media during disasters beginning with the September 11 terrorist attacks and continuing to the present day. Topics examined will include the strengths and weaknesses of social media as a crisis communication tool; misinformation and misinformation management; and the practical considerations of crowdsourcing. Students will also be introduced to the concept of Virtual Operation Support Teams (VOSTs). In doing so, they will gain first-hand experience monitoring social media; organizing and summarizing social media data; and writing technical reports. Successful completion of this course will give students priority consideration to the University at Albany's Virtual Operation Support Team.
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 (= C YBR 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 or C INF/C YBR 124X.
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)
This course provides an introduction to social science research process -- how researchers (in academia, government agencies, and the private sector) use observations about the world to find evidence-based answers to pressing questions. Throughout the semester, students will practice synthesizing existing research, writing research questions, and creating a research plan that could provide evidence-based answers to research questions. Students will also think about what counts as “data” and consider what it means to conduct ethical research in the social sciences. By the end of the semester, students will have a greater appreciation for just how difficult it can be to answer empirical questions. Students will also be a savvy reader of arguments that are based on evidence, better able to identify flaws in those arguments. This means students will also be better at developing those arguments themselves, gaining practice through iteratively writing components of a research proposal. Prerequisite(s): C EHC/R PAD 101 and C EHC 210.
C EHC 311 Honors Research Design Tutorial (1)
A one-credit honors tutorial covering thesis preparation and graduate school preparation accompanying C EHC 310. Open only to students in the EHC Honors Program.
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 interdisciplinary course explores advanced historical, legal, economic, and psychological dimensions of human trafficking. The curriculum also addresses several methodological and political issues that complicate the study of this crime and the ways that these issues impact the development of meaningful public policy. Structured debates will provide students with the opportunity to address a variety of related ethical issues such as the level of responsibility, if any, that each of us incurs when we purchase products and services that are made available by vendors who use trafficked workers. T EHC 321 is the Honors College version of C EHC 321. Only one version may be taken for credit.
T EHC 321 Human Trafficking (3)
This interdisciplinary course explores advanced historical, legal, economic, and psychological dimensions of human trafficking. The curriculum also addresses several methodological and political issues that complicate the study of this crime and the ways that these issues impact the development of meaningful public policy. Structured debates will provide students with the opportunity to address a variety of related ethical issues such as the level of responsibility, if any, that each of us incurs when we purchase products and services that are made available by vendors who use trafficked workers. Open to Honors College students only. T EHC 321 is the Honors College version of C EHC 321. Only one version may be taken for credit.
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. This course is a combined lecture/discussion course in which students attend a weekly discussion section in addition to regular lectures. 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 370 Risk Assessment and Management (3)
The assessment and management of risk is essential to work in homeland security, cybersecurity, and emergency preparedness. Intelligence officers must estimate the probability of a terror attack and identify ways to reduce the probability and/or consequences. Firms must estimate the cost and likelihood of a cyber attack prior to making investments in protective training, hardware, and software. Finally, emergency managers must estimate the risk of severe storms and engage in risk mitigation to reduce the damage of these storms. In this class, we will examine the fundamentals of risk, the assessment of risk, and the management of risk. Topics will include risk analysis, controls such as insurance, supply chain management, business interruption, economic and financial risk, climate change risk, and risk communication. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 or permission of instructor.
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 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 400 Preparedness and Response (3)
This course examines preparedness and response from a number of practical and theoretically-informed perspectives, across all levels of government and sectors of society. A variety of contexts, contingencies and cases-both domestic and international-will be explored. As part of this course, students will examine preparedness and response from individual, group, community, organizational, political and functional governance perspectives. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 and C EHC 344 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 401 Mitigation and Recovery (3)
This class is designed to introduce students to disaster mitigation and recovery. Mitigation serves as the cornerstone of emergency management, and both the starting and endpoint of the conceptual emergency management cycle. Recovery, or the process by which a community return to a state of normalcy in the wake of a disturbance, is one of the least studied phases of emergency management, but also one of the fastest growing phases in terms of research. Throughout this semester, the class will explore a number of facets related to these two phases, including key concepts and theories, how different units recover and how to measure their recovery, types of mitigation and the importance of different stakeholders in establishing mitigation measures roles and responsibilities in the recovery process, and a number of key issues from the two phases. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 and C EHC 344 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 402 Risk, Planning, and Continuity (3)
This course examines the multi-disciplinary literature and applied practices associated with the concepts of risk, planning, and continuity from a number of perspectives across organizations and sectors of society. The notions of risk and risk management will be considered with an emphasis on organizational/societal adaptation to both familiar and novel/unanticipated contingencies across a variety of hypothetical probability/consequence constellations. This will provide a point of departure for considering the role of various forms of planning - and alternative planning modes, doctrines, and paradigms - in efforts to facilitate response to and recovery from disasters and other forms of crises. Pulling together these threads, the course will also explore the evolving field of business/government continuity management which aspires to integrate risk analysis and planning to promote organizational resilience in the face of potentially disruptive events. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 403 Governance and Stakeholders in Emergency Management and Homeland Security (3)
This course focuses on the federal, state, and local level government cooperation necessary in the provision of emergency management, as well as the non-government organizations and businesses crucial to collaborative response. Government authorities and roles will be explored and the origins of the collaborative partnerships presented will be discussed. The course topics will include the National Response Framework, Emergency Management Assistance Compact, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, Emergent Groups, and the various types of cross-sector and intergovernmental collaboration that occurs during disaster management. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 405 Crises and Vulnerable Populations (3)
In the course students will learn about vulnerability in terms of social, economic, political, geographical and cultural factors. Students will investigate how vulnerable groups such as children, elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, and low income, are affected and cope before, during and after hazardous events. This course connects the policies, legal, and regulatory advances made due to social vulnerability during disasters. Other topics covered include: whole community approach, national disaster recovery framework, disaster warning responses, evacuation behavior, survival behavior, roles of volunteers, and disaster impacts. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 406 Extremism, Terrorism, and the Internet (3)
Over the past several decades, the internet has become more ingrained in daily life for billions of people around the world. It is no surprise, then, that extremists and terrorists use the internet as well. In this course, we will learn about how extremists and terrorists use the internet, with particular focus on social media. We will think about the different types of activity that these actors engage in. We will interrogate the online spaces where this activity takes place. And we will consider different responses to this activity, both from companies that control different online spaces and from governments. By the end of the semester, students will have a better empirical and theoretical understanding of extremism, terrorism, and the internet, and they will be able to analyze past, present, and future forms of activity by these actors in different online spaces.
