ESSAY : Homeland Security-Terrorism

Each student will be required to write at least 400 words (approx. 1
page-single space) on the question. Word count does not include titles, the original question nor reference list.

There will be 2-3 questions from which to choose. Each student will be required to write at least 400 words on one (1) of the questions. You only have to pick one (1) question for each week and answer that one (1) question. Cut and paste the question at the beginning of your response so I will know what question you have chosen. Failure to cut & paste question
will result in -10 points.
You will be graded on content, grammar, punctuation and organization of thoughts. I expect college level writing proficiency and style. I expect that your thoughts will be concise and logical. There is no \”right\” or \”wrong\” answer to these questions, however, your position must be supported by cited references.  Reduced points will be given for random thoughts or ideas that are not supported by logic or cited sources. Repetitive statements of your position on the subject will also result in reduced points. All data, sources or facts must be cited. The text book & Wikipedia may be cited but you must have at least two (2) additional sources as well.
Quotes MUST be cited and should not be longer than 1 sentence. The total percentage of quoted material must not exceed 10% of the assignment.

Journal Guidelines & Format

§  Pay close attention to technical details described in the section below.
Failure to observe them will seriously lower your score.
§  You must have 2-3 references for each Journal (may not include Textbook
or Wikipedia).
§  Journals must be typed using a computer word processor & posted into the
Blackboard Campus Pack Journal feature. It is strongly recommended that you compose your Journal in MS Word and then cut & paste the finished product into Campus Pack Journal.
§  Use the APA (American Psychological Association-6th Ed.) Style Manual for text (manuscript) and reference page citations of works used or cited. These sites provide a guide to using the APA style.

These sites provide a guide to using the APA style:

§  APA Formatting and style guide –
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01 ;
§  How to cite sources APA style –
http://www.nova.edu/library/dils/lessons/apa/ ;
§  Landmarks Son of Citation Machine – http://citationmachine.net 

Presentation Style

The presentation of any research paper is important. The flow of the narrative should be:

First paragraph – State your position on the question (1-2 sentences)
Middle paragraph(s) – Support your position with research, statistics, quotes, etc. This paragraph(s) should be the majority of your written narrative. You may need to have more than 1 paragraph.
Last paragraph – Closing statement. This should be no more than 2-3 sentences.

Weekly Research Journal #4

Question #1 – Militants have altered the social meaning of Islam, especially in the Western mind. Do you believe that there are any other religions that offer violent extremism through misinterpretation? If so, which ones?
Question #2 – Give a brief history and motivations of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Weather Underground Organization (WUO) terrorist groups.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) and Weather Underground Organization (WUO)
Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) is a terrorist group that can be termed as a small American leftist outfit which existed in California between 1973 and 1975 and also considered itself as a vanguard group. During its operation, it was known for committing crimes associated with bank robberies, two incidents of murder as well as other acts of violence. However, the most internationally famous activity that the group was involved in was the kidnapping of Patricia Hearst. The kidnapping incidence hit headlines when the group forced her to record an audio tape stating that she had joined the terrorist group. However, she later indicated that she had been forced … activities; to incite a guerrilla war against the government of US and bring down what they believed and called the capitalist state. The composition of the group varied from both men and women, blacks and whites as well as some extremists. They were also motivated by their own ideology that by fighting the powers that be, they would create a Symbionese Federated Republic whose aim was to free their members from what they called oppression from the capitalist systems in America. Their name was derived from the fact that they were geared towards helping each other….