For this paper, there is considerable flexibility in your research topic. As I suggested in regard to the policy memos, you may want to integrate your personal academic interest into the topic for the research paper. For example, you may be researching the police in another course and could research how local law enforcement has been integrated into the homeland security or natural disaster mission. This does not mean all CJ issues can be viewed as Homeland Security issues. For example, a research paper in how border enforcement seeks to prevent trafficking in persons would be a homeland security issue, but a general paper on human trafficking in the US would not meet the homeland security requirements for this assignment.
I usually don’t have too many problems with topics not focused on the course topic because you are required to use 5 citations in the paper from the course materials (either lectures or the assigned readings). This ensures that you will not choose a topic that I cannot accept because it is outside the course subject of homeland security and terrorism. It also is in response to recent attempts to use AI or other services to write research papers.
The research paper should be between 12 – 15 pages of double-spaced text, not including the endnotes. The Endnote section will contain all your cited material from lectures or other research materials. I will reduce the grade for research papers that have 20 or more pages of text because the paper is an exercise in supporting strong research findings within the time and space constraints of your audience. An abstract is NOT required for the paper. The formatting of the paper text and reference page must comply with either APA 6thedition or MLA 8thedition style requirements.