michigan state university - homeland security syllabus

The course synthesizes a variety of sources, themes, methodologies and online learning activities, including presentations, assigned readings, Internet research, assessments, informal cl

HOMELAND SECURITY (CJ-439)

(Section 730)

COURSE SYLLABUS Spring Semester 2010

Faculty Contact Information:

Phillip D Schertzing, Ph.D (lead instructor)

MSU School of Criminal Justice

Room 430 Baker Hall

East Lansing, MI 48824

(517) 432-3156 (MSU office)

schertzi@msu.edu (primary e-mail address)

phil.schertzing@gmail.com (alternate e-mail address)

Mustafa Bulent Halicioglu (Ph.D candidate/TA)

(Turkish National Police captain)

MSU School of Criminal Justice

Room 139 Baker Hall

East Lansing, MI 48824

(517) 353-5150 (MSU office)

(517) 272-9115 (cell phone)

haliciog@msu.edu (primary e-mail address)

mbhalicioglu@gmail.com (alternate e-mail address)

The faculty will log into ANGEL and check our e-mail on a regular basis.Please use the e-mail feature in ANGEL as the primary means of

contacting us Unless you want the message to go to a specific faculty member, please click on “all course faculty” when you compose and send an e-mail message in ANGEL That way, any of us can read and respond to the message and copy each other so that we know

someone has responded

We have adjusted our settings so that all e-mail messages sent

through ANGEL will be forwarded to our regular MSU accounts You should also adjust your personal settings under the Preferences/

System Settings links in ANGEL so that e-mail messages generated in ANGEL will be forwarded to your preferred e-mail account (e.g., MSU Mail, Gmail, Outlook, Hotmail, Earthlink, AOL, etc.)

Office Hours:

I am fully committed to being available to all my students For those ofyou on campus, my regular office hours in Room 430 Baker Hall will be Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00 p.m However, because I

am often required to attend meetings or travel out of state, I strongly recommend that you schedule appointments to meet with me to avoid wasting trips to Baker Hall, only to find that I’m not in

You are also always free to call me at my posted MSU office number if the matter is something you prefer to discuss by phone I have

voicemail, and usually check for messages every weekday As a

general rule, I will try to respond to e-mail or voicemail messages by the next day I do not use a cell phone on a regular basis

I am also available for personal meetings on campus by appointment

at the MSU Library, Union, International Center or other appropriate location if that would be more convenient for those of you who reside

at or near the MSU campus or in the local area This is not intended to slight those who live too far away to visit MSU in person Because all coursework and communication is conducted online, there should be

no relative advantages or disadvantages for local or distance-learning students, so there is no reason to deny local students this access

Required Textbook:

One textbook is required for this course:

Bullock, J.A and Haddow, G.D (2009) Introduction to Homeland

Security: Principles of All-Hazards Response, 3rd ed Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann (Elsevier)

This is the second semester in which this 3rd edition will be required for this course, so used copies should be available Copies of the older 2ndedition are also available, but even though chapter organization is the same, page numbers and some content are different One copy of the required textbook will be available at the Reserved Reading Desk on 2 West of the Main MSU Library on 2-hour check-out for the convenience

of on-campus students who can’t find or afford the textbook

A variety of other electronic resources will be used to supplement these texts, and will be provided through ANGEL at no additional cost

to you These include PowerPoint presentations, and links to relevant URLs, electronic libraries or databases, articles, case studies, and

official government documents posted in ANGEL

Course Description:

This course provides both traditional students and current practitionerswith a broad, up-to-date, multidisciplinary overview of homeland

security as a contemporary subject of intense interest and inquiry, and

as an emerging academic discipline The course synthesizes a variety

of sources, themes, methodologies and online learning activities,

including presentations, assigned readings, Internet research,

assessments, informal class opinion polls, threaded discussion forums, and case studies Issues of public policy, public administration, law, criminal justice and the social/behavioral impacts of terrorism and homeland security will be considered throughout each module

