CJST 4578 - Homeland Security and Terrorism

This course is designed to familiarize students with the concept of homeland security from administrative, organizational, historical, and critical perspectives. The course will be taught in a critical thinking context rather than a training context. Specific emphasis will be placed on homeland security as a public safety paradigm and the implications of this paradigm on government agencies at the state and local level, overall national security, and public perception/opinion. A key component of this course is the presentation, analysis, and discussion of critical issues in homeland security. This is also an advanced course designed to familiarize students with the history and evolution of terrorism, the key concepts and theories of terrorism, the roles and responsibilities of counterterrorism agencies in the U.S., and the critical issues and controversies of the current "War on Terrorism." Terrorism will be examined from a multidisciplinary perspective, and critical thinking by the students will be encouraged. 3 credits.