Homework

School of Security and Global Studies Program Name: Security Management Course Number: SCMT498 Course Name: Senior Seminar in Security Management Credit Hours: 3 Credit Hours Length of Course: 8 Weeks Prerequisite: Completion of all other program requirements

Instructor Information

Instructo r: See information provided in the Syllabus link in the classroom

Email: Please use internal classroom messaging system

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Course Description (Catalog)

The Capstone course is a senior level course designed to allow the student to review, analyze and integrate the work the student has completed toward a degree in Security Management. The student will complete an approved academic project or paper that demonstrates mastery of their program of study in a meaningful culmination of their learning and to assess their level of mastery of the stated outcomes of their degree requirements. NOTE: All required, core, and major courses must be completed prior to enrollment in this course. Student must have SENIOR standing to register.

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Course Scope

This course re-examines core program concepts, principles, and best practices. The student will synthesize, integrate, and apply program learning into a capstone paper or project. Students will be required to participate in class discussions, complete an annotated bibliography per APA Publication Manual, submit a formal research proposal for professor approval, complete a research paper or project, present the research to the class, and critically comment on classmate’s papers and projects.

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Course Objectives

After completing this course, the student will be able to:  

· Examine security management theory, concepts, principles, techniques, and practices.

· Apply academic knowledge to identify and counter organizational security risks and vulnerabilities.

· Identify strategic and tactical security solutions as part of a broad based organizational protection plan.

· Describe and detail organizational security programs.

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Course Delivery Method

This final B.A. in Security Management course delivered via distance learning will enable students to complete academic work in a flexible manner, completely online. Course materials and access to an online learning management system will be made available to each student. Weekly assignments (submitted for review by the Faculty Member) are posted on the discussion board or are uploaded in assignments. Discussion assignments are due on Thursdays. Research proposal, bibliography, research paper/project, and classmate discussion responses are due by the last day of the class week, Sunday. Assigned faculty will support the students throughout this eight-week course.

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Course Resources

Required Course Textbooks:

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). (2009). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Required Readings: See Announcements

Additional Resources: See Announcements and Resources

Web Sites

In addition to the required course texts, the following public domain web sites are useful. Please abide by the university’s academic honesty policy when using Internet sources as well. Note web site addresses are subject to change.

Site Name	Web Site URL/Address
How to Write a Bachelor’s Capstone Paper	http://www.ehow.com/how_5126546_write-bachelors-capstone-paper.html
Writing in Third Person in APA Style	http://www.ehow.com/how_7232506_writing-third-person-apa-style.html
The Difference between Formal and Informal Writing	http://www.word-mart.com/html/formal_and_informal_writing.html
Guide to Grammar and Writing	http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

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Evaluation Procedures

Grading will be based on three essay assignments, three forum assignments (and six classmate responses – two in each of the three weeks), a formal research proposal, an extended or annotated bibliography per APA, a paper/project outline and thorough summary, a research paper/project, and a forum presentation of your paper/project (with “four” classmate responses in week eight).

Reading Assignments: See Announcements and Lessons

Supplemental Readings: See above

Forum Assignments:

1. Introduction Forum – due by Sunday of week 1. Students will introduce themselves in the Introduction Forum. The goal of the forum is to accomplish two things 1) to build peer-to-peer relationships by sharing introductions and background information with classmates and 2) to express learning goals and expectations for the class. This assignment requires 200 – 250 words and is a non-graded assignment.

2. Forums (posted in forums “only”) are due in weeks one, four and six. The assignments, to allow time for students to respond, must be “posted” by midnight EST Thursdays each of these weeks. Two classmate responses are also required and scored in “each” of these three weeks. Post only during the assigned course week (do “not” post in advance). Assignments must reflect some new or original information – do not just regurgitate data or opinion posted by previous students.