Homeland Security (CJ-439) is one of three core courses in the

graduate-level, online Certificate in Homeland Security Studies offered

by the MSU School of Criminal Justice The other two courses are

Issues in Terrorism (CJ-838) and Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security (CJ-491/809)

Enrollment is open to both graduate and upper-division undergraduate students, including current MSU students and Lifelong Education

students not currently admitted into any degree-granting program at MSU However, eligibility for the certificate is limited to graduate and Lifelong education students The application for the certificate is

accessible at www.homelandsecurity.msu.edu

Course Goals and Objectives:

This course will provide both traditional students and professionals currently working in the field with a comprehensive overview of, and anopportunity to evaluate and critique, the major themes and issues considered essential for understanding homeland security

You should derive a “big picture” view through exposure to

multi-disciplinary perspectives on a variety of topics through access to

primary sources and recent scholarship in this field Even students with advanced degrees or extensive professional experience in some specialized field related to homeland security should benefit from exposure to a generalist perspective Students will also learn from each other through sharing experiences and dialogue in online

discussion forums Consistent with adult learning principles and also with MSU’s land grant mission and practitioner-oriented focus on

outreach and applied research, students with “real world” professional experience are strongly encouraged to draw from their own experienceand apply course concepts and research to their own jobs and

• The modern threat of international and domestic terrorism and weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

• Fundamental principles of emergency management and

homeland security for all man-made and natural hazards and disasters, including terrorism and WMD

• The national homeland security system, including federal, tribal, state and local agencies, organizations and programs within the broader context of the American system of federalism and

• Legal, legislative and criminal justice issues in homeland

security, including the USA PATRIOT Act and the challenges of balancing security with constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties

• The challenges of harnessing the intelligence and law

enforcement communities and functions for counterterrorism

• Special topics such as cyber-terrorism and cyber-security; food safety and security; supply chain and packaging security; critical infrastructure protection; and emergency management/

homeland security program standards

• The importance of public-private sector partnerships in

emergency preparedness and homeland security

• Science, technology and research issues in homeland security

• Public policy and public administration issues or perspectives

• Future or emerging trends in homeland security

Course Schedule, Format and Methodology:

The course will consist of 15 weeks of instruction and coursework for the online equivalent of 45 total contact hours, plus one week for final coursework to be submitted It is expected that you will spend a

reasonable number of additional hours reading, conducting research, participating in online course activities, and typing exams or papers A

good estimate would be 2-3 additional hours for every contact hour, for

an average combined total of 9-12 hours per week

Recognizing that you all have other important obligations and demands

on your time, every effort will be make the workload challenging, but not unreasonable or overly burdensome

Following a brief orientation module, there will be 10 successive

modules organized among four general units You will complete these modules according to a progressive schedule, which is outlined in a separate attachment Each module has its own checklist, introduction, objectives, presentation or resource links, tasks or learning activities

A new module will be activated in ANGEL and completed approximatelyevery 10 days, usually on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays

Drops and Adds:

The last day to add this course is the end of the first week of classes The last day to drop this course with a 100 percent refund and no grade reported is Thursday, February 4 The last day to drop this

course with no refund and no grade reported is Wednesday, March 3

As a courtesy, I would appreciate a short e-mail from you if you decide

to drop the course at some point

Online Delivery in ANGEL:

The course will be presented entirely online in asynchronous format, meaning there will be no class meetings required on campus and no requirement to log in on specific days or times for live chat rooms or

other exercises We will use MSU’s established ANGEL (A New Global Environment for Learning) course management system as our online

platform I will use ANGEL to maintain an electronic grade book and to generate useful reports such as attendance and tracking

Technical support for ANGEL is available online or by phone nearly around-the-clock You may always call the ANGEL Help Desk directly toll free at 1-800-500-1554 (from anywhere in North America), or at thelocal Lansing-area number of 517-355-2345

