Syllabus for CJK340: Homeland Security 1
Texas A&M
University
Central Texas
Class Location:FH 212
Class Hours:TR8:00 - 9:15 am
Instructor:Floyd Berry, PhD
Office:FH 217G
Office Hours:MWR 1:00 – 5:00
Phone:254.519.5705 (prefer Bb message)
Email: (prefer Bb message)
1.0Course Description
An in-depth study of strategic, legal, policy, operational, and organizational issues associated with the defense of the U.S. homeland from foreign and domestic terrorist threats. Topics include psychology of mass movements, terrorists’ ideology, religion and terror, legal issues in Homeland Security, weapons of mass destruction, effective interfacing between local, state, and federal agencies, emergency management operations and dealing with mass casualties. This course satisfies three credit hours toward the Homeland Security minor.
2.0Accessing Blackboard (Bb)
This is a lecture course with online components in Blackboard (Bb). The student accesses Bb on the TAMUCT website (“Quick Links”). The student may get assistance 24/7 by phone or live chat.
3.0Course Objectives
1. Students will be able to demonstrate an applied knowledge of Homeland Security through evidence-based certifications.
2. Students will be able torelate the core concepts of Homeland Security.
3. Students will be able todemonstrate proficiency in the language, concepts, and theories of Homeland Security.
4.0Required Textbook
Bullock, J. A., Haddow, G. D., & Coppola, D. P. (2013).Homeland Security: The essentials.
Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN: 9780124158030
5.0Course Requirements
5.1Exams (200 pts)
The student will take two exams valued at 100 points apiece. The examsare reviewed during the subsequent class period. The exams include matching, multiple choice, and short answer prose questions. The student is advised to review his work before submission.
5.2Class Participation (100 pts)
The student is expected to participate in class discussions. The student earns a point for full attendance on a specific day (appears on time and does not leave early). He earns another point for participating in class discussion. (No points are awarded on exam days, however.) Thus, the student earns 0-2 points on each class day (total of 25 days), which translates into the following grade for class participation in the course:
Points / Grade / Points / Grade50 / 100 / 28-29 / 45
48-49 / 95 / 26-27 / 40
46-47 / 90 / 24-25 / 35
44-45 / 85 / 22-23 / 30
42-43 / 80 / 20-21 / 25
40-41 / 75 / 18-19 / 20
38-39 / 70 / 16-17 / 15
36-37 / 65 / 14-15 / 10
34-35 / 60 / 12-13 / 5
32-33 / 55 / 0-11 / 0
30-31 / 50
5.3Reaction Comments (100 pts)
At the conclusion of each class (except the Final Exam), the student will submit a Reaction Comment (RC), due before midnight. In Bb, the student will send an email to the instructor, reacting to material discussed or experienced in class. A few sentences are sufficient. The student expresses his reaction to something discussed or experienced in class. The reaction may be emotional, cognitive, insightful, positive, negative, or neutral. A mere summary of material discussed in class, however, is insufficient for credit. The student shall identify his email with the heading of RC1, RC2, etc., as indicated in the Course Calendar. Please use only RC1, RC2, etc. for credit. An inaccurate heading may result in no credit. There are 20 Reaction Comments valued at 5 points apiece.
5.4Academic Honesty
During the first week of class, the student is to read the section in the syllabus on Academic Honesty and the material at the Purdue University OWL website regarding plagiarism. The student must sign the document on Academic Honesty and return it to the instructor. NOTE: The student will not be allowed to continue in the course without notifying the instructor of his comprehension of this material (by signing the document and submitting it to the instructor).
5.5Monitoring Bb for Announcements
It is the student’s responsibility to monitor Bb daily for Announcements and revised Course Calendars. Failure to do so may result in poor scores.
5.6Online FEMA Course Certifications (200 pts)
The student will earn four certificates from the FEMA Emergency Operations training website ( each valued at 50 points. Each of the links below allow you to complete a lesson and test. When you have achieved a passing grade, FEMA sends you a certificate in pdf format. Simply attach the certificate to an email message on Bb and send it to your instructor for credit. In the heading of your email, indicate FEMA1, FEMA2, FEMA3, FEMA4.
