This course introduces students to the field of security studies, which encompassses a wide range of international issues, ideas and theories.  The primary focus of the course relates to larger developments of international security, especially since the end of the Cold War. Students will gain an understanding of the structures, systems, and interrelationships among nations, the development of the distinctive features of at least one international security organization, and the cultural differences between them. Finally, students will gain an appreciation of international sustainability and human security concepts. The course will serve as a foundation for more in-depth studies in the field and provide students with the skills to succeed in advanced level studies in the area. This course was previously PAFF 1005: Introduction to Security Studies.

Homeland security in the United States became a national priority and a major concern of the American public following the events that transpired on September 11, 2001.  Since that time, significant resources have gone into the prevention of terrorist attacks and the preparation of the U.S. government for life in a vulnerable environment.  Substantial new laws were passed and new legislation continues to be proposed to combat threats and secure the country.  Today, with the rise of foreign and domestic violent extremists, as well as affiliated threats from lone wolf terrorists around the world, legislative and executive leaders are struggling to identify the best response, while courts sort out the legality of their efforts. But homeland security is about more than terrorism. In fact, the vast majority of our daily activities, from trade to travel, touch on homeland security in much more profound ways than terrorism has. In this course, we will focus on the foundations of both homeland security and terrorism in order to develop a more complete understanding of the importance of the changes that have taken place in the last decade. Emphasis will be placed on “friction points” in the homeland security enterprise, such as the tradeoff between security and liberty, border security and economic vitality, and surveillance and privacy, as well as the legal and policy changes that have been undertaken to effectuate new policies and practices of the Executive Branch to promote homeland security. This course was previously PAFF 2005.

Students will be exposed to a wide range of careers associated with the field of security studies. Students will explore academic and professional expectations for jobs in areas such as homeland security, national security and intelligence, international humanitarian aid (human security), cybersecurity, and corporate security. Students will research how their own academic background and/or prior learning fit into the academic expectations and skills needed for long-term future learning associated with these careers. Students will use their new knowledge to build personal and professional goals. This course is aligned with the Security Studies Foundation #1: Broad Security Studies Perspectives. This course was previously PAFF 3000.

Global climate change has been identified as one of the biggest security threats of the 21st century that result in natural disasters, water scarcity, food insecurity, infrastructure risks, and changing migration patterns.   These consequences have political and economic ramifications that threaten the security of individuals and nation states, and are rising to the top of government initiatives and concerns worldwide.   This course provides students with an opportunity to examine how the environment and its security is an important part of national and global security, and how global climate change is affecting the security of individuals, nation-states and, generally, the world. This course was previously PAFF 3003.

This course examines theories of human behavior and social systems as they relate to conflict at the interpersonal, community, and international levels. The course provides a solid foundation of academic thinking about the role of conflict in violent and peaceful social change. At the end of the course, students should be able to think systematically and critically about conflict, and engage in practical application of conflict analysis techniques to a complex social conflict. This course was previously PAFF 3007.

Students will examine the history of the U.S. Intelligence Community and role it plays in assisting U.S. policymakers to craft national security policy for the United States. This will include examining the philosophy of U.S. intelligence support and how it differs from other countries, as well as important U.S. congressional oversight and ethical issues in intelligence. Students will compare intelligence problems in strategic intelligence, learn to identify appropriate analytic tools for strategic challenges, and critique strategic intelligence cases using analytic tools commonly used within the Intelligence Community. It is strongly recommended that students have taken PAFF 1005 Intro to Security Studies before enrolling for this course. This course was previously PAFF 3021.

This course provides students the opportunity to study the multidimensional nature of security from a global perspective. Human, environmental, national, transnational, and trans-cultural (ethnic, sectarian, and religious) aspects of security and how they impact each other throughout the world will be examined. Topics such as the role of the military; causes and consequences of national and transnational conflict; organized crime; human trafficking; diplomatic agreements; the influence of science and technology on climate, energy supplies, the production and access to food, and other threats to human security will be included. Organizing frameworks for this study might include a specific focus on justice as a prerequisite for security, international relations theory, and/or other approaches. This course was previously PAFF 4000.

This course focuses on international terrorism since 9/11/01 and explores the social, political, and economic origins and intentions of groups such as Al-Qaeda, its affiliates, and recent permutations. Case studies of key international terror attacks are presented to better understand capabilities, including signature complex, multi-level attacks, lone wolf attacks inspired by social media, and large-scale conflicts overseas. Students will explore U.S. counterterrorism efforts overseas, and counterterrorism collaboration with foreign governments and multinational organizations. Finally, students will evaluate the effectiveness of international counterterrorism strategies since 9/11 and recommend ways to address possible future scenarios. The course is designed as a capstone course; therefore, it is strongly suggested that students have completed one of the following: PAFF 2005 Intro to Homeland Security, SOCI 3065 Perspectives on Terrorism, PAFF 3005 Terrorism and Homeland Security, or have prior experience working in counterterrorism. This course was previously PAFF 4005.