This course includes a thorough coverage of the historical and statutory background of emergency management (EM) in the USA as well as the significant laws and policies that have defined and shaped the field, including HSPD 5, HSPD 8, the National Flood Insurance Act, and the Stafford Act. Topics include detailed coverage of FEMA's all hazards approach, the EM cycle, integrated EM, the incident command system, the National Incident Management System, emergency support functions, and risk communications and the homeland security exercise evaluation program (HSEEP) where students are introduced to the both discussion and operations-based exercises and strategies for evaluating exercises. This course culminates with each student writing and formally presenting an integrated emergency management plan.

This course will encourage students to become cosmopolitan citizens by gaining knowledge and understanding of cultures other than those of the United States. Students will learn to recognize others' values and, ultimately, accept the many ways in which we all are human. For example, using the Irish struggle for independence from Britain and the Troubles as examples, students will examine Anglo and Irish "culture" and how it is influenced by or how it can influence nation-state security, or conversely, the fight for civil liberties and independence. The main systems and structures in both the US and the UK's domestic security enterprises will be discussed as well as the origins, typologies and goals of several terrorist groups, the basics of the intelligence community in both nations, and how intelligence informs the struggle to contain terrorism. In addition, for homeland security majors, this course can satisfy either the terrorism requirement or the intelligence systems requirement (see instructors). Although a major objective of the course is to prepare students to participate successfully in a managed study abroad program (as a separate course: HLS 656, 1 credit), participation in the study abroad trip is a not required component of this course.

Students will learn how environmental issues may give rise to socio-political instability around the world which can become threats to US national/homeland security. This course will explore how U.S. domestic and foreign policy, and ultimately, U.S. national security, can be impacted by emergent threats to nations from environmental health issues, climate change, deforestation, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and natural resource shortages caused by rapid industrialization, population growth, and urbanization in less developed countries. In a seminar format, students and faculty will cover a variety of readings and discuss their conclusions and students will have the opportunity to lead class discussions on assigned readings.

This course allows students to work collaboratively with an organization to identify and solve a homeland security, physical security, safety, cybersecurity or emergency management challenges. Each group performs a risk assessment in order to identify their client's primary security or preparedness challenges. Students then use their skill to identify and apply best practices as countermeasures. Students culminate their projects with presentations to their classmates and to their clients. The expectation of this class is to develop a professional example of the student's thinking and writing to solve real world security problems.