AF AERO 401
UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN-MADISON
FALL 2004
NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
COURSE SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR: Lt Col Tom Garin
LOCATION: Room 101, 1327 University Ave
TIME: 1530-1830, Wednesday
OFFICE #: (608) 265-3440
HOME #: (608) 827-6113
EMAIL: tagarin@wisc.edu
1. COURSE INFORMATION
a. COURSE OVERVIEW: The student should comprehend the basic elements of national security policy and
process. The student should also understand the selected roles of the military in society and current issues
affecting the military profession. Furthermore, the student should become familiar with the different regions of
the world. Lastly, the student should be able to apply listening, speaking and writing skills in Air Force-peculiar
formats and situations with accuracy, clarity and appropriate style.
b. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. Comprehend basic elements of national security policy and process.
2. Understand selected roles of the military in society and current issues affecting the military
profession.
3. Understand important national security issues associated with different regions of the world.
4. Understand how to apply listening, speaking, and writing skills in Air Force-approved formats.
c. SIGNIFICANT DATES:
8 Sep
22 Oct
???
1 Dec
15 Dec
Class Start Date
MID-TERM EXAM
Briefing & TP Due
Research Paper Due
FINAL EXAM
d. TEXTBOOKS:
National Security Affairs Reader (NSAR), T-408
Selected Readings in International Security Studies (SR) or Regional Studies reader, T-413 *
The Tongue and Quill (TQ), AFH 33-337
U.S. Constitution (USC), T-412
e. GRADING:
1. The following will determine your final course grade:
Mid-Term Exam*
Final Exam*
Writing Assignment
Briefing Assignment
Class participation/Front Page News
35 points
15 points
20 points
20 points (15 Briefing, 5 TP)
10 points
* Multiple-choice, short answer, and essay; final exam is not cumulative
2. At course completion, you will be assigned a letter grade as follows:
Total Points
Letter Grade
90-100
88-89
80-87
78-79
70-77
60-69
59-below
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F
3. Leadership Lab (LLAB) Policy and Grading. LLAB is mandatory for those students enrolled as cadets.
Successful completion is a prerequisite for earning a commission as an Air Force 2nd Lieutenant.
Performance in LLAB does not affect your AS400 grade and will be graded on a pass/fail basis only. See
the LLAB syllabus for grading criteria.
f. CLASSROOM REQUIREMENTS AND CLASSROOM PROCEUDRES:
1. Classroom Conduct: You are voluntarily being trained as a potential future officer. Your actions, speech,
dress, and appearance both in and out of the classroom reflect greatly upon your integrity, character, and
maturity. You are expected to maintain the proper deportment in class. You may bring water or soft drinks
and food into the classroom. Please clean up after yourself.
2. Students pursuing an AF commission will wear the uniform of the day to class.
3. Attendance: You are expected to attend all AS 401 classes. Absences must be coordinated through the
instructor. Absences from scheduled exams will be excused and rescheduled only for unusual
circumstances. If you fail to attend a minimum of 70 percent (11 classes) of the AS 401 classes, you will
fail the course regardless of other scores.
4. Classroom Participation: Students are expected to complete the reading assignments before class, and be
ready to actively participate in class discussions. Students will also be prepared to discuss one item from the
front page of the newspaper at the beginning of at least one class period. A sign-up sheet will be made
available during the first lesson. Classroom participation is worth 10you’re your final grade.
5. Class Activity: Student participation is encouraged. Our classes will primarily include instructor lectures,
instructor-led discussion, group leadership problems, the textbooks, and occasional pertinent films.
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6. Late Assignments: If an assignment is turned in within 24 hours of the due date you will be able to earn
maximum points. You will lose one point per day after this grace period until the assignment is completed
and turned in.
7. Aerospace Studies Grades: You are required to earn a "C" or better in all Aerospace Studies classes.
Therefore, if you earn a "D" or "F" in this class, you will not earn a commission through AFROTC and you
will forfeit all scholarships.