Scoring Notes: Ensure your forum postings are “on time and substantive.” Keep in mind that substantive means fully answering and developing your assignment answers and classmate responses. In the forum, do “not” be concise or brief (however, do not add “fluff”). Failing to address assignment questions will cause point deductions from your weekly assignment scores. This includes not thoroughly explaining your positions. Most assignments that receive full credit will be answered with multiple and extensive paragraphs (depending on the assignment, 500 to 1000 words is within the normal range. At a minimum, “classmate responses” – opposed to assignment answers, will be five “exceptional” sentences (not simply stating agreement and/or a reiteration of the student’s post) – usually much more.

Homework Assignments:

3. Assignments – There are three essay assignments due in weeks two, four and six. The first essay in week two must be 750 words, and the essays in weeks four and six must be 500 words each. The essays will discuss “HOW” the capstone project will address the seven undergraduate security management program learning objectives listed below under “research proposal”. The essays are NOT intended to discuss the objective itself, only HOW the objective will be incorporated into the project. The essays are due by Sunday of each week.

4. Research proposal – a formal research proposal is due by the conclusion (Sunday) of week two. The professor will approve, disapprove or approve with modifications all proposals.

Your research proposal will be based on an “issue or problem” aligned with the requirements and criteria for obtaining the BA Degree in Security Management. The essential criteria include the seven undergraduate security management program learning outcome objectives:

· Identify organizational security risk exposure; identify cost-effective mitigation

strategies; and prepare for recovery strategies.

· Employ the use of risk analysis and vulnerability assessment processes.

· Critically examine the variety and extent of losses from criminal acts, natural disasters, and security breaches facing society.

· Analyze or compare and contrast concepts of information security, personnel security, and physical security and determine the planning approaches to prevent business losses.

· Analyze the trends affecting security and loss prevention and determine the approaches to reduce losses facing businesses and institutions.

· Evaluate, from a multi-disciplinary approach, non-traditional approaches to crime prevention.

· Distinguish between traditional criminal justice roles, function, theories, and concepts as a reactive institution to the security roles a preventive societal institution.

Your research application will propose an examination of a current issue or problem in security management.

You are to compare and contrast the selected issue or problem with past, present and potential future trends or solutions. Alternatively, you may compare and contrast the experience of organizations affected by a security industry trend or whom have developed solutions to the problem and conduct analysis of their success or failure.

Topic Selection: Topic selection may be difficult. Typically, a capstone research candidate has a general idea of an area within the discipline of security management they wish to explore. Students are encouraged to select a topic they are interested in, but which also has applicability to their organization. In this instance, personal enjoyment is combined with the satisfaction of potentially improving the security posture of your organization.

Research Topic: Conduct a review of previous studies: Begin your research with the tools and capable librarian/archivists available to you in the APUS Online Research Center.

IRB Guidance for the Capstone

The capstone study program does not require primary research for publication although it is an option (pending your faculty advisor’s approval). In the case of primary research for publication involving human subjects, the APUS/AMU Institutional Review Board (IRB) located at:

http://www.apus.edu/community-scholars/institutional-review-board/

must approve your research plan prior to beginning any such research. As the Capstone is only four months in length, this option is highly discouraged. Four months is not truly commensurate with primary research for publication, which traditionally requires a longer time period for a successful study.

Ensure the availability of ample research resources: Initially, conduct research to ensure your proposed topic is one, which benefits from ample research resources. These may be in many forms including: books, papers, manuscripts, theses, doctoral dissertations, magazine and professional journal articles, Web-based resources, interviews, etc.

Feasibility assessment: Ensure the research study goal is attainable within the established parameters. Typically, students initially decide on a capstone research topic that is too broad.

Conducting preliminary research should serve to narrow the focus considerably.

Proceed to: http://library.weber.edu/ref/guides/howto/topicselection.cfm and read the information on research topic selection.

Proceed to: http://www.indiana.edu/~educy520/sec5982/week_2/hypothesis_3.pdf#search=%27Writing%20a%20problem%20statement%20%20hypothesis

and read the information on writing a problem statement.

Topic Guidance: Security-focused: Ensure the topic is focused on some aspect of security in the post-9/11 environment. The topic can be management focused. For example, you may focus on the utility to a security department of initiating a skill-based compensation program. The topic may be focused on rapidly-changing technologies. For example, you may select the topic of how IT security professionals are using technologies to secure complex systems based on wireless networks. The topic could focus on the challenges of managing a cross-cultural security force in hazardous regions such as Iraq or Afghanistan. You have a high degree of flexibility bounded only by your interest, enthusiasm, and the agreement between yourself and your capstone professor.

Take a multi-disciplinary approach: Convergence of many disciplines and approaches is a key factor in the 21st Century security environment. You will find yourself incapable of writing a capstone study on a security-related topic without some discussion of related disciplines such as homeland security, counter-terrorism, intelligence analysis, law enforcement, etc.

Seek innovation and unorthodox solutions: It is normal, while researching a topic, to find “school solutions” based on prevailing trends, thought processes, analysis, etc. The key to a great capstone study is to apply your research outcome, your personal experiences and background, and your analysis to create a new and innovative solution or outcome. This is the true essence of exciting learning and the highest attainable goal in writing a great capstone study.

Research study statement: The research study statement is composed once you have selected a topic and narrowed your focus to a useful degree. It is a clear and concise statement of the purpose of the capstone study. It must be a statement capable of being proved or disproved through your research and the capstone study process. It is, in effect, the path for your journey through the capstone study experience.

· Example: You are writing on the pros and cons of outsourcing security services in a war zone. The capstone study statement (proposition) is that while outsourcing of security services is cost-effective over the short-term, the long-term effect is the destabilization of military manpower and a return to large-scale mercenary operations lacking government oversight.

· Example: You are interested in security measures necessary to secure wireless networks. The capstone study statement (proposition) might be that wireless networks are inherently less secure than other communications means. A security system design to achieve wireless network security consists of the following components.

Examples of Acceptable Topics

Aviation security system design in the post-9/11 environment; are we there yet?

The impact of the convergence of public and private sector security operations and constructs in the post-9/11 environment

Management under fire: creating and managing a cross-cultural security force in harm’s way.

Case studies emphasizing the validity, or lack thereof, of certain concepts, constructs, equipment, designs, management concepts, etc. such as the proliferation of closed circuit television systems and the privacy issues involved, achieving successful integration of complex security system designs, zero-based budgeting for security departments, implementing Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) concepts for protective services operations.

Examples of Unacceptable Projects

Over-generalized topics such as “homeland security” This topic is highly relevant if not so generalized.

Topic conflict: for example, a discussion of both Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Targeted Crime Reduction (TCR) - they are not the same, but similar enough that they should be avoided (in tandem).

Small technical topics, for example, a comparison of the utility of the .40 S&W cartridge with the .38 S&W Special Cartridge for use on protective services details.

Topics that do not require challenging and innovative research, i.e., over-generalized - for example, the history of private security in America. In this instance, there is no point to be proven or disproved.

MANDATORY PROPOSAL COMPONENTS

The following sections must be included in your proposal (3 page minimum body - not including cover page, abstract or references):

1. Title Page with proposed title

2. Abstract – separate page

3. A concise capstone study statement for your proposed research paper/project and a brief descriptive statement

a. Problem Statement

b. Significance of the Study

c. Research Question(s)

3. Paper/project components and key points to be covered in your paper/project.

4. Proposed Methodology/Research Strategy – If you intend to conduct primary research for publication, you must indicate the scope of your proposed research, methodologies, estimate of materials required for a successful effort, etc. Primary research studies for publication are not recommended (see comments in reference to the IRB process below)

a. Assumptions (if any)

b. Scope and Limitations

5. A preliminary, but detailed schedule of your plan to complete the research study

6. Preliminary research sources

There will be 100 possible points for the proposal (15% of your final grade) DUE ON Thursday OF WEEK 2.

