Legal Issues in Homeland Security – HLSC 520

CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 09/05/2023

Course Description

Survey of the controlling authorities that pertain to homeland security, from the U.S. Constitution to major federal statutes, court decisions, and executive directives.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Rationale

The purpose of this course is to expose the student to the history, laws, and legal issues affecting homeland security and security for the United States. Further, this course will equip the student with the ability to analyze the types of legal issues pursuant to a Christian worldview.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will take part in 3 Discussions. The student will create a thread responding to the assigned topic. Each thread must be at least 500 words. Each thread must be supported with at least 2 citations in current APA format. Additionally, for each Discussion, the student will post 2 replies of at least 300 words to other classmates’ threads. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 citation. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, and electronic sources (excluding Wikipedia).

Case Brief Assignments (3)

The student will write 3 Case Brief Assignments of specified U.S. Supreme Court Cases following the IRAC format. The Case Brief Assignment will be 500–1,000 words. There are no outside sources; only brief the case as reported by the U.S. Supreme Court, and use the citation provided in the correlating module/week assignment.

Research Paper Assignment

The student will write a 10-page research-based paper in current APA format that focuses on the current immigration debate, describes the current state of the laws and executive orders, addresses the impact on homeland security, and interprets the impact in light of a personal Christian worldview. The paper must include a minimum of 5 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. The Research Paper will be completed in the following stages:

Bibliography Assignment

The student will submit his or her intended sources in a bibliography in current APA format with a title page. The bibliography must contain a minimum of 5 sources in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible.

Outline Assignment

The student will submit an outline of the major points to be addressed in the paper. The outline must include, subject to revisions, a title page, a thesis or abstract page, initial research to show the body or major points yet to be made, a conclusion of at least 3 sentences, and a reference page.

Final Paper Assignment

The student will submit the final paper in current APA format. The paper must be a minimum of 10 pages (not including the title and reference pages).

Quizzes (2)

The student will complete a Mid-Term Quiz and a Final Quiz. Each quiz contains 2 essay questions. Each question must be answered with at least 300 words. Both quizzes have time limits of 2 hours and are open-book/open-notes, but collaboration with another person is not permitted.