Once you are enrolled in the program with MSU Net ID and PID #s, you will automatically have access to this course in ANGEL at:

https://angel.msu.edu/default.asp

If you are new to ANGEL or need an orientation to the current version

(ANGEL 7.4), just click on the HELP key on the ANGEL home page (the

Question mark icon in the button on the left side of the home page),

then on the STUDENTS tab for further guidance

You will use ANGEL for accessing PowerPoint presentations; linking to URLs and other electronic resources; sending and receiving e-mail messages; participating in discussion forums; posting announcements; submitting case studies; completing online assessments and informal opinion polls; and for submitting final essay exams (for undergraduate students) or research papers (for graduate students) into electronic drop boxes Most of this content and these online activities will be

accessed under the LESSONS tab for this course in ANGEL Once

activated, all content for each module will remain accessible until the end of the semester

Computer and Technology Requirements:

The ANGEL website provides information on computer and technology requirements, including recommended browsers Online activities for this course are based on the “least common denominator” of Internet access for students Advanced features such as video-clips or web-streaming certainly add variety and vitality to delivery of online

material, but not all students have T-1 lines, high-speed cable or DSL Internet access, or easy access to computers on campus Thus, we willgenerally rely on text sources and avoid hi-tech “bells and whistles” to reduce frustration for those who would be unable to download videos

or other sophisticated graphics Most activities will involve linking to PowerPoint presentations (with the option to listen to corresponding audio presentations in Adobe Presenter), text files, PDF files or Web links that most students should be able to access

Occasional or temporary computer hardware or software failures,

Internet connectivity problems, and quirks or glitches in accessing ANGEL or its features are probably inevitable for everyone at some time during the semester ANGEL is often “down” for routine

maintenance for a couple of hours in the early morning each week Each student ultimately remains responsible for notifying me of

problems with securing reliable access to a computer and the Internet

in order to keep up with the online elements of this course

Printing and Saving Course Documents/URLs:

We recommend that you print a copy of the course syllabus and

schedule for reference throughout the course You are not required or expected to print copies of any of the other electronic documents or Web pages used as resource material in this course, but many people feel more comfortable reading longer documents on paper rather than

on a computer screen It is your personal choice Remember, if you try to print every document, this will run into potentially hundreds of pages, which may be costly and overtax your printer

This course and its content will eventually become inaccessible to you after the end of the semester Many of you will want to save or

bookmark various URLs used as resources here as favorites on your own computer, but this is problematic when the link is made through ANGEL Therefore, I have established each link to an e-resource using

a new window so that you will be able to bookmark as favorites any links of special interest for future reference Remember, the URLs and documents may eventually expire or change, including those on

government Web sites

Course Activities and Grading:

You will be expected to participate in and complete a variety of online activities that reinforce and demonstrate learning in place of the

traditional classroom discussions and paper-and-pencil testing normallyconducted in on-campus classes Grading will be based on your

participation in ten module discussion forums, and your performance

on ten module assessments, one case study, a final essay exam (for undergraduates) or final research paper (for graduate students), and your overall course participation All these categories or assignments except the module assessments are scored on a subjective—but not arbitrary—basis according to detailed scoring rubrics (i.e., tools with specific criteria for helping instructors make more objective, consistent,qualitative assessments of student work), requirements and

expectations The ten module assessments are objective, choice quizzes, automatically scored by ANGEL

multiple-Consistent with accepted standards for academic rigor, graduate

students will be expected to demonstrate a higher level of critical thinking, theoretical analysis and conceptual skills in their work, and may be assigned different or additional readings or exercises than for undergraduate students

The following is the breakdown of the basis and weights for grading:

