Download - Sra311 Syllabus Fall2008 Final
SRA311,Fall2008,FINAL(11/06/08) 1
RiskManagement:AssessmentandMitigation(SRA311)TuesdayandThursdaymornings,9:45amto11:00am(75‐minutespersession),in205ISTBuildingDESCRIPTION:RiskManagement:AssessmentandMitigationisajunior‐levelundergraduatecoursedesignedtoeducateaspiringriskprofessionalsontheproperapplicationofriskanalysisconceptstosecurity,intelligence,andotherproblems,andtoenhanceriskliteracy.Tothisend,thecoursecoversthebasicphilosophyofriskanalysistoincludedefinitionsofriskandthe“sixquestionsofriskanalysis;”scenarioconstruction;allaspectsofconsequence,threat,andvulnerabilityanalysis;qualitative,quantitative,anddescriptiveriskassessmentmethods;risktreatmentstrategiestoincluderiskacceptance,risktransfer,riskavoidance,andriskcontrolandmanagement;riskcommunication;andriskperception.Thecourseintroducestheseconceptsthroughcriticalreadingsfromtheriskanalysisliteratureandapplicationofthecoursematerialtoin‐classcasestudies,methodologyappraisals,andstudentprojects.OBJECTIVES:Studentssuccessfullycompletingthiscoursecan:
1. Describetheroleofariskanalysisinthedecision‐making
process2. Articulatethe“sixquestionsofrisk,”andthoroughlydescribe
thetermsandnotionsassociatedwithsecurityriskanalysis3. Explainthedifferenttypesofignoranceanduncertainty,and
provideexamplesofeachinasecuritycontext4. Discusstheroleofriskperceptionandmethodsforrisk
treatmentintheriskmanagementprocess5. Discussthe14PRECEPTSforethicsinsecurityriskanalysis6. Applyavarietyofstructuredanalysistechniquestoaidinthe
identificationofeventsandoutcomesandtheassessmentofvulnerabilityandeventlikeliness
7. Appraisealternativeriskassessmentmethodsintermsoftheirconsistencywithestablishednotionsofriskandtheircompatibilitywithsimilarmethodologies
8. Applythe“sixquestionsofrisk”todesignariskassessmentmethodologythatmeetstheneedsofaspecificdecisionmakerwithspecificdecisionsupportrequirements
9. Evaluatealternativesecurityinvestmentstrategiesintermsoftheirabilitytoreducerisk,andcomparethesestrategieswithalternativerisktreatmentoptions
10. ReciteandApplytheEightElementsofThoughtandtheIntellectualStandardstocriticallyevaluatescholarlyarticlesandessaysonthetopicofriskanalysis
11. Criticallyevaluatethemainideasandargumentsdiscussedinseveralwidelyrecognizedbooksonthetopicofriskanalysis
SRA311TeachingTeam
Instructor
WilliamL.McGill,PhD,PEAssistantProfessorofIST(andSRA)
307BISTBuildingUniversityPark,PA16802(814)867‐0270(office)[email protected]
Theinstructorisgenerallyavailableforoutsideassistancefrom9:45amto11:15amonMondaysandfrom11:00amto12:30pmonWednesdays,orbyappointment.
TeachingAssistant
Ms.WenYaoISTGraduateStudent(PhD)
Theteachingassistantisavailableforoutsideassistancefrom4:30pmto5:30pmonMondaysandWednesdaysunlessotherwisestated,orbyappointment
TeachingIntern
Mr.RyanM.DewarISTUndergraduateStudent
Prerequisites
• Probability&Statistics(STAT200)• IntroductiontoSRA(SRA111)• TerrorismandCrime(SRA211)• DecisionAnalysis(SRA231)• College‐LevelWritingAbility
Recommended
• SetTheoryandLogic(IST230)• Open‐mindedness• Extracurricularexperienceperformingsomeriskanalyticfunction
FINAL11/06/08
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ASSIGNMENTSANDGRADING:Courseassignmentsconsistcriