You are here: American University School of Public Affairs MS Terrorism & Homeland Security Policy Curriculum
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Special Topic Courses
National Security Policy
This course provides students with a foundation for understanding how policies related to contemporary security issues are made and executed. The focus is primarily on terrorism and insurgency, but examined through various lenses. The course is weighted heavily toward providing exposure to as many facets of policy making and implementation as possible, rather than interrogating any one security issue.
Cyber Threats and Security
This course examines the emerging threats to U.S. security caused by cyber activism. Special attention is paid to discussing appropriate policy responses to this nascent global problem.
Domestic Terrorism and Political Violence
This course investigates the causes and consequences of domestic terrorism and political violence. The course incorporates insights from psychology, political science, economics, history, and other disciplines to attempt to understand the motivation, goals, and propensity for violence of these groups and individuals.
Terrorism, Crime, and Public Policy
This course examines the problem of terrorism and its causes, to provide a basis for preventing it. It includes distinctions among types of terrorism, crime and aggression, their causes, and implications for prevention; Huntington's clash of civilization model; cross-cultural dialog and exchange; the management of fear; the applicability of crime prevention strategies to the problem of terrorism; the role of religion, the reshaping of military and intelligence strategies; use of technology for diction and prevention; and the management of errors in balancing security and rights.
Intelligence Analysis
This course analyzes the specific role of the intelligence analyst within the context of the intelligence cycle. It details the methods for taking information from various collection sources and synthesizing into a useful intelligence product.