• Participation in Discussion Forums: (100 points) 25%

• Case Study: (50 points) 20%

• Final Exam or Research Paper: (100 points) 25%

• Overall Course Participation: (25 points) 10%

Total: (375 points) 100%

Each area will be scored as points or percentages according to the default system in ANGEL The course Grade Book feature in ANGEL will

automatically convert the points to percentages and maintain a

running overall average according to the weighting scale described above You can view your own grades and instructor feedback at any

time through the REPORTS tab on the course home page

The grading scale or range of percentages used for calculating final grades is as follows:

students enrolled in a degree-granting program at MSU

Lifelong Education students who already possess a bachelor’s degree will be expected to complete the coursework requirements for

graduate students (i.e., a final research paper); while those who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree should complete the

coursework required for undergraduate students (i.e., final essay

exam)

Following are more detailed descriptions of the requirements and

expectations for each of the five graded categories or assignments:

Participation in Discussion Forums:

A significant opportunity for peer-to-peer learning and critical thinking

is provided in the module discussion forums Each of the ten modules includes a discussion forum in which one or more questions is posed bythe faculty to start a threaded discussion

Depending upon the total enrollment and composition of the class, the class may be divided into two or more small groups or teams for the module discussion forums, each facilitated and scored by one of the faculty team Graduate and Lifelong Education students may be

grouped together, and may be assigned different readings and

discussion forum questions than undergraduate students in the other

groups The group/team roster will be posted under the LESSONS tab

by the first week of the semester, and may be revised or “reshuffled”

at mid-term You will be notified if groups/teams are changed

Discussion forums for each module and group will be activated within

the main folder for each respective module under the LESSONS tab in

ANGEL according to the schedule posted in the Course Curriculum and Schedule The schedule is designed to allow you sufficient time (about

a week) to complete the assigned readings and assessment for each module before posting comments in the discussion forum Considering that each module requires about ten days, in an effort to maintain some consistency, the schedule is designed so that original responses and replies to other students in discussion forums will always be due either on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, depending on the module

You may earn a maximum of ten points for participation in each of the ten module discussion forums, for a maximum overall total of 100 points for all ten modules combined Participation in discussion forumscomprises 25% of your final overall grade for the course

Following is a detailed description of the requirements, expectations, and guidelines participation in the module discussion forums:

• Each module discussion forum will include one-three questions pertaining to assigned readings and key concepts or issues

covered in that respective module The questions are intended

to begin a threaded discussion to elicit your own analysis and critical thinking rather than mere summaries or regurgitation of facts, and to help you teach and learn from each other You will

be expected to post original responses to my questions, and thenpost replies or comments to at least some of the responses of other members of your assigned small group or team

• You will not be able to view the responses from your teammates until after you have posted your own original responses You will

be able to view and respond to questions and comments only within your assigned group or team This restriction has been found necessary in past semesters to reduce plagiarism

• At a minimum, you are expected to post at least one original comment or response to one of the questions for each forum, and post replies to the responses from at least two other

members of your own assigned small group or team by the

deadline indicated in the directions for each forum

• You should post original responses to my questions by the

recommended initial deadline specified in the directions for that forum You should not reply to other students’ postings until afterthat date so that you have most of your group’s comments

available to select from for interaction However, you must post your original response and any replies to other students by the final deadline indicated for each respective module forum

• We will not deduct points if you post your original comments after the recommended deadline for original postings, so long as your original postings and replies to other students are made by the final deadline stipulated for each module However,

successful dialogue depends on all of us accepting responsibility for timeliness If most students wait until a few hours before the module deadline to post original comments, then no one will have much time to reply to other members of their own group Ifyou do wait to the last minute before the final deadline to post your original response and reply to others, it may affect your score for course participation for that particular unit

• Although each discussion forum will remain accessible for the remainder of the semester once it is activated, faculty can

determine the dates and times of your postings from the trackingfeatures in ANGEL Unless an extension has been approved by the faculty member assigned to monitor your group or team, twopoints will be deducted for each calendar day that your postings are late, regardless of the quality and volume of postings you eventually submit Postings more than five days late without approved extensions will result in a score of “0” for participation for that particular module Late participation or failure to

participate in the module discussion forums will also affect your score for course participation for that particular unit

• Rather than participate directly in the threaded discussions and risk skewing your subsequent comments, I will post my own overall comments at the conclusion of each discussion forum to provide general feedback on your collective responses and to illuminate what I intended for you to learn from each discussion forum You will each receive more specific, brief feedback along

with your individual score, viewable under the REPORTS tab.

• A recommended guide for length of original postings would be approximately 100-300 words Please type directly into the

discussion forum box, rather than uploading your responses as

an attachment Replies to other students’ postings will probably

be somewhat shorter—perhaps a couple of sentences or a brief

paragraph Short comments such as “I agree” or “No way!” would not be considered adequate replies

• The appropriate style for discussion forums is more formal than for casual e-mail, texting or IM messages, but less formal and structured than for case studies and research papers Editing forproper grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice and

sentence structure is always important for clear communication

• It is not essential that you use other sources or references for your postings, but this is encouraged When you do quote or refer to ideas from other sources, be sure to use proper APA or MLA source citations Plagiarism will not be tolerated

• Scoring will be based on: level of participation (i.e., number and length of postings); on the quality, relevance and clarity of

responses or comments; on evidence of accurate understanding and application of course concepts; on critical thinking and

analytical or conceptual skills; on the contribution of the

comments to learning for the class; and on use of appropriate style and source citations Minimal participation, or even

extensive participation that is of poor quality, will not earn

maximum scores In other words, if you post an original

response to only one of my questions in the forum, and reply to only the minimum of two other members of your group, or even

if you post numerous responses but they are poorly written or superficial, you will not earn the max of 10 points A detailed scoring rubric for participation in the discussion forums will be posted under the Module Discussion Forums Information folder

Assessments:

Although the discussion forums provide an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate critical thinking and your grasp of key issues

pertaining to each module, it is impossible to ask questions that

encompass all of the specific objectives and assigned readings for eachmodule Therefore, to ensure that you achieve the basic learning

objectives for Modules 1-10, each module includes a short, objective, online learning assessment (formerly called a quiz) in ANGEL,

consisting of ten multiple-choice questions pertaining to the assigned readings for that module

The assessments will be activated within the main folder for each

respective module under the LESSONS tab In terms of a scoring

rubric, each item is worth one point, with ten possible points for each assessment, and a maximum possible total of 100 points for all ten

modules Your total combined score from all ten assessments will comprise 20% of your final grade.

Following are the guidelines, expectations and requirements for the module assessments:

• You will have two attempts to take each assessment Each

assessment is “open-book” and self-paced This means that you can open each assessment and print it (if you wish) as soon as the particular module becomes activated, complete the assignedreadings and research the answers, then complete and submit the assessment However, it must be your own individual effort

No teamwork is allowed, and no cheating will be tolerated

• You must take each assessment in sequential order (i.e., first the assessment for Module 1, then the assessment for Module 2, and

so on) You must achieve a minimum score of 70% before you can open and take the next assessment In other words, you cannot jump back and forth or skip any assessments before moving ahead If you try to take them out of order, you will find them password-locked If you take them in proper order, the password is automatically inserted for the next assessment

without becoming visible

• You should try to complete each assessment by the end of the respective module as posted in the schedule, or at least within a week following the end of the module Timely completion of each module assessment according to this guideline will be one

of the factors considered in grading overall course participation for each of the four main units Experience shows that waiting totake all the module assessments together at the last minute is not a good choice However, that is up to you to manage your time and effort You will not be penalized in your individual or combined assessment scores if you do take longer and wait to the last minute to complete the assessments, but it may cost youpoints in your overall course participation scores as described in that section of this Syllabus In terms of absolute deadlines, you must complete all of the assessments for Modules 1-5 in

sequence no later than Monday, March 22, a week after the end

of Spring Break Similarly, you must complete each of the

assessments for Module 6-10 in sequence no later than Friday, May 7, the end of Finals Week

• ANGEL will provide instant feedback regarding any incorrect answers, but it will not reveal the answer key Thus, if you miss any questions, you have the option (this is your choice, and not

required) of researching the correct answer for any questions youmissed, then retaking and submitting the assessment a second time to improve your score The ANGEL Grade Book will be set toautomatically use the higher score for grading.

