This course is an introduction to national intelligence, focusing on the role of intelligence in the policy process; how intelligence is collected and analyzed; current issues in intelligence; and moral and ethical issues raised by intelligence activities. Much of the discussion centers on the U.S. intelligence experience and practice, so there is also discussion of the history and development of U.S. intelligence; and the role of Congress in intelligence. Many of the issues discussed are generic to intelligence in any country but especially in democracies.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Students will have acquired knowledge of the role that intelligence can play in the formation of national security policy.
2. More specifically, students will have acquired knowledge about how and why U.S. intelligence functions in the way that it does.
3. Students will now have a critical basis upon which to assess news reports about intelligence in virtually any nation and to determine the basis on which these intelligence entities function.
Reading and Preparation for Class: 4-6 hours a week / 24-36 hours a semester
Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 12-18 hours per paper / 24-26 hours a semester
The first assignment will be due on September 28; the final assignment will be due on October 15.