5. An “annotated” research bibliography of a minimum of “six” references (no older than seven years) to be used in your paper/project is due in week three. Examples include “credible” WWW reports and sites, books, manuscripts, theses, dissertations, journals, newspapers, magazines, etc. Submit/upload in a MS Word document. Ensure you follow the APA style and each reference is thoroughly “summarized and evaluated.”

Conducting Research: Upon topic approval conduct research before proposal submission. Your starting point is the APUS Online Research Center and the talented staff of librarians and archivists available to assist you in your efforts. Resources include:

· Bibliographic resources

· Web-based resources

· Web search engines

· Other resources

· Databases

Your search strategy focuses your search efforts and makes efficient use of your time.

You must discuss search strategies first with your professor and secondly, with the experts in the APUS Online Research Center.

There will be 100 possible annotated bibliography points (10% of your final grade). Late submitters will be penalized 10 points per day.

6. Extended paper/project outline, thorough summary and four additional APA annotated references (total of 10 references) is due in week five. This submission should be a significant expansion of your research proposal and can be similar to a rough draft. The body of this assignment should be a “minimum of five pages.” Submit/upload this assignment in a MS Word document.

There will be 100 possible points for the extended outline and summary (10% of your final grade). Late submitters will be penalized 10 points per day.

Exams/Quizzes: None

Field Experience Assignments: Optional (contact instructor)

Capstone Project:

7. Final capstone is due in week “seven”.

MANDATORY PROJECT COMPONENTS: See final capstone template located in Resources

Sources from Wikipedia are “NOT” to be used as they have been deemed unreliable.

ANY VIOLATIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY PLAGIARISM POLICY WILL RESULT IN AN AUTOMATIC “F.”

There will be 100 possible points for your paper/proposal (40% of your final grade

8. A formal presentation of your paper (and “four” classmate responses) is due on Friday of week eight. You are required to present your project to the class “in the forum area “only” – “no” submission/uploading via Assignments. Your presentation should provide a comprehensive overview and highlight the key sections and points of your paper. A Microsoft PowerPoint slide presentation is required. Do “not” attach and MS Word document or copy your entire paper/project in the forum area.

Presentation/Classmate Response Scoring Notes: I will score your presentation in “two parts.” Your presentation assignment will be 80% of your possible grade. The remaining 20% of your weekly assignment score will be based on the quality of your “four” (5% each) forum “responses” to your classmates. The excellence of your effort will be considered when grading your presentation and classmate responses. Finally, there will be 100 total possible points for the presentation and classmate responses (10% of your final grade). Late posters will be penalized 10 points per day.

Grade Instruments	Points Possible
Forums 4 (weighted 40%)	100 / 400
Assignments – 6 (weighted 40%)	100 / 600
Capstone final (weighted 20%)	100
TOTAL	1100

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Course Outline

Please see the Student Handbook to reference the University’s grading scale.

