Category: Homeland Security

Please share your research question with your classmates. How did you identify a gap in the current research and how will your thesis fill that gap? Refining your research question will provide a solid foundation from which to conduct your research.
Research question is: The United States Military Role in Domestic Homeland Security in the United States of America

A formal thesis proposal shall be prepared in accordance with the standards of the academic discipline. The formal proposal must provide a clear and lucid description of a question or problem and a proposed method of answering the question or solving the problem. Capstone thesis faculty must approve the proposal before students move on to the next stage of the process. The proposal should explain the question or problem to be investigated and convince the thesis professor that the question or problem merits investigation. It should show that the student has read the relevant and recent literature on the subject and it should contain a list of academically appropriate resources consulted during the preliminary stages of research.
In general, the thesis proposal should include background information related to the research topic, purpose of the research, methodology, and analytic procedures to be used. Proposal drafting is considered a learning process and helps students avoid oversights and possible mistakes. For further guidance on what the thesis should contain, see the Homeland Security Program Exit Overview and the End of Program Assessment Manual).
HLSS699 Research Proposal – Specific Instructions
For the thesis proposal, include each element in an abbreviated format.
PLEASE USE THE ATTACHED TEMPLATE TO ENSURE YOUR PROPOSAL CONFORMS TO THE STRUCTURAL REQUIREMENTS.
MA Theses are expected to contain the following elements:
(Adapted from the End of Program Assessment Manual)
Introduction – Approximately one (1) page in length. Your introduction will provide background and contextual material justifying your topic. Your introduction will also include a statement of the problem followed by a purpose statement. The introduction concludes with one or several specific research questions that sets the general context for the study.
Literature Review – Approximately two (2) pages in length with at least six (6) peer-reviewed journal articles that address the conceptual elements of the thesis and demonstrate that there is a “research gap.” Your review of the literature centers on your specific research question(s). The literature review focuses on discussing how other researchers have addressed the same of similar research questions. It introduces the study and places it in a larger context that includes a discussion of why it is important to study this topic. It provides current state of our accumulated knowledge as it relates to your specific research question. In your literature review you should summarize and synthesize the material. Identify the findings as well as the methodology used to obtain those findings.
Theoretical Framework – Approximately one (1) page in length which includes a scholarly source that illustrates the framework you may use in your own study. In this section you will identify the gap in the literature and explain how your thesis addresses that gap. You will also present, explain, and justify your preliminary thoughts on a theory or model that you will use in your study. If you are developing a model you should present a preliminary diagram. Finally, you should state a hypothesis that is testable.
Research Design. Approximately two (2) pages in length. This section represents your preliminary thoughts on how you will answer your research question(s). What design do you intend to use (i.e. case study method, mixed methods approach, interviews, surveys, policy evaluation). What data will you need to collect to answer your question? Where does this data exist? How will you collect it? How will you analyze it? What are the limitations of your method?
Reference List – References should be presented alphabetically in APA format.
Technical Requirements
Your paper must be at a minimum of 4-5 pages (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit).
Scholarly and credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least 2 scholarly sources per page of content.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double space.
Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.
Points will be deducted for the use of Wikipedia or encyclopedic type sources. It is highly advised to utilize books, peer-reviewed journals, articles, archived documents, etc.
All submissions will be graded using the assignment rubric.

Provide a minimum 750-word assessment of the content. What crisis did the author depict that requires action? What solutions did the author propose – if any? What did you learn? What impact will it have on emergency management and homeland security? On your profession? On society?
My Proffession is firefighter/paramedic.
The chosen book is Terror, security, and money: Balancing the risks, benefits, & costs of homeland security by Mueller, J. & Stewart, M. (2011).
The book aims to explore whether the funds spent on security measures are worth the gains in security, rather than simply asking if we are safer due to the measures taken post 9/11. The authors utilize risk and cost-benefit analysis to answer this question, a technique that has been used by regulators, academics, and businesses worldwide for decades. However, a recent National Academy of Science study suggests that those administering homeland security funds have not capably applied this analytical approach. Given the limited risk terrorism poses, expenses meant to reduce it have largely been deemed not cost-effective. For instance, increased American homeland security expenditures would need to have prevented up to 1,667 attacks similar to the Times Square incident in 2010 every day to be considered cost-effective. “Terror, Security, and Money” highlights the mistakes the US has made and continues to make in managing homeland security programs. The book has the potential to redirect our efforts towards a more productive and cost-effective path

Please see attached photos. Form a portion of a research paper following the template provided. Base the research around the topic of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats to the U.S. Feel free to be creative with this.

Provide a minimum 750-word assessment of the content. What crisis did the author depict that requires action? What solutions did the author propose – if any? What did you learn? What impact will it have on emergency management and homeland security? On your profession? On society?
My Proffession is firefighter/paramedic.
The chosen book is Terror, security, and money: Balancing the risks, benefits, & costs of homeland security by Mueller, J. & Stewart, M. (2011).
The book aims to explore whether the funds spent on security measures are worth the gains in security, rather than simply asking if we are safer due to the measures taken post 9/11. The authors utilize risk and cost-benefit analysis to answer this question, a technique that has been used by regulators, academics, and businesses worldwide for decades. However, a recent National Academy of Science study suggests that those administering homeland security funds have not capably applied this analytical approach. Given the limited risk terrorism poses, expenses meant to reduce it have largely been deemed not cost-effective. For instance, increased American homeland security expenditures would need to have prevented up to 1,667 attacks similar to the Times Square incident in 2010 every day to be considered cost-effective. “Terror, Security, and Money” highlights the mistakes the US has made and continues to make in managing homeland security programs. The book has the potential to redirect our efforts towards a more productive and cost-effective path

Please see attached photos. Form a portion of a research paper following the template provided. Base the research around the topic of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats to the U.S. Feel free to be creative with this.

Please choose a topic on cyber intel. An example of an area of concern… federal agencies have broadly improved their ability to share threat information and defense mitigations long standing policy and technical concerns are providing barriers to rapid information sharing.

Drawing upon resource material provided and that discovered while conducting your own research, address both of the following topics:
Examine the role of risk management within the homeland security enterprise and related resources. Additionally, select one of the critical infrastructure sectors and specify how activities related to risk management are currently being employed to effectively address identified areas of risk, those that include (but not limited to) resource/grant allocation, strategic and other forms of planning, etc., from the federal level to state and local efforts.
Address how cyber-security relates to our nation’s critical infrastructure, as well as challenges related to providing such security within the homeland security enterprise.
Your paper must be at a minimum of 4-6 pages (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit).
Scholarly and credible references should be used. A good rule of thumb is at least 2 scholarly sources per page of content.
Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double space with 1 inch margins all around.
Students will follow the current APA Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework. For more on this see the APA style guide
CHECK PAPER FOR AI USAGE AND REVIEW PAPER

Once you begin data collection, for those two weeks (or however long you set your data collection period to be), your research essentially stops. Take advantage of this time. Begin writing about your research. You can write everything up to the results and discussion portion of your dissemination phase. This includes:
Introduction-
Significance
Review of literature — this is your expanded review of literature you did in hour 1
IRB approval — this just takes a sentence
Methodology — quant/qual and other descriptives
Sample — recruitment, size, description

Submit your Research Design
Review your articles/sources and continue writing your 25 -page literature review due week eight
Research Design is due at the end of Week 7: describe how you will test the hypothesis and carry out your analysis. This section describes the data to be used to test the hypothesis, how the student will operationalize and collect data on his/her variables, and the analytic methods that to be used, noting potential biases and limitations to the research approach. It should include:
Identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables.
A sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate).
Justification of case studies used.
Data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.).
a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and
Limitations of study and bias discussion.
Submission Instructions:

Please review the rubric and Capstone Manual for more specific guidelines on expectations; however, please note you are to provide comprehensive analysis of details, facts, and concepts in a logical sequence. You should demonstrate a higher- level of critical thinking necessary for 500-600 level work. You are to provide well-supported ideas and reflection with a variety of current and/or world views in the assignment. You are expected to present a genuine intellectual development of ideas throughout assignment. You should thoroughly understand and excel in explaining all major points. An original, unique, and/or imaginative approach to overall ideas, concepts, and findings is required. Overall format of assignment needs to include an appropriate introduction (or abstract), well- developed paragraphs, and conclusion. Finished assignment demonstrates your ability to plan and organize research in a logical sequence.
Research Design Rubric – Grading Rubric
Major Areas to Review
Points Available

Hypothesis/Research Questions:
These are your research questions (what you plan to measure/examine). This section may also be in paragraph form. Research questions must be individual questions that each measures only one item (one question = one measurement). A couple of questions are expected in this section (typically 2 to 5). You MUST put these questions in traditional null hypotheses format.
If you are conducting a qualitative study, you may use your research questions.
For example: There is no statistical significant difference between someone who grows up in a poor neighborhood and someone from a middle or upper class neighborhood likely involvement in crime (quantitative design would use this example).
For example: If someone grows up in a poor neighborhood, they will be more likely to be involved with crime than someone in a middle or upper class neighborhood.
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The Research Design Section:
•Identification and operationalization (measurement) of variables.
•A sampling plan (i.e., study population and sampling procedures, if appropriate).
•Justification of case studies used.
•Data collection/sources (secondary literature, archives, interviews, surveys, etc.).
•a summary of analysis procedures (pattern-matching, etc.); and
•Limitations of study and bias discussion.
In short, your research design should be the “step by step” directions that would enable a researcher to carry out and execute your research should you be unable to conduct the study yourself. (Think of this as directions from how to get to point A to point B. This detail is necessary as it demonstrates that you understand how to best do your research for your topic.)
Research Design Lecture by Lisa Campbell (Youtube)
A Brief Comparison of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods (Youtube)
Types of Research Design: Education Portal Academy (Youtube)
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Turnitin will be used to assess originality report and supports attachments only—submit the paper as an attachment with less than 15% originality.
Searching for Literature Reviews: Before You Write, You Have to Find (Youtube)
Reviewing a Sample Literature Review (Part I) (Youtube)
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Reference:
Incorporated all this sections references into one comprehensive list and should be in APA 6th Edition format.
Also if you had a reference in your reference section, you must have a citation from that work somewhere in the body of your work. The citations and references must match up.
You will be strictly held to the APA standards. Proper citations, in format and use as well as proper references must be implemented.
Provided scholarly articles to support selected topic in the reference area.
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Writing Format: APA
What is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIsLV9zOOe0
Writing Help: http://apus.campusguides.com/writing/thesiscapstone
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Writing Commons: http://writingcommons.org/open-text/writing-processes/format/apa-format
APA and MLA Citation Game Home Page:
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Grammatical, spelling or punctuation—the writing is grammatically correct, clear and concise. The response is well formulated and easy to read and understand. Correct terminology was used when needed.
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Total
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