Challenge : Practical Assessment of Homeland Security Analytical Writing
Case studies and policy papers are common and useful tools in any government domain, including homeland security.
In this challenge, you are asked to put yourself into the position of a policy maker in the homeland security community – for example, a program or agency head, legislative staff director, managing director of emergency management in a city, or even an elected official – to assess the quality of a case study and of a policy paper.
Questions to Consider
What is the role of a case study and of a policy paper as a decision-making tool?
What are the major elements of a case study and of a policy paper?
What are the evaluative criteria for a case study and for a policy paper in general and the homeland security community in particular?
Objectives
By completing the Perspectives and Resources section, you will be able to do the following:
Recognize the purpose of case studies and policy papers in professional communication in general and in homeland security in particular.
Identify the attributes of a good briefing case study and of a good briefing paper.
Develop the skills to assess and evaluate case studies and briefing papers in the homeland security profession.
Assignment 4 first pages
Watch video below
What is Inquiry – YouTube
After watching the video, choose one document from each of the two following sources:
Lessons learned: A case study from the text book, Part I – Legal and Policy Challenges in Homeland Security
James D. Ramsay and Linda Kiltz, eds. Critical Issues in Homeland Security. A Casebook. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2014. ISBN 978-0-8133-4827-8*
Challenges ahead: A “Commentary,” “Research Brief,” or “Report” (policy paper) with recent research findings from the RAND Corporation on Terrorism and Homeland Security Issues.
Link to reading
Homeland Security and Terrorism Issues | RAND
Note: If you choose a Report, you do not need to read and use the whole report, but only the Executive Summary.
Imagine you are the head of an agency that is part of the homeland security community as an elected official who is in charge of homeland security legislation or policies, appropriations, or oversight, at federal, state, or local level, etc. And imagine you are, as such a leader, reading the case study and the policy paper to inform your decision making in homeland security policies, strategies, and programs.
For each of the two documents that you chose, write a 2-page, single-spaced assessment, identifying the following:
How well did the document state the problem or hypothesis?
How effective was the document in providing background information needed to understand the subject or issue; was there sufficient discussion to justify the recommendations?
How detached and objective was the document?
Were the recommendations useful to homeland security policy makers?
Did the document leave you with an adequate understanding of the topic within the overall context of homeland security and its risk-informed priorities? If not, how might it be improved?
Also, provide a short introductory and concluding paragraph for the assessment as a whole (i.e., covering the assessment of both of your chosen documents), with “Introduction” and “Conclusion” as headings.
Your total submitted text should be about 4 pages in length (2 pages for the assessment of each of your two chosen documents, and an additional page for introduction and conclusion; single-spaced, as mentioned before).
5 and 6 page answer these questions submit questions separately
What struck you as the key to effectiveness in the case study and the policy paper you assessed? Why? What could have been improved?
How do you plan to proceed in writing your own policy paper? Think about how you will identify the key points you wish to make and organize them according to the breakdown of parts required. Also, take a minute to recollect how different writing assignments in previous iMPS-HLS courses may have given you experience and insight that might be valuable to use here.
Can you be objective in dealing with a homeland security topic that may be emotionally charged or of particular sensitivity to you? Can you discipline yourself to be detached and objective as required? How did the iMPS-HLS program help you here?