Week	Topic(s)	Learning Objectives	Readings	Assignment(s)
1	Autobiography & Response (1) / B.A. in Security Management Program Objectives / Paper-Project Topic & Responses (2)	Develops potential topics, conducts preliminary research, assesses various resources, research tools, libraries, etc. Identifies and discusses “three” research topics and discusses their viability with classmates and professor Conducts research to identify and evaluate appropriate academic and legitimate sources	See Announcements/Lessons	Autobiography & Response (1): Post to Introduction Forum only - This is mandatory with a 250-word minimum Week 1 Forum - post to Forum only
2	Research Proposal	Develops and submits a formal proposal Validate a research plan. Conducts research to identify and evaluate appropriate academic and legitimate sources Identify organizational security risk exposure; identify cost-effective mitigation strategies; and prepare for recovery strategies Analyze concepts of information security, personnel security, and physical security, and determine the planning approaches to prevent business losses Distinguish between traditional criminal justice roles, functions and concepts as a reactive institution to the security roles as a preventive societal institution	See Announcements/Lessons	Assignment 1 - Post to Assignments only - Capstone proposal - Submit via Assignments using the Capstone proposal template located in Resources Assignment 2 – Post to Assignments only
3	Annotated Bibliography	Create an annotated bibliography Conducts research to identify appropriate academic and legitimate sources	See Announcements/Lessons	Assignment 3 - Post to Assignments only
4	Research Topic, Purpose/Problems Statements, Progress & Responses (2)	Identifies and discusses the paper/project topic, thesis statement, main points/sections with classmates and professor Analyze the trends affecting security and loss prevention and determine the approaches to reduce losses facing businesses and institutions Evaluate from a multi-disciplinary approach, non-traditional approaches to crime prevention	See Announcements/Lessons	Week 4 Forum - Post to Forum only Assignment 4 – Post to Assignments only
5	Outline, Summary & Additional Annotated Bibliographic References	Revise the preliminary proposal into an acceptable first research study draft Conducts research to identify and evaluate appropriate academic and legitimate sources Employ the use of risk analysis and vulnerability assessment processes Identify organizational security risk exposure; identify cost-effective mitigation strategies and prepare for recovery strategies	See Announcements/Lessons	Assignment 5: Post to Assignments only – use the original Capstone proposal form you used in Assignment 1 – just expand on it (this is also the final Capstone template).
6	Research Topic / Responses (2)	Reports paper/project topic progress with classmates and professor Conducts research to identify and evaluate appropriate academic and legitimate sources Critically examine the variety and extent of losses from criminal acts, natural disasters, and security breaches facing society	See Announcements/Lessons	Week 6 Forum – Post to Forum only Assignment 6 – Post to Assignments only
7	Research Paper/Project	Designs and submits research paper/project Analyze the trends affecting security and loss prevention and determine the approaches to reduce losses facing businesses and institutions Evaluate from a multi-disciplinary approach, non-traditional approaches to crime prevention	See Announcements/Lessons	Assignment 7: Final Capstone – post to Assignments only
8	Paper-Project Presentation / Responses (4)	Presents paper/project to classmates and professor; and critically/substantively comments on four classmate’s papers/projects. .	See Announcements/Lessons	Week 8 Forum - PowerPoint Presentation Assignment & Forum Responses (2): Capstone Presentation - Post to Forums only

Policies

Please see the Student Handbook to reference all University policies. Quick links to frequently asked question about policies are listed below.

Drop/Withdrawal Policy

Plagiarism Policy

Extension Process and Policy

Disability Accommodations

Writing Expectations

All written submissions should be submitted in a font and page set-up that is readable and neat. It is recommended that students try to adhere to a consistent format, which is described below.

· Typewritten in double-spaced format with a readable style and font and submitted inside the electronic classroom (unless classroom access is not possible and other arrangements have been approved by the professor).

· Times New Roman, 12-point font is the only acceptable font IAW APA (6th. ed.) guidance.

· Page margins Top, Bottom, Left Side and Right Side = 1 inch, with reasonable accommodation being made for special situations and online submission variances.

Citation and Reference Style

Attention Please: Students will follow the APA sixth edition as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework to the University. Assignments completed in a narrative essay or composition format must follow the citation style cited in the:

Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (2009). (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.

Late Assignments

Students are expected to submit classroom assignments by the posted due date and to complete the course according to the published class schedule. As adults, students, and working professionals, I understand you must manage competing demands on your time. Should you need additional time to complete an assignment, please contact me before the due date so we can discuss the situation and determine an acceptable resolution. Routine submission of late assignments is unacceptable and may result in points deducted from your final course grade.

Netiquette

Online universities promote the advancement of knowledge through positive and constructive debate – both inside and outside the classroom. Forums on the Internet, however, can occasionally degenerate into needless insults and “flaming.” Such activity and the loss of good manners are not acceptable in a university setting – basic academic rules of good behavior and proper “Netiquette” must persist. Remember that you are in a place for the rewards and excitement of learning which does not include descent to personal attacks or student attempts to stifle the Forum of others.

· Technology Limitations: While you should feel free to explore the full-range of creative composition in your formal papers, keep e-mail layouts simple. The Sakai classroom may not fully support MIME or HTML encoded messages, which means that bold face, italics, underlining, and a variety of color-coding or other visual effects will not translate in your e-mail messages.

· Humor Note: Despite the best of intentions, jokes and especially satire can easily be lost or taken seriously. If you feel the need for humor, you may wish to add “emoticons” to help alert your readers: ;-), : ), (

Disclaimer Statement

Course content may vary from the outline to meet the needs of this particular group.

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Online Library

The Online Library is available to enrolled students and faculty from inside the electronic campus. This is your starting point for access to online books, subscription periodicals, and Web resources that are designed to support your classes and generally not available through search engines on the open Web. In addition, the Online Library provides access to special learning resources, which the University has contracted to assist with your studies. Questions can be directed to [email protected] .

· Charles Town Library and Inter Library Loan: The University maintains a special library with a limited number of supporting volumes, collection of our professors’ publication, and services to search and borrow research books and articles from other libraries.

· Electronic Books: You can use the online library to uncover and download over 50,000 titles, which have been scanned and made available in electronic format.

· Electronic Journals: The University provides access to over 12,000 journals, which are available in electronic form and only through limited subscription services.

· Tutor.com: AMU and APU Civilian & Coast Guard students are eligible for 10 free hours of tutoring provided by APUS. Tutor.com connects you with a professional tutor online 24/7 to provide help with assignments, studying, test prep, resume writing, and more. Tutor.com is tutoring the way it was meant to be. You get expert tutoring whenever you need help, and you work one-to-one with your tutor in your online classroom on your specific problem until it is done.

Request a Library Guide for your course ( http://apus.libguides.com/index.php )

The AMU/APU Library Guides provide access to collections of trusted sites on the Open Web and licensed resources on the Deep Web. The following are specially tailored for academic research at APUS:

· Program Portals contain topical and methodological resources to help launch general research in the degree program. To locate, search by department name, or navigate by school.

· Course Lib-Guides narrow the focus to relevant resources for the corresponding course. To locate, search by class code (e.g., SOCI111), or class name.

If a guide you need is not available yet, please email the APUS Library: [email protected].

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Turnitin.com

Turnitin.com is a web-based plagiarism  prevention application licensed, for campus use, through the APUS Online Library.  The quick submit option lets faculty upload and check suspicious papers, without requiring student to create their own Turnitin.com profiles. 

Turnitin.com analyzes electronic submissions of student writing, compares them to the contents of a huge online database, and generates a customized Originality Report. The database used to produce this analysis contains a massive collection of documents available on the Internet from both free and commercial sources, as well as the full texts of all other papers that have been previously submitted to Turnitin.com.

Similarity index is based on the amount of matching text to a submitted paper:

Blue = no matching text

Green = one word to 24% matching

Yellow = 25 -49% matching text

Orange = 50-74% matching text

Red = 75-100% matching text

Selected Bibliography

Web Based Supplemental Resources

The Scientific Research Process

http://www.experiment-resources.com/steps-of-the-scientific-method.html

Research Strategies – Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods

https://www.hitpages.com/doc/6596681877422080/1#pageTop

Developing a Research Problem Statement

http://faculty.washington.edu/ezent/imwps.htm

Developing a Purpose Statement

http://johnlatham.me/frameworks/research-methods-framework/purpose-statement/

Developing Research Questions

http://libguides.mjc.edu/content.php?pid=163460&sid=1380251

The APA Sixth Edition Annotated Bibliography

http://libguides.brandonu.ca/content.php?pid=26571&sid=197586

Formal Writing Tips (Students must write in the third person formal for the capstone):

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person

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Last updated 30 October 2016

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