MPS in Security and Terrorism Studies Coursework

Core
Courses

BSST640: Theories of Security and Terrorism Studies

• This course will expose students to the relevant theoretical underpinnings of Security and Terrorism Studies. Theories of STS come from across the social science spectrum, but this course will mainly pull from sociological, psychological, and political science theory to help students develop a theoretical foundation for their research.
• Offered during Fall semesters (August-December)

​BSST641: The U.S. Security Infrastructure

• ​An overview of the federal departments and agencies whose core missions are to provide for security and prevent terrorism. The course will overview the Departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security, and the U.S. Intelligence Community as well as state, local, and tribal assets to provide students with a better understanding of interagency successes and gaps.
• Offered during Spring semesters (January-May)

Research Methods Courses

BSST633: Research Methods in Terrorism and Counterterrorism

• ​Applications of security and terrorism studies bridge the social sciences. This course is designed to aid students in developing an interdisciplinary approach to research design. Students will be exposed to the tools relevant to STS, will learn about available data sources, and will investigate the relationship between data and methods.
• Offered during Spring semesters (January-May)

BSST642: Analytic Methods 

• This course is specifically designed for students who are mainly interested in developing their skills as practitioners. The course will overview and detail methods used by analysts. Topics will include, but are not limited to, risk assessment, red teaming, data blending, and analytical writing/briefing.
• Offered during Fall semesters (August-December)

Security Studies Courses

BSST643: Great Powers & Near-Peer Competition

• ​This course focuses on the emerging threats posed by state actors termed as "near-peers." The course will discuss topics germane to near-peer competitors, most notably China, Russia, and Iran, but will cover other state actors as necessary. Potential topics covered in this course include disinformation, misinformation, cyber threats, asymmetric warfare, and state support for non-state actors, and gray zone activity.
• Offered during Spring semesters (January-May)

BSST645: Non-state Actors Threats and Responses

• ​An overview of the types of non-state actors that influence state actions. The course will examine the economic, political, and social costs of the proliferation of non-state actors globally. While the course will discuss terrorist groups, the main focus of the course will be on actors such as militant groups, insurgent groups, drug cartels, and illicit financial actors.
• Offered during Spring semesters (January-May)

Terrorism Studies Courses

BSST630: Motivations and Intents of Terrorists and Terrorist Groups

• ​This course will provide an introduction to the study of terrorism, and will focus on explaining the formation of terrorist groups and the motivations behind terrorist behavior. To do so, it will draw upon theories from social psychology, sociology, political science, criminology, and history. The course will draw heavily from historical examples as well as current examples of international and domestic terrorist groups around the world.
• Offered during Fall semesters (August-December)

​​BSST631: Societal Impacts of and Responses to Terrorism

• ​This course will address the manners in which a variety of different actors respond to both terrorist incidents and the threat of terrorism. The course will examine local responses to terrorist incidents (9/11 and other events) through emergency response organizations, community organizations, and volunteerism. The course will also look at local impacts of terrorism including effects on individual and group attitudes and behaviors. The course will then move to policy decisions made in response to both terrorist attacks and the threat of terrorism, addressing such issues as homeland security planning, border security, and surveillance. Finally, the course will address individual and community recovery from terrorist attacks, looking at such issues as psychological impacts of trauma, historical memory, and effects of disaster on civil society. The goal of the course will be to develop a multifaceted perspective on individual and community resilience in the face of terrorist threats.
• Offered during Spring semesters (January-May)

​​BSST634: ​Legal and Criminal Approaches to Counterterrorism

• ​The United States and many of her allies have challenged long-standing legal boundaries in their effort to combat terrorism. This course examines these responses, including: increased criminalization of terrorism related activities; aggressive criminal prosecutions; detention of suspected terrorists indefinitely in far-off prisons; implementation of enhanced interrogation techniques; launch of drones to kill alleged terrorists, even U.S. citizens; and deployment of a vast system of mass surveillance.
• Offered during Fall semesters (August-December)

​​BSST635: ​Countering Violent Extremism: Policy and Practice

• ​In recent years, the understanding of how and why individuals engage in violent extremism and terrorism has evolved and become more nuanced, as have the tools to mitigate these threats. A field of policy and practice called Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) has emerged that focuses on countering the pull of terrorist recruitment and influence by building resilience among populations vulnerable to radicalization.
• Offered during Fall semesters (August-December)​

Insider Risk Management and Mitigation Courses

• The risks posed by trusted insiders to organizations in both the public and private sector are well documented. Past compromises of national security information have provided sensitive information to US adversaries; theft or compromise of proprietary data and intellectual property has impacted businesses large and small; and, incidents of workplace violence perpetrated by insiders are on the rise. This course provides context for the counter insider threat mission and explores multi-disciplinary insider risk management concepts. The course addresses matters of policy, political and socio-economic impacts, psychological factors, and gives special consideration to issues of cyber insider threat, privacy and civil liberties, kinetic violence, and related social and behavioral science research.

BSST651: The Psychology of Malicious Insiders

• Multidisciplinary perspectives on intentional, malicious behavior by insiders. Reviews theoretical foundations from social psychology, personality psychology, psychopathology, and criminology and encourages students to understand Insider Threat (InT) behaviors through case conceptualization/formulation. Emphasis shall be placed on understanding the "fit" between different strategies for interviewing, investigating, early warning, monitoring, and mitigation, as well as the dynamics of a given case.

BSST652: Managing Insider Threat Activities

• Introduces critical concepts in threat assessment, management, and mitigation. Specifically, the seminar will highlight key concepts, theories, best practices, and research in three major areas of focus: (1) threat assessment and risk management, (2) mitigating existing risk and preventing further escalation, and (3) oversight and accountability of threat assessment activities.

BSST653: Investigative Thinking, Analysis and Decision-Making in Insider Risk Management & Mitigation

• The purpose of this course is to stimulate "knowledge opportunity" in the complex everyday subject of decision making in insider threat analysis. Through the discovery of investigative thinking and some of its core elements of critical thinking, data to knowledge process, communication, heuristic, bias, and thinking processes, it is hoped it will lead students towards a better understanding of "What they are looking for" and "What they are looking at," both key elements essential in sound investigative thinking.

Capstone Course

• The final course in the program, this course requires the completion of a project that can originate from an inquiry stemming from previous coursework, current or former work, or could be developed in conjunction with a BSST faculty member. The student will prepare a project report and presentation which shall contain an executive summary, a literature review, description of project methods and data, a discussion of results, conclusions and further research opportunities. The purpose of the capstone project is for students to examine a real world problem in terrorism and/or security studies, investigate potential solutions, and develop applicable results.