Comparative Homeland Security and Related Methods

Catalog description

The need for a coordinated, international response to security threats to citizens and societies since 9/11 has never been greater. Homeland security in the U.S. is a specific subset of national security that focuses on a risk-informed mission space, addressing it by law-enforcement - as opposed to defense - concepts and capabilities, and working across the country and around the world to keep the American nation safe and secure. Homeland security and civil security policies and strategies to make nations secure and resilient against terrorist as well as all-hazards threats were established not only in the U.S. but also in many other countries in the world, based on the need to work with international partners. This course provides students with information and skills to undertake international comparative analysis of civil security threats and ways to address those threats. Crucial aspects of this course will include a comparative examination of select topics, such as: critical infrastructure protection; cybersecurity; use of armies in homeland security; public-private partnerships; security governance; as well as the creation of "security" as public good and its "delivery" to the citizens in different countries, along with U.S. collaboration with other nations. The course is rooted in the research focus of civil security. This refers to an all-hazards approach to identifying and closing security gaps based on a mission-centered, comprehensive approach (prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery - plus transversal aspects such as resilience) that is tuned to end-user requirements, and speaks to technological and societal aspects (including ethical and legal issues). Civil security focuses on both 'all of government' and 'whole of community.' It includes dual-use aspects and civil-military interaction in crisis management, but excludes military-only aspects. The course places an emphasis on U.S.-European Union (EU) comparisons based on a related U.S.-EU implementing arrangement, and covers other world regions also. It will further scrutinize comparative analysis of emergent threats and challenges by focusing on risk cultures and security cultures in different countries. Moreover, the course will critically assess - across different countries - citizens perceptions of homeland security and public acceptance of the use of security technology for surveillance and other purposes, across different countries. The comparative perspective cannot be taught without investigating methods and analytical approaches. Lessons will therefore include comparative examination of research-related methods as well as practical methods - such as risk and vulnerability assessment - used in the policy sector, and how and why those differ across countries.