OAIN 2135 - Public and Private Intelligence: A Comparative View

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

This course will help students understand how intelligence power is not unique to governments, but is wielded by private sector actors too. The world’s largest corporations are almost all engaged in intelligence work, and this course will explore the theoretical and practical elements of the field in a comparative format against the backdrop of state intelligence. Students will develop an understanding of how the Intelligence Cycle works in the private sector in comparison to government, as well as practical lessons on career options in the field. This course will use case studies of real intelligence operations to expose students to real world applications of intelligence tradecraft. The course will also introduce students to intelligence practitioners and leaders from across the field (in all industrial sectors) to develop their career networking. Ethics and intelligence failure will be autopsied to ensure that students grasp the risks associated with intelligence.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand the existence and structure of the security intelligence services of the private sector
• Understand the methodology of the field
• Gain practical skills in intelligence methodology
• Deepen understanding of intelligence power in all forms; state and private.
• Understand the history of intelligence outside of the state

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Students will gain networking access to help with career progression, as well as practical vocational skills.

Students will require an elementary understanding of state intelligence. Knowledge of concepts such as the intelligence cycle will be helpful, but not essential.

In class and through annotated grading

• Intelligence group oral/visual briefing exercise: 40% of final grade (beginning in week 7)
• Take-home paper: 50% of final grade (penultimate session)
• Seminar participation and engagement: 10% of final grade (throughout)

• In Class Presence: 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 0
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 4 hours a week
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hour a week
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 5 hours a semester