• If you begin answering the questions in an assessment and then need to log off temporarily with the intention of resuming the assessment later, make sure to click on the “Save” key or you will lose all the answers entered to that point Once you have completed the entire assessment to your satisfaction, click on

“Submit.” ANGEL will warn you of any unanswered items

To assist you, a Case Studies folder has been established under the

LESSONS tab This folder includes nearly two dozen options for case

studies for you to choose from on a wide variety of topics relevant to this course Some are also briefly described in the required textbook You may select the case study option that interests you most, and/or which pertains most closely to your profession or research interests You may earn up to a maximum of 50 points for the case study, which will comprise 20% of your final overall grade for this course

Following are guidelines, expectations and requirements for completingthe case study:

• To help limit and focus the scope of your research, each case study option provides links to one or more electronic resources such as journal articles, after-action or “lessons learned” reports, government documents or other sources pertaining to that

option that should serve as the basis for your research

However, you do not have to use or cite every one of the

potential sources I have provided You are also welcome, but not required, to research other, additional sources to expand or balance your analysis Please do not use your required textbook

as a source for the case study

• Your papers must reflect your original work, and may not be completed or submitted as a team project

• You must include proper source citations within the text and a list

of references or bibliography in proper APA or MLA style

Wikipedia and blogs are not considered a valid source for

academic papers Plagiarism will not be tolerated

• The directions for each case study option will include questions

or suggestions to guide the focus and scope of your analysis The recommended length for your concise analysis of each case study is approximately six-eight pages, in Times New Roman 11

or 12 font, paginated (i.e., with page numbers inserted), spaced, with 1” margins

double-• More detailed guidelines for organizing and formatting your case study will be provided in the Case Studies folder This will

include a title/cover page with your name, the option selected, and the date submitted You will also be expected to “break up” and organize your narrative using appropriate subject headings

• If you receive a lower than desired score on your initial case study submission, you may opt to either revise and resubmit the same case study based on our feedback or critique, or, you may submit a new, substitute case study and request that the lower score be “thrown out” (i.e., deleted from the grade book) with grading based on your higher case study score

• Scoring will be based on our subjective (but not arbitrary)

evaluation of: the quality and clarity of analysis and logical

argument; evidence of critical thinking and accurate

understanding or application of course concepts; appropriate style and source citations; and effective communications skills (i.e., proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and syntax) A detailed scoring rubric for the case studies will beposted in the Case Studies folder prior to Spring Break

Final Essay Examination (Undergraduate Students):

Undergraduate students will be required to complete and submit a finalcomprehensive essay examination during Finals Week, with a final deadline or due date of Friday, May 7 The test questions will be

posted in ANGEL at least two-three weeks before the final deadline date Additional details concerning the final essay exam will be

announced in ANGEL later this semester Alternate arrangements or deadlines must be approved by the lead faculty facilitator

(Note: Undergraduate students are welcome to pursue the option of submitting a final research paper in lieu of the final essay exam if you prefer, but this is not required If you choose this option, you must follow the guidelines and requirements described below in the section

on Final Research Paper for Graduate Students.)

