The University of Denver is poised to become the nation’s leading training ground for counterterrorism. Come fall, DU will expand its International Security Studies program to create a graduate-level certificate program in Homeland Security, the most comprehensive such program in any American university. And school officials hope by next year to have in place the country’s only undergraduate program in homeland security studies.
–Rocky Mountain News–
Homeland Security Course Catalog
Home Defense Practicum—HS5100
In the event of an attack, your survival as a Homeland Defense professional is paramount. This course answers questions such as where can I buy duct tape? What brand of duct tape makes the best bio-chemical seal? What are the minimum standards for effective plastic sheeting? Extensive fieldwork also teaches you how to make the perfect safe room and how to draft—and carry out—your own personal survival plan. Class fees cover one roll of Homeland Defense Duct Tape™ and one roll of Homeland Defense Plastic Sheeting™.
Upping the Ante—HS5101
A large part of waging and winning the War on Terror™ is keeping the public duly motivated and frightened. This class explores the effectiveness and application of various means of holding the public interest such as issuing vague warnings, describing home defense kits, and recruiting citizens to spy on their neighbors. In short, you will learn how to secure Homeland Security’s place in the hearts of all Americans.
The Art of Threat Levels—HS5102
Raising and lowering the domestic Threat Level is not to be undertaken lightly. The fine line between panic and complacency is easily blurred. The Art of Threat Levels teaches you how to properly recommend and implement the various threat levels. Through reading and discussion of such seminal works as “Red in Reserve” and “Orange is More Than a State of Alert—It’s a State of Mind” you will master the inner workings of how best to keep the citizenry at the proper state of alarm. Course includes fieldwork in a small town that has agreed to be the subject of a Threat Level experiment.
Prerequisite HS5101
Fashion Coordination—HS5103
“Image is everything” is just as true in Homeland defense as anywhere else. What should you wear for a code Orange? Will fatigues at a press conference set off food riots in a code Red? What color emergency response vehicles best comfort survivors? This class answers these and other important style questions to help you learn how to do the oh-so-important little things to keep up civilian morale. Class includes a personal Homeland Defense makeover for each student.
Prerequisite HS5102
Obfuscation and Deniability—HS5201
One key to maintaining public confidence is never having to admit you were wrong. The best way to avoid that unpleasantness is simply never to be wrong. This course covers the ins and outs of dealing in probabilities and possibilities instead of concrete pronouncements. Learn how to brief the press, inform the public, and appear on talk shows without ever running the risk of giving hard and fast statements that can be held against you. You will also explore how intentional vagueness can help confuse and disorient the enemy. Note: this class will most definitely not cover the very useful tactic of misleading the press, which has been strongly disavowed as reprehensible by the government. Bad stuff. This course is taught in tandem with HS5203.
Suspect Identification and Tracking—HS5203
This course helps you determine which segment of the population is most likely to engage in terrorist activities by adroit monitoring of e-mail, phone, and mail communications. Special care will be giving to helping you maintain the illusion of civil liberties. You will also learn which groups of immigrants make the best targets for INS investigations. This course is taught in tandem with HS5201.
Interrogation—HS5204
This is NOT a course on torture. Getting timely information from captured terrorists is often crucial in preventing attacks and capturing additional terrorists. This course teaches you the non-torture, perfectly acceptable techniques of sleep deprivation, psychological pressure, and subtle hints and threats that are effective in getting subjects to talk and definitely do not violate any international laws. Nope—no torture here.
Weapons of Mass Destruction Reaction and Recovery—HS5301
If the unthinkable happens, we must all be prepared to pitch in and keep the country running. In this class you will learn how to take advantage of the University’s fortuitous geographic isolation to respond to disaster on either coast—or even both. You will help formulate plans to speed Homeland Defense professionals into critical Denver-based infrastructure vacancies to assure that country does not collapse. Note: this is not a class about setting up a shadow government. That’s bad, too.
War on Terror™ Opportunities—HS5302
How can you best help keep the country strong as a Homeland Defense professional? By keeping the economy strong, juts like every other American. This course covers creating a schedule for dining out, budgeting discretionary income, and generally boosting the economy. The course also covers ways in which entrepreneurship helps stimulate the economy without stooping to opportunism. You will examine several case studies including Homeland Defense Duct Tape™ and Homeland Defense Plastic Sheeting™, both developed by alumni and faculty of this program.