Undergraduate Certificate in Homeland Security

Effective communicators know how to choose the type of communication that best suits their intended audience. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of effective communication in contemporary society. Students’ primary focus is communication using electronic means, such as cell phones, e-mail, instant messaging, and Internet technologies. They explore a wide range of communication methods and technologies as well as their impact on the individual and society. Through this course, students gain the knowledge and skill to use appropriate contemporary communication strategies for various settings and audiences. They also gain the ability to apply writing and critical-thinking skills to their personal, academic, and work lives.

What is criminal justice and how is it delivered and sustained? This course provides students with a survey of the contemporary criminal justice system in the United States, with emphasis on the roles and responsibilities of police (law enforcement), courts (adjudication), and corrections. Students analyze the components of and major players in the criminal justice process and system and apply this content to current events and dilemmas. They overview crime and criminal law and explore how these concepts connect to criminal justice. Students also consider diversity and ethical challenges and issues as they relate to all aspects of criminal justice. Finally, students explore and discuss the juvenile justice system; consider its strengths and limitations; and examine issues, challenges, and trends related to the system.

All criminal justice professionals must understand the methods of extracting and using data and research—a critical function lending to the responsibilities of all roles in the system, including law enforcement, crime prevention, sentencing, and corrections. Students in this course explore how professionals apply basic statistical principles and research methods to contemporary criminal justice problems and issues in court, law enforcement, and correctional settings. Students learn how to evaluate data and research, represent data using graphs, and present data using statistical measures. They also consider ethical issues related to criminal justice research and technological advancements that influence current and future criminal justice data analysis and research. (Prerequisites: CRJS 1001.)

Acts of physical and psychological violence to create fear have occurred throughout the ages, but they have only recently begun to affect the United States directly. The American public, now more than ever, must be aware of the possible threat of further terrorist attacks. In this course, students learn about current legislation to counter terrorism as well as to provide U.S. citizens with knowledge of these efforts and any further threats. Students engage in assignments on topics related to domestic and international terrorism, including theory, history of and trends related to terrorism, causes and goals of terrorist groups, and responses to terrorist acts by the criminal justice system. Students examine and analyze contemporary terrorist threats and movements and contemplate future trends.

What happens when disasters occur, natural or otherwise, and the agencies that respond operate independent of one another? Students in this course have the opportunity to examine the fallout of such events to learn effective ways to manage critical incidents, avoiding errors of the past, thus helping to prevent widespread harm to communities. They learn about the development of broad-based contingency planning and the development of strategies, policies, and procedures for cross-agency coordination. Through practical exercises and simulations, students sharpen their critical-thinking and problem-solving skills as they learn ways to develop models of cross-agency coordination that anticipate prototypical critical incident responses. (Prerequisites: CRJS 1001.)

In an age of technological innovation, nuclear advancement, and virtual spread of knowledge, terrorism is at the vanguard of governmental action. In this course, students explore and discuss methods used by the criminal justice system to counter and manage disaster incidents, and they examine law enforcement responses to such incidents. Students learn about the function of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and the Incident Command System (ICS)—agencies created specifically to provide specialized guidance and support to all levels of government and nongovernmental organizations who respond to disasters. They examine different types of weapons of mass destruction (including biological and chemical threats) as well as cyberterrorism. Through this course, students work toward gaining practical skills to engage in organizational preparation efforts in many different professional positions, including disaster response. (Prerequisites: CRJS 1001.)