The exam will consist of a series of ten questions that require style responses—similar to traditional “blue book” exams, but

essay-submitted online through a drop-box in ANGEL Each question will include a synthesis of the major issues, questions and sub-topics of one of the sequential module discussion forums You must respond to any five questions—you may select which you prefer

Each exam item will be worth a maximum of 20 points, for a maximum total of 100 points possible for the final essay exam, which will

comprise 25% of the final grade for the course

Following are the guidelines, expectations and requirements for the final essay exam:

• The final essay exam will be “open book” to the extent that you may refer back to earlier discussion forums, and consult other references, with proper attribution You may borrow from your own postings in prior discussion forums without the need for source citations, but you should not merely copy and paste your earlier discussion forum postings into the exam Since few of you will have responded to every possible question in each discussion forum, it is likely you will have to expand or rethink your answers anyway to be responsive to the final essay exam questions

• You will have only one attempt to submit the exam The

answers must reflect your own, original, individual work with no team efforts allowed Cheating or plagiarism will not be

tolerated, and will be penalized in accordance with MSU policies

• Your response to each of the five questions you select should be approximately two pages, double-spaced, in Times New Roman

11 or 12 font, paginated (i.e., page numbers inserted), with 1” margins You will need to be thorough, but also concise and focused

• You may either download and save the final essay exam itself, typing your responses directly into the exam for the five

questions you have selected and deleting the rest, or create a new document for your responses You must save this as a Word document, and submit it into the Final Coursework drop-box no later than Friday, May 7 The document must include thetitle “Final Essay Exam,” your name, and the date submitted

• Grading will be based on our subjective evaluation of: the

quality and clarity of analysis; the extent to which each

response demonstrates understanding and the ability to

synthesize concepts learned in the course and covered in the corresponding module discussion forums; proper use of source citations (if any); and overall written communications skills (i.e., grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and syntax).The exam will be scored according to a detailed rubric that will

be posted under the Final Coursework folder after mid-term

Final Research Paper (Graduate Students):

Instead of the final essay exam required for undergraduate students, all graduate students—including Lifelong Education students who

already have a bachelor’s degree—will be required to submit a major research paper on a relevant homeland security topic of their choice

It is highly desirable that your topic would have application or

relevance to your current or intended profession or agency, or to your own academic research interests on a major policy, administrative, operational or organizational issue relating to homeland security You are encouraged to select a topic, conduct your research and organize your paper with the thought of eventually publishing your work in an appropriate journal or other forum

You may earn up to a maximum of 100 points for the final research paper, which will comprise 25% of your final overall grade for the

course The paper will be scored according to a detailed rubric that will

be posted under the Final Coursework folder after mid-term

Following are the expectations, requirements, criteria and guidelines for the final research paper:

• A concise proposal (approximately 1-2 pages) including your proposed topic or title, draft thesis or problem statement and a preliminary bibliography for this paper must be submitted in the

Final Research Paper Proposal drop-box by March 22, and

approved by the instructor before you complete the paper itself

I may be able to offer suggestions regarding possible references

or how to focus the scope of your papers, but I’ll avoid imposing

my own idiosyncrasies on your proposals

• The final research paper itself must include the following

elements, similar to a “mini-thesis”: [1] a cover/title page

including your name and the date submitted, [2] a short abstract(less than 250 words); [3] a short problem statement or thesis; [4] a concise literature review; [5] the main body of the paper, divided into subject headings that are logical and appropriate for organizing your narrative; [6] a final section for your summary, conclusions or recommendations; [7] appendices (if any—not required); [8] a bibliography or list of references (may also be titled as “Sources Consulted” or “Works Cited”) There are many good guides available through the MSU Library or on the Web for organizing research papers, writing abstracts and literature

reviews, and developing your thesis and bibliography

• Typed as a Word document in Times New Roman 11 or 12 font; double-spaced; paginated (i.e., page numbers inserted); all titles

or subject headings in bold; 1” margins

• Minimum of 15 pages, maximum of 25 pages (not including cover/title page, list of references, or any appendices)

• The narrative must be clear, concise, and logically organized, with correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence

agencies, think-tanks, associations, etc Articles in trade journals

or popular media (e.g., magazines, newspapers, etc.) may also

be used on a limited basis to supplement or reinforce scholarly

sources Wikipedia and blogs are not acceptable sources The

required textbook for this course should not be cited or included

as a source If oral interviews are considered, these must be described in the proposal and approved in advance A significant