Defining Homeland Security

The term homeland security is a part of our national vocabulary. However, not everyone is comfortable with this term. Some consider it alien or even sinister, based on their memories of revelations about civil liberties abuses committed by the government under the guise of "national security" during the Cold War. There was much confusion and no consensus about the definition of homeland security until the Bush administration published the first National Homeland Security Strategy in 2002 and an updated version in 2007. It is essential to understand not only the distinctions, but also the relationships between homeland security and other key terms or concepts such as homeland defense, national security, and emergency management.

To prepare for this assignment:

Review the course media "History and Evolution of Homeland Security" featuring Dr. Phillip Schertzing. Reflect on his perspectives regarding the differences and relationships among homeland security, homeland defense, national security, and all-hazards emergency management, as well as the ongoing controversies regarding those differences and relationships.
Review the article "Changing Homeland Security: What Is Homeland Security?" Reflect not only on Bellavita's perspectives on the differences and relationships among homeland security, national security, homeland defense, and emergency management, but also on his analysis of terrorism and all hazards within the context of homeland security. Consider the similarities and differences among homeland security, homeland defense, national security, and emergency management.

The assignment: (2–3 pages)

Compare (similarities and differences) homeland security, homeland defense, national security, and emergency management.
Explain at least one insight you gained or conclusion you drew about homeland security as a result of your comparison.
Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.

Learning Resources

This page contains the Learning Resources for this week. Be sure to scroll down the page to see all of the assigned resources for this week. To view this week's media resources, please use the streaming media player below.

Readings

Course Introduction (located on the left navigation bar)
Course Text:  Bullock, J. A. , Haddow, G. D.  & Coppola, D. P. (2013). Introduction to homeland security (5th ed.). Waltham, MA: Elsevier Inc. 
"Introduction"
Chapter 2, "Historic Overview of the Terrorist Threat”
Online Article: Bellavita, C. (2008). Changing homeland security: What is homeland security? Homeland Security Affairs, IV(2), 1–30. Retrieved from http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=4.2.1

Online Article: Homeland Security National Preparedness Task Force. (2006). Civil defense and homeland security: A short history of national preparedness efforts. Retrieved from
http://training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu/docs/DHS%20Civil%20Defense-HS%20-%20Short%20History.pdf
Media

Video: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Current issues in homeland security: History and evolution of homeland security. Baltimore: Author.

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

Accessible player 
Optional Resources

Book: National Research Council Committee on Educational Paradigms for Homeland Security Policy and Global Affairs. (2005). Frameworks for higher education in homeland security. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
Use the e-brary database, and search using the title.