FEMA1:
FEMA2:
FEMA3:
FEMA4:
These certificates may be added to one’s CV or resume as well.
5.7Term Paper Presentation (200 pts)
On one of seven days, beginning 11/13/14, the student shall give a15-minute PowerPointof select portions of his term paper to the class and field questions for an additional 5 minutes.
5.8Term Paper (200 pts)
On 11/13/14, the student shall submit a term paper, using APA guidelines, by attaching the paper to an emai and sending it to the instructor. Please indicate in the heading of the email, Term Paper. The paper shall address the problem of narco-tunnels across US borders, how those tunnels are possibly connected to terrorist activities, and possible methods of detection of the tunnels. The student must cite at least two articles from peer-reviewed academic journals from the TAMUCT library website. The student will be using other sources, such as the textbook, news reports, and possibly government documents of some kind.
The paper shall conform to the APA (American Psychological Association) Manual (6th ed.), having a cover page, an abstract page, and a references page. The body of the paper shall have section headings and be at least 6 pages in length, double-spaced. Thus the complete term paper shall consist of at least 9 pages of a Microsoft Word document, including a cover page, abstract page, body of paper, and references page. The typeface shall be either Calibri or Times New Roman, size 12. The paper shall have a header with page number. (Choose Insert, Page Number, Top of Page, Plain Number 3.) Use normal margins (1”).
Avoid the use of second-person pronouns and “etc.” Under no circumstances shall the student quote any portion of a source. Instead, the student shall use his own words in conveying the meaning of cited source material. Points will be deducted for using these forbidden items or for the use of sentence fragments (incomplete sentences). At least a sixth-grade level of grammar must be used in your paper. Be sure to review your paper before submission.
The cover page shall include the following information, centered on the page:
Detecting Narco-tunnels across US Borders
John Smith (your name)
CJK 340-Homeland Security
Texas A&M University-Central Texas
The student shall use the “running head” feature of APA.
NOTE: Do not submit your term paper to turnitin.com.
Qualities & Criteria / Poor / Good / ExcellentFormat/Layout
- Presentation of the text
- Structuring of text
- Requirements of length, font, and style
- APA style
(0-30 pts) / Mostly follows the requirements related to format and layout.
(31-35 pts) / Closely follows all the requirements related to format and layout.
(36-40 pts)
Content
- Elements of topics to be addressed
- Information is correct
- Coherency
Continued / Essay is not objective and poorly addresses the issues. The information provided is unnecessary or insufficient to discuss the issues.
(0-63 pts) / Essay is mostly objective and addresses most of the issues. Provided information is mostly necessary and sufficient to discuss the issues.
(64-71 pts) / Essay is objective and addresses all the issues. Provided information is necessary and sufficient to discuss the issues.
(72-80 pts)
Quality of Writing
- Clarity
- Grammar and English usage
- Organization and coherence
(0-30 pts) / Essay is mostly well-written, without spelling or grammatical errors. Essay is well organized, is clear, and ideas are presented in coherent ways.
(31-35 pts) / Essay is well-written, without spelling or grammatical errors. Essay is well organized, clear, and ideas are presented in coherent ways.
(36-40 pts)
Citations, References, & Style
- APA style
- Sources correctly cited regarding content of sources
(0-30 pts) / Essay mostly follows APA guidelines and sources are (mostly) cited correctly for content.
(31-35 pts) / Essay follows APA guidelines and sources are correctly cited for content.
