NS4239 Special Topics in American Government for Homeland Security

Offered through the Center for Homeland Defense and Security. The purpose of this course is to provide participants with an insight into the structural, conceptual and intellectual underpinnings and implications of the homeland security project. Looking at a wide range of topics and problems, the course seeks to stimulate a comprehensive discussion of how homeland security professionals and the general public think about homeland security; whether/why there may be significant differences in professional and public perceptions of homeland security; and how those differences constrain/leverage various elements of the homeland security effort. By incorporating a selection of key texts in Western political and social thought alongside current topical writings, the course seeks to equip participants with a deeper understanding of the prevailing discourse and its impact on the homeland security project.

Prerequisite

NS3180

Lecture Hours

Lab Hours

Course Learning Outcomes

· Analyze different types of political regimes, how they emerge, operate and develop, and how they die.

· Apply political regimes theory (in comparative perspective) to historic and current regime trends around the world.

· Apply political regimes theory to the United States.

· Assess the current roles and missions of the homeland security institutions around the world and how they affect and are affected by various political regimes and political regime changes.

· Analyze the various mechanisms and methods of democratic oversight of the security sector and how these tools help shape the democracy-security paradigm.