The MANPTS Honors Thesis is a highly selective program through which a limited number of students will design and conduct individual research projects of professional length, scope, and quality under the guidance of a faculty advisor. Applications for the honors thesis will be accepted in the Spring from students in their second or subsequent semesters in the NPTS MA program who are currently maintaining a GPA of 3.7 or higher. Applications will require a personal statement, academic transcript, sample of research writing, proposal for the thesis, and recommendation from a member of the faculty or research staff. In recommending a student for the honors thesis, a faculty or staff member must agree to serve as the student’s thesis advisor if the student is selected for the program. The NPTS Program Chair will appoint a selection committee composed of NPTS faculty and staff from the appropriate MIIS research centers to review applications. Students will be selected for the honors thesis on the basis of GPA, demonstrated proficiency in research and analytical writing, and any other relevant criteria as determined by the selection committee. Throughout the Fall semester, thesis advisors will provide students enrolled in NPTG 8662 with individualized supervision of their thesis projects in a manner similar to a directed study. Thesis advisors will set a schedule for research and writing of the thesis and will meet with students as needed to review progress and provide comments and advice. At the end of the Fall semester, students will present their projects to the Monterey Institute community in a symposium at which invited experts will provide comments and suggestions for further development and publication of research.

Various parts of South-East Asia have been plagued by terrorist violence in recent decades. South-East Asia refers to the region eastward from Burma/Myanmar till the Philippines. This course studies the phenomenon of terrorism in countries of the region such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Some of the groups that this course examines include – Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic Liberation Front – their objectives, characteristics, composition, ideologies, tactics and fund-raising. Apart from these cases, the course also examines thematic issues such as the prospect of WMD terrorism and proliferation of WMD materials, maritime terrorism and piracy, and U.S. policy on counter-terrorism in South-East Asia. We also discuss connections between groups in South-East Asia and regional and global terrorist groups elsewhere, such as Al Qaeda and the Taliban. In order to have a comprehensive picture of non-state security threats in the region, the course also examines the various insurgent movements in Myanmar. Finally, given the close security dynamics between Australia and South-East Asia, this course also looks at terrorism-related issues in Australia.

The course examines how terrorist groups finance their operations. It also explores current policy approaches to curb financial support to terrorists through the application of U.S. and international sanctions, in particular how multilateral fora, such as the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force, disrupt and deter terrorist financing. At the completion of the course, students will have a better understanding of the key tools, including law enforcement, diplomacy, and intelligence, that are used to counter terrorists’ financial networks and activities. Students will use structured analytic tools such as weighted ranking methods, scenario trees, causal flow programming, game theory, and logic to form analytic judgments. Prior coursework or professional experience in intelligence, (counter) terrorism, or finance recommended.

This course introduces the theory and application of relational databases and structured query language (SQL). Using a project-based approach, students will practice how to retrieve, filter, analyze, and visualize datasets using SQL and then create a final application project that demonstrates their ability to employ SQL logic to solve a real-world case. The course will be conducted using asynchronous content and interactive hands-on lab sessions.

Geographic Information Systems

This course introduces the theory and application of spatial data acquisition, analysis, and display using a project based approach. Students will practice how to conceive, gather, manage, analyze, and visualize geographic datasets using the global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), and use GIS for spatial analysis and decision making. The course will be conducted using lecture and lab methods; active student participation is required.

The course will explore the principles, evolution and professional practice of public relations with an emphasis on crisis communications. We will do so with a specific examination of the strategies, concepts and tools used to execute an effective public relations campaign or initiative. In addition, we will assess how to and counter harmful events or actions to a company's brand. The class do so with heavy emphasis on student participation and student interaction.

Corporate Risk Management entails the prevention and detection of fraud and financial crimes. However, it also entails the understanding of and compliance with state and federal laws and statutory regulations.

This two credit course will introduce participants to the legal aspects of compliance with those laws and regulations. The course will introduce participants to the United States court system (Federal and state) and highlight the differences between criminal and civil liability. It will introduce participants to pertinent state, federal, and non-US laws (including, for example, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, (“FCPA”), Sarbanes-Oxley Act, privacy laws, and the General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), etc.) dealing with corporate compliance and take participants through the legal process of addressing an alleged violation of one or more of those laws or regulations. It will familiarize participants with the nature of a violation of state or federal laws and regulations, the legal and procedural steps of litigating such a violation, and the possible restitution that might be expected from the perpetrator of such a violation.

The course will use recent or ongoing state and federal court cases to help familiarize participants with the practical application of the subject matter of the course.

This hands-on, project-based course will build on the skills learned in the introductory GIS course. Working within their discipline, students will develop real-world case studies to practice GIS modeling, perform spatial data analysis, statistical analysis and temporal data analysis, test hypotheses and recommend policy based on their findings. Students will employ project management, database design and troubleshooting techniques applicable to GIS and other fields.

International Security Research and Analysis

An introductory survey of research methods, with special attention to how research can be utilized to inform policies related to international security. The course gives particular emphasis to the processes of identifying research topics and designing research projects. It will also address the basic elements of doing policy analysis. Students who complete the course will be able to read with comprehension and critically assess research produced across a wide range of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The course will also address how to write up and present research proposals and finished research products, and will consider the ethics of doing research. The course will be conducted primarily in lecture format, but some class time will also be devoted to exercises that involve active student participation.

This course examines the role of intelligence in the conduct of US national security. The course will cover the basics of intelligence, to include the intelligence cycle, intelligence requirements, types of collection and analysis, and the roles and capabilities of organizations that make up the US intelligence community. The course will look at the role of intelligence over history and include case studies.

LEARNER OUTCOMES:

1. Identify the members of the US Intelligence Community and describe their general responsibilities.

2. Understand and explain the different stages of the intelligence cycle.

3. Describe the various types (INTs) of Intelligence and corresponding US agencies in responding to national requirements.

4. Using a case study approach, understand the interaction between policy makers and the intelligence community.

5. Apply course content to write a paper on a member of the intelligence community or a intelligence collection capability and its impact to US policy.