(36-40 pts)
6.0Grading Rubric and Conversion
6.1Rubric
Points
Exams (2 @ 100) / 200Class Participation (25 days) / 100
Reaction Comments (20 @ 5) / 100
Presentation (20 minutes) / 200
Term Paper (11/13) / 200
FEMA Course Certifications / 200
Academic Honesty Document / -----
Total: / 1000
6.2Conversion to Course Letter Grade
Points % Grade
900 – 1000 / 90 – 100 / A800 – 899 / 80 – 89 / B
700 – 799 / 70 – 79 / C
600 – 699 / 60 – 69 / D
0 – 599 / 0 – 59 / F
7.0Course Calendar1
Date Topics/Activities Readings2 Assignments Due3
8/26 / Roll Call8/28 / Academic Honesty Document
Syllabus / RC1 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/2 / Introduction to Homeland Security / B, ch 1 / Academic Honesty document is due
RC2 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/4 / History of Terrorism / B, ch 2 / RC3 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/9 / Hazards / B, ch3 (pp 37-46) / RC4 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/11 / Hazards (cont.) / B, ch 3 (remaining pages) / RC5 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/16 / Security Structures / B, ch4 (pp 59-73) / RC6 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/18 / No Class
9/23 / Security Structures (cont.) / B, ch 4 (pp 73-88) / RC7 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/25 / Security Structures (cont.) / B, ch 4 (remaining pages) / RC8 due by 11:59 p.m.
9/30 / Exam 1 (chs 1-4) / RC9 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/2 / Review of Exam 1 / RC10 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/7 / Intelligence and Counterterrorism / B, ch 5 / RC11 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/9 / Borders / B, ch 6 (pp 119-129) / RC12 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/14 / Borders (cont.) / B, ch 6 (pp 129-143) / RC13 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/16 / Transportation / B, ch 7 / RC14 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/21 / Cybersecurity / B, ch 8 / RC15 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/23 / No Class
10/28 / Emergency Response / B, ch 9 (pp 181-200) / RC16 due by 11:59 p.m.
10/30 / Emergency Response (cont.) / B, ch 9 (pp 200-226) / RC17 due by 11:59 p.m.
11/4 / Emergency Response (cont.) / B, ch 9 (remaining pages) / RC18 due by 11:59 p.m.
11/6 / Exam 2 (chs 5-9) / RC19 due by 11:59 p.m.
11/11 / Holiday – No Class
11/13 / Presentations / Term Paper Due
RC20 due by 11:59 p.m.
(reaction to term paper project)
11/18 / Presentations
11/20 / Presentations
11/25 / Presentations
11/27 / Holiday - No Class
12/2 / Presentations
12/4 / Presentations
12/9 / Presentations
1 Events are subject to minor revision
2B = Bullock et al., Homeland Security: The essentials
ch = chapter
chs = chapters
3 All assignments are due at 8:00 a.m., unless otherwise noted
8.0Academic Honesty
TAMUCT expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, self-plagiarism (“recycling”), or collusion. The instructor shall initiate action for each case of academic dishonesty and report it to the Associate Director of Student Conduct. See
9.0Disability Support
If you believe that this course may present barriers to learning due to a disability, please contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall, Ste. 212. For more information, please visit theirwebsite at Any information you provide is private and confidential and will be treated as such. The instructor cannot accommodate your disability unless you communicate with Disability Support.
10.0Tutoring
Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on campus and online. Subjects tutored include Writing (APA). Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall 111. Visit and click “Tutoring Support” for tutor schedules and contact information. If you have questions or need to schedule a tutoring session, contact Academic Support at 254-501-5830 or email .
11.0Late Work
As a rule, make-up work for RC’s, term paper, presentation, and exams will not be accepted. In rare instances, however, an exam may be offered, but with a 20-point deduction (evidence pertaining to a serious emergency will be considered for such a makeup). In no instance will a make-up be offered for the final exam, and in no instance will a make-up for an exam be given after two weeks from the original exam date. To be considered as a prospect for making up an exam, the student must contact the instructor within 24 hours of having missed an exam for purposes of making it up. A request for make-up, of course, may or may not be granted. The final course grade will be posted within a few days of the final exam; therefore, no incompletes will be awarded for this course. If the student foresees that he will be unable to complete the course, then he should either drop the course or accept the posted grade.
12.0Modification of the Syllabus
This syllabus may be revised in minor ways at the discretion of the instructor. The student is responsible for noting any changes in the syllabus. More than likely, a change in the syllabus will pertain to events in the Course Calendar (sect. 7.0). A revised course calendar will be posted on Bb.
13.0Contact with the Instructor
The student should contact the instructor via the message feature of Bb about any topic or issue that pertains to the course.
14.0Announcements
The student is responsible for checking Bb for ongoing announcements pertaining to the course.