Question

Activity 1

Section 1: The Transportation Network

Course Resources
The Resources area for this course contains a variety of reference materials that will help you to complete the course activities. It is suggested that you become familiar with these resources before you begin the activities.

While textbooks are often integral for a doctoral-level course, increasing emphasis on primary sources is expected. In every doctoral-level course, students should find, read, and comment on peer-reviewed articles and synthesize their readings with their own ideas.

Library
References used for research need to be peer reviewed/scholarly journals, which can be found by searching the Northcentral University Library databases. These journals typically have the following characteristics:


- Articles are reviewed by a panel of experts before they are accepted for publication.

- Articles are written by a scholar or specialist in the field.

- Articles report on original research or experimentation.

- Articles are often published by professional associations.

- Articles utilize terminology associated with the discipline.

Information literacy is a set of skills that help you to find and appropriately apply information. The Northcentral University Library has developed a tutorial based on the ACRL (Association of College and Research Libraries) Information Literacy Standards and is intended to raise awareness on how one effectively interacts with information. Review the Information Literacy Tutorial to become familiar with information literacy at Northcentral.

Writing Center
Northcentral values your progress and success as a scholarly writer. Please access the Writing Center from your student home page to see a wide variety of writing tips and examples to help you as you compose written submissions for this and other Northcentral courses.

The Writing Center also contracts with SmartThinking, an online 24/7 tutoring service that offers assistance in mathematics, statistics, finance, and writing. You can contact SmartThinking from the home page of the Writing Center.

Dissertation Center
The Dissertation Center is a valuable reference area for research methods and products specific to Northcentral standards. You will find a rich variety of resources that will help you through the scholarly research process, as well as a complete collection of dissertations written by Northcentral Ph.D. students.

Introduction
The history of the United States in many ways is linked to the development of its transportation infrastructure. Towns grew up and flourished at intermodal sites such as river and road junctions. Ecumenical transportation moved goods and services west. One only has to look at the development around Interstate interchanges to see the dramatic effect of transportation on local economies.
Without question, the economic livelihood of the United States depends on the ability to transport goods freely within and outside the United States. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, had a dramatic effect on that ability to use transportation assets with confidence. While the terrorist attacks of 9/11 caused immediate focus on air transportation, rails move approximately “42 percent of our nation's freight (measured in ton-miles)” (http://nationalatlas.gov/articles/transportation/a_freightrr.html). In addition to need for a transportation infrastructure, “Transportation contributes 11 percent of the nation's gross domestic product, amounting to approximately $950 billion” (http://nationalatlas.gov/transportation.html).

In this section, you will have an opportunity to consider the importance of the transportation network. An understanding of the importance of our transportation networks provides a basis for formulating strategies that reduce the risks.


Required Reading:

Please refer to each Activity for required readings within Activity Resources.

 Assignment 1   Prioritization of Transportation Security Support
It is essential to secure all elements of the transportation network regardless of mode and the items being moved. Nonetheless, funding is always limited to some degree. In addition, absolute security is usually not possible. Therefore, while governments at all levels must secure transportation assets, some amount of prioritization will always be necessary.

Activity Resources
•Obama, B. (2012). 
•Thomas, A. (2009).
• Larobina, M. & Pate, R. (2009).
Quick Tip: Use the Library Guide
A Library Guide has been prepared for many of the courses you will complete at Northcentral University. This guide contains specific articles, websites, and/or peer reviewed journals that can help you in preparing your assignments or add to your overall knowledge of the topic. You may access the Library Guide for this course here.

Spotlight on Skills: APA Form and Style
Throughout this course and others here at Northcentral University, you are required to follow APA form and style when preparing assignments. If you are unfamiliar with APA form and style, take this tutorial: The Basics of APA Style. Are you already familiar with APA form and style? Keep up with the 2010 changes by taking this tutorial: What's New in the Sixth Edition. Check out this blog for deeper discussions and examples: APA Style Blog. You can also visit: Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style.

Spotlight on Skills: Develop Your Logical Thinking Skills
In this assignment, and in many others here at Northcentral University, you will be called upon to present your ideas, make arguments, and defend a point of view. All of this calls for logical thinking skills that provide the framework for presenting an argument. Review the Jones, R. (2010) article to learn more about what constitutes a good argument.

Spotlight on Skills: Preparing the Discussion Post
This week, you will be entering into a discussion with your instructor. See Preparing the Discussion Post for more information on how to prepare a discussion assignment.

Main Task Part 1 (10 points): Interpret the Prioritization of Funding
There are not enough resources to provide a maximum level of security of all transportation assets. Therefore, some level of prioritization of support is necessary. Assume that you are a senior member of the Department of Homeland Security providing guidance to the Transportation Security Agency. Given the need to secure critical infrastructure, how would you assess the prioritization of funding to support such transportation related assets? Provide your analysis in a research paper. Address the following issues as a minimum:
•Factors affecting the prioritization
•Modes of transportation
•People versus cargo considerations
Support your paper with at least 5 scholarly or professional resources. In addition to these specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources, including older articles, may be included.

Length: 5-7 pages not including title and reference pages

Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University's Academic Integrity Policy.

Submit your document in the Course Work area below the Activity screen.

Main Task Part 2 (5 points): Identify Key Aspects of Transportation Security
Initiate a discussion of your concepts, ideas, and thoughts on transportation security. The goal is for you to express your thoughts regarding the key points of transportation security over time. Being able to successfully describe and define the key issues associated with transportation security is important in laying a foundation to prepare for responding to emergencies today and in the future. This discussion will be open-ended to afford you the opportunity to interact with your course instructor and possibly other students during the course.

Please note that your content post is due by 11:59:59 on Wednesday of this week. Once this is complete, please post a response post by 11:59:59 on Sunday, the due date of this week’s assignment.

Length: Content post 150-200 words; response post 75-100 words.

Both your content post and your response post should reflect a collegial attitude, be free of grammar and spelling errors, and include criteria mentioned above.

Post the response into the Activity Discussion Forum area below the Activity screen.

Learning Outcome: 1
Assignment Outcomes

Assess the prioritization of support for the transportation network.