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 428 Leaders and Individual Assessment (3)
This course provides a theoretical overview of approaches to the remote assessment of individuals, including psychobiography, motivations, leadership trait analysis, operational code, cognitive mapping, and integrative complexity, along with contextual influences on assessments and individual behavior, and methodological considerations. The major course project is an in-depth assessment of an individual using one or more of the approaches studied.
C EHC 442 Advanced Threat and Hazard Assessment (3)
It is impossible to prevent, mitigate or prepare for harm if one does not adequately understand the sources of that harm. This course will introduce students to the theory, tools and techniques of threat and hazard assessment (THA) in the context of security studies and emergency response. Through both formal instruction and practical exercises, the course will provide a theoretical background to threats and hazards and the distinction between them, as well as situating THA within the larger field of risk management. A selection of specific threat and hazard assessment tools will be presented and practical projects distributed to students in order to practice the use of these tools. No specific mathematical knowledge beyond high-school level is needed, although students with more advanced quantitative skills will be directed towards additional material for extra credit. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing or permission of instructor.
C EHC 445 (= C YBR 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 (= C YBR 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/C YBR 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 460 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (3)
In this course we focus on the phenomena of terrorism, and how societies and governments respond to it. Most modern societies have dealt with political violence targeting civilians in order to change or shape public policy, economic, or social systems, through intimidation. These societies have responded in a host of different ways. Some have responded with draconian security measures, others with negotiation or policies that have increased political participation and representation; some have used diplomacy, some law enforcement, and some their militaries. Throughout this semester, I will ask you to explore a number of the seminal works by influential scholars who examine terrorism and counter terrorism regarding the nature of terrorism and terrorists, how governments and societies respond to such attacks, and how these approaches differ across borders and sectors. The texts and assorted readings will challenge you to not default to just the US approach to counterterrorism, but to explore the merit and wisdom of alternative approaches adopted around the world. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 and C EHC 343 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 461 Homeland Security Risk (3)
This course examines the relatively new discipline of homeland security that emerged in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks. Due to its post-9/11 founding, homeland security is often mistakenly assumed to be focused solely on counterterrorism efforts. This could not be further from the truth. Homeland security - both the broad national homeland security enterprise and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - focus on many tasks associated with securing the United States, its populace, its infrastructure and its economy from various kinds of malicious actors, and from some catastrophic level natural hazards as well. Transnational criminal organizations, terrorists, cyber-attackers, human traffickers, and those that would damage or manipulate infrastructure like electrical grids and financial markets, are among the many threat actors that occupy homeland security professionals. Ultimately, the homeland security enterprise is about understanding and regulating the flows of goods, people, organizations, and even bits and bytes (like malicious computer code) into and out of the US homeland. This course addresses all these kinds of threats and hazards, and their potential impacts using the conception of homeland security risk. By taking their conception of risk deriving from Likelihood and Consequence (the class will break Likelihood up into the joint concepts of Threat and Vulnerability) and applying it to the many risks and challenges facing homeland security professionals, this course will encourage students to think about such professionals are managing, mitigating, accepting, transferring, and minimizing risks. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101 and C EHC 343 or permission of instructor.
C EHC 469 (= C YBR 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 up to 6 credits if content varies with permission of the College. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EMH 496 Intermediate Special Topics in Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security (3)
This course is designed to discuss selected topics related to Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security. Through the lectures, readings and class discussions students will develop a broad understanding of the selected topic. The topics will be selected and announced by the instructor when offered. May be repeated for credit if content varies. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior standing.
C EHC 498 Honors Thesis (3)
Honors Thesis written under the supervision of a member of the EHC faculty. The student presents proposals and periodic progress reports. The thesis is presented to the adviser and Honors Committee in the final semester of the senior year. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisite(s): C EHC 101, 210, 310 and 311, Honors student status, and permission of instructor or Honors Program Director.