8. Counseling Requirement: All cadets are required to sign up for a counseling session with me. Schedule a
term counseling with me between 10 Sep-15 Oct.
g. WRITING ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Students will write a 5-page research paper on the leader of a foreign country. The paper will have an
introduction, body and conclusion. Please include the following items about the leader in the body of the
paper:
a. Past Behavior: identify some of the leader’s key successes and failures
b. Overall Behavior Traits: discuss the leader’s personality (such as aggressive, boastful, risk taker,
conservative); main interests or wants; power base (especially in relation to his/her military)
c. Current Environment: discuss how the leader is dealing with issues within his/her country (internal
environment) and with neighboring countries (external environment)
2. This assignment is due to the instructor on 1 December 2004.
h. SPEAKING ASSIGNMENT:
1. Students will be part of a 2 or 3 member team representing 1 of 6 regional areas in the world. Each student
on the team will select an important country in the region and a key US national security issue related to that
country. Your research should lead you to a position on the issue. The team will brief the class on the day the
syllabus identifies the region. The briefing should be between 10-12 minutes long and include the following
items:



Introduction
o Greet audience and introduce yourself
o Clearly state the issue, your position, and main points
Body
o Provide a brief historic background of the country
 Include a brief summary of the current leader
o Identify and discuss what is known and unknown about the issue
o Identify and discuss what you think about the issue
Summary
o State your main points, your position, and the issue
o Conclude by saying, “this concludes my briefing, are there any questions?”
2. Each student will write a 1-2 page talking paper summarizing the key points of their briefing. The
instructor should be able to use the talking paper to follow the student’s presentation. It should include an
introduction, body, and summary. It should also be a stand-alone document. Please turn in the talking paper
the day of the briefing and prior to the start of the briefing.
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2. CLASS ACTIVITY SCHEDULE
CLASS
1
DATE
8 Sep
2
15 Sep
3
22 Sep
4
29 Sep
5
6
6 Oct
13 Oct
7
8
20 Oct
27 Oct
9
10
11
3 Nov
10 Nov
17 Nov
12
13
24 Nov
1 Dec
14
8 Dec
15
15 Dec
LESSON
1
2/3
4
5
7
8
9
10
11
13
6
12
17
18
19
13
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
TITLE
Introduction/Overview
The Constitution
Role of the President & the Executive Branch
Role of Congress
Evolution of US Policy
Making Strategy
Principles of War
War and the American Military
Department of Defense
Total Force
Civilian Control of the Military
Air Force Competencies
Dept of the Navy
Dept of the Army
The Marine Corps
Air & Space Functions
Terrorism/Force Protection
Information Warfare
Mid-Term Exam
Setting the World Stage
Africa in Transition
East Asia in Transition
Instructor Time
Latin America in Transition
Europe
Middle East in Transition
Russia and the Former Soviet Republics
Final Exam/Course Critique
READINGS
Syllabus
Read p 3-16 & USC all
Read p 17-28
Read p 29-48
Read p 59-68
Read p 69-86
Read p 87-98
Read p 99-108
Read p 109-124
Read p 141-152
Read p 49-58
Read p 125-140
Read p 215-224
Read p 225-236
Read p 237-250
Read p 283-292
Read p 293-306
Read p 307-314
RSR: p iv-xx
RSR: p 3-74
RSR: p 77-124
RSR: p 127-153
RSR: p 157-222
RSR: p 225-294
RSR: p 297-374
3. AS 400 INSTRUCTOR OFFICE HOURS
Students may make appointments at any time during the week; however, the following times have been
planned for AS 400 students to discuss any questions or problems.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
By appointment only
0800-1100
0800-1100
0800-1100
0800-1100
THOMAS A. GARIN, Lt Colonel, USAF
Professor of Aerospace Studies
As of 12 Aug 04
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