This assignment consists of conducting detailed research and analysis on the selected topic and writing a research essay. The source material must result primarily from self-led external research of scholarly articles.

Students will select a homeland security topic that integrates and addresses strategic planning issues/concepts. The following are a few sample topics:

An analysis of why strategic planning is important for homeland security organizations.
An analysis of the potential pitfalls associated with strategic planning for homeland security organization.
An analysis of the similarities and differences between federal, state, and local homeland security planning requirements.
An analysis of the desirable characteristics of a regional homeland security strategy.
An analysis of the roles and responsibilities of private and public sector organizations for homeland security strategic planning.
An analysis of various strategic planning models and the best approach for homeland security organizations.

Format: The research paper must be six to eight pages of double-spaced pages of narrative. Photographs, bulleted lists, and other inserts do not count toward the minimum page requirement. Students must include separate title and reference pages, which do not count toward the minimum page requirement. Thepaper will be in standard American Psychological Association (APA) research paper format.

Citations: Students must use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition format to cite their research. Students are required to research and cite a minimum of three online sources, three print sources, and at least one reference from the course texts (seven-source minimum). Students must give others credit for others’ work by properly citing it. The university’s plagiarism policy applies to all written assignments for this course.

Research: Students must conduct academic research to substantiate their papers. The best source of this information resides in scholarly articles. These sources may be found in the course required readings, the UMUC Library, or any other scholarly sources that students identify. While Internet websites may be used as part of the research, students must be very cautious, as the content is often biased and represents someone’s personal opinion rather than academic research. Wikipedia is not a valid academic source and students must not use it. Papers with only Internet research will receive lower grades.