Teacher:
George Mason University
School of Public Policy
ITRN 710.002
Foreign Intelligence in a Free Society
Weds 4:30pm – 7:10pm 08/27-12/6 FH TBA
Syllabus -- DRAFT
Robert L. Deitz, rdeitz@gmu.edu
(phone: (703) 993-3480).
I am in my office (Rm 674) most week days; to schedule an appointment, please phone or email.
Required text : Mark M. Lowenthal, Intelligence (5 th
Ed.).
Required readings :
On the Web:
Plato, The Republic , Book VII (The Allegory of the Cave) (accessed at http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html
)
The Bible , I Corinthians, 13: 11,12 (accessed at http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13%3A11-
12&version=NIV )
Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan (accessed at http://books.google.com/books?id=-
Q4nPYeps6MC&printsec=frontcover&dq=hobbes+leviathan&source=bl&ots=_vXs0Fq
M06&sig=REcNL6e5z6eL3NrUE5UxXYkydd8&hl=en&ei=fFDDS4G5J8T68AaYypjk
CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage& q&f=false )
Locke, John, The Second Treatise of Civil Government (accessed at http://books.google.com/books?id=RvY8IfnPrQC&dq=john+locke+second+treatise&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=1
VDDS5vOJMP58AbQsJH5Bw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0C
BcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q&f=false )
Mill, J.S., On Liberty (accessed at http://www.constitution.org/jsm/liberty.htm
)
Schenk v. United States , 249 U.S. 47 (1919) (accessed at http://supreme.justia.com/us/249/47/case.html
)
The Steel Seizure Case , 343 U.S. 579 (Jackson, J., concurring) (accessed at
U.S. Constitution, Amendments I, II, and IV (accessed at http://supreme.justia.com/us/343/579/case.html
)
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On Reserve:
Beccaria, Cesare, On Crimes and Punishment
Dworkin, Ronald, Taking Rights Seriously
Course description
Foreign Intelligence in a Free Society: Most citizens of modern democratic societies distrust secretive and powerful entities. The U.S. intelligence community is both. This course will focus on the intersection of national security concerns and civil liberties. Looking at relevant literature from the disciplines of philosophy and political science, we will explore the conflict between the powers of the state and the liberties of the individual. We will then apply that structure to the U.S. foreign intelligence apparatus, discuss its authorities, limits, and oversight mechanisms, and then begin a case study into some current intelligence controversies. In addition to a mid-term and final exam, students will participate in a practicum, and identify an international event from the news and explain in an oral presentation how intelligence resources could assist the
U.S. policymakers in addressing that event.
Learning outcomes
1.
An understanding of the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Community, its structure, authorities, limits, and oversight mechanisms.
2.
An understanding of the conflict between the powers of the state and the liberties of the individual.
Evaluation
Student evaluations will be comprised of the following: Week Five mid-term: 30%;
Week Fifteen final: 40%; Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen practicum: 15%; class participation and news analysis: 15%
Schedule
Week One: Introduction. What this course is about. Brief history of U.S intel.
Epistemological problems. How do you know what you know? Assignment: Book VII from Plato’s
Republic (The Allegory of the Cave) (read up to and including the discussion of geometry, a little more than half way through the dialog); I Corinthians (13:
11, 12); Lowenthal, pp. 1-28.
Week Two: Where does the state get off conducting intelligence operations? The social contract. Assignment: Hobbes, Leviathan (Introduction, Second Part, Chs 18, 21, 26;
Locke, The Second Treatise of Government (Chs. XIV, XV, XVI); Beccaria, On Crimes and Punishment (Ch. 1).
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Week Three: What are the rights of the people? Assignment: Hobbes, op. cit. (Chs. 9,
13, 14); Dworkin, Taking Rights Seriously (Ch. 12); J.S. Mill On Liberty (Chs.1, 2, 4).
Week Four: Competing Rights: when the needs of the state conflict with the rights of the people. Assignment: Dworkin, op. cit. (Ch. 7); Mill, op. cit. (Ch. 2); Schenk v.
United States , 249 U.S. 47 (1919); The Steel Seizure Case , 343 U.S. 579 (1952) (Jackson,
J., concurring opinion).
Week Five: Mid-term exam.
Week Six: Intel Process. Assignment: Lowenthal, Chapters 4, 5, 6.
Week Seven: Intel Process part 2. Assignment: Lowenthal, Chapters 7, 8.
Week Eight: The Role of the Policy Maker. Assignment: Lowenthal, Chapter 9.
Week Nine: Authority and Constitutional Limits. What is the authority of the Executive to conduct intelligence-gathering activities? What are the limits, if any, that the Congress may place on the Executive? What are the rights of the people with respect to intelligence gathering? Assignment: Articles I, II and the Fourth Amendment of the U.S.
Constitution; United States v. United States District Court , 407 U.S. 297 (1972).
Week Ten: Oversight of intel activities, by the Congress, the Executive Branch, by the
IG, and the press. Assignment: Lowenthal, Chapter 10. View a speech at: http://www.cspanvideo.org/program/195596-4 at approximately the 43 minute mark.
Week 11: Ethical issues in the conduct of foreign intelligence. Assignment: Lowenthal,
Chapter 13.
Weeks Twelve and Thirteen: An intel practicum.
Week Fourteen: Grand Finale.
Final exam
Academic Accommodation for a Disability
If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through the DRC.
SPP Policy on Plagiarism
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The profession of scholarship and the intellectual life of a university as well as the field of public policy inquiry depend fundamentally on a foundation of trust. Thus any act of plagiarism strikes at the heart of the meaning of the university and the purpose of the
School of Public Policy. It constitutes a serious breach of professional ethics and it is unacceptable.
Plagiarism is the use of another’s words or ideas presented as one’s own. It includes, among other things, the use of specific words, ideas, or frameworks that are the product of another’s work. Honesty and thoroughness in citing sources is essential to professional accountability and personal responsibility. Appropriate citation is necessary so that arguments, evidence, and claims can be critically examined.
Plagiarism is wrong because of the injustice it does to the person whose ideas are stolen. But it is also wrong because it constitutes lying to one’s professional colleagues. From a prudential perspective, it is shortsighted and self-defeating, and it can ruin a professional career.
The faculty of the School of Public Policy takes plagiarism seriously and has adopted a zero tolerance policy. Any plagiarized assignment will receive an automatic grade of
“F.” This may lead to failure for the course, resulting in dismissal from the
University. This dismissal will be noted on the student’s transcript. For foreign students who are on a university-sponsored visa (eg. F-1, J-1 or J-2), dismissal also results in the revocation of their visa.
To help enforce the SPP policy on plagiarism, all written work submitted in partial fulfillment of course or degree requirements must be available in electronic form so that it can be compared with electronic databases, as well as submitted to commercial services to which the School subscribes. Faculty may at any time submit student’s work without prior permission from the student. Individual instructors may require that written work be submitted in electronic as well as printed form. The SPP policy on plagiarism is supplementary to the George Mason University Honor Code; it is not intended to replace it or substitute for it. ( http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html
)
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