This assignment is a research
paper. This means you will choose a topic that is focused on intelligence (or
be intelligence related and you explain how it is important to intelligence),
identify your research sources, identify and apply a research method to your
paper, and draft a paper that defends your main point/thesis.
As
you’ve learned across the program, the field of intelligence studies is an
interdisciplinary in that it incorporates elements important to economics,
business, psychology, international relations, political science, criminal
justice, security studies and more. The term “intelligence” can refer
to both a product as well as a process, and a topic that is important to
“intelligence” would be something that supports a particular
requirement or mission. For example, “competitive” intelligence is
often something that’s carried out to support the mission of businesses,
whereas “sociocultural intelligence” focuses on understanding social
and cultural principles of target areas in a manner to achieve the goals of a
particular mission. Executive Order 12333 on United States Intelligence
Activities further explains that the goals of United States intelligence in its
official government capacity is geared towards assisting leaders make decisions
specific to foreign, defense, and economic policies and the protection of the
US national interest. However, it’s also important to keep in mind is that
“intelligence” is also not limited to the confines of United States
intelligence or the United States intelligence community for that matter – the
world is MUCH bigger than that.
Topic: Russia or China: Who is the bigger threat to the U.S.?
This paper will dive into both countries and compare and contrast their political stance, their cyber warfare, and their threat to the U.S.
You
must choose a topic from your area of concentration which is important to
intelligence studies. You are free to choose any topic you are interested in or
have wanted to investigate but haven’t been able to address.
Thesis:
Your paper must have a solid,
pointed premise. A solid main point is a conclusion of analysis, based on your
research, that is reasoned and pointed. You cannot choose a main point which is
obvious or self-evident (terrorism led to the war in Afghanistan or the lack of
WMD in Iraq was an intelligence mistake). You must ask a research question,
research, and draw a conclusion or answer to the question. Your research
question should be stated as a declarative sentence in your introduction. That
declarative statement is your premise or hypothesis. You must be specific, not
vague or general.
Content:
You should be sure to have a
thesis that addresses the topic you are focusing on and that this thesis is
CLEAR and UNAMBIGUOUS. If you have any questions about your thesis you should
ask them on the open discussion board for the class. It is OK to share your
ideas and ask for feedback. Also, if necessary, you can ask me for input
(though you are now expected to be able to develop your own theses and know that
what your developing is a good thesis. Your thesis must be in the first
paragraph or section of your paper.
You should also be sure to have
section headings, a title page, incorporate references using the Turabian
author-date format, have a corresponding “References” page, and
incorporate page numbers and all the other elements of a professional paper.
Deliverable:
Your paper should be 15-18
pages in length, double spaced, times new roman 12 point font, 1 inch margins
on all 4 sides. You are welcome to use graphs and charts and maps, etc.,
provided they add new information and support your paper. You
should have a title page and a references list (neither of which count towards
the assignments total page count).
Sources:
You should strive for 12+
references (which shouldn’t be difficult given all the reading you’ve done in
your program). Be sure that your selection of sources gives you balance, that
they are credible and reliable and accurate. To help you determine the
appropriateness of a source, please refer to the CRAAP worksheet below.
Assumptions:
All research papers have
assumptions. These establish the boundaries of the problem, exclude difficult
variables, and provide a firm starting point. While it is not necessary to have
a separate section for assumptions, it is necessary that you identify them when
you make them. (For instance in an examination of extremist group behavior you
might note that one of your assumptions is that all the members of the group
agree with how its goals are being carried out.)
