Group Projects

Students during the course of the semester will participate in one of the following group projects. This is the first important decision your learning community will have to make as a group. The project itself is designed as a simulation and will foster an understanding of the work of policymakers in analyzing terrorist activities as well as providing informed estimates to government officials, many of whom you often see on the nightly news. You and your learning community will be in the hot seat much like most of the young analysts doing similar assignments throughout the world.

1. The Secretary of Homeland Security has put together a working group to analyze the case of the Los Angeles Fourth of July Shooter. Was it a terrorist act or was it the work of a lone gunman? Secretary Ridge is expecting a position paper from the best analysts working in his Joint Terrorist Intelligence Center (JTIC). What did you discover?

2. The Secretary of Agriculture, as well as Senator Pat Roberts from Kansas, has been extremely concerned about the possible terrorist threat to the nation's food supply. She invited Secretary Tom Ridge to meet with her and the Kansas senior senator to discuss that issue. Secretary Ridge as a result of the meeting has requested a position paper from JTIC concerning the possible threat to the nation's food and water supply. He anticipates a well-reasoned position paper that he can present at the next Cabinet meeting. What will your report say?

3. The British Security Service (MI5) has made an official request to both the CIA and FBI to establish a joint international task force to analyze the current state of the peace process in Northern Ireland. The Director of Central  Intelligence (DCI) and the FBI director expect a briefing paper from the American team. What did the Americans discover about the state of the IRA today?

4. Simsystems, an international security firm, has many Fortune 500 clients, who make numerous investments abroad. Your firm has been contracted by a number of oil companies to provide a threat level briefing concerning the current situation in Indonesia, the Persian Gulf, and Central Asia. What would your report provide to your clients concerning the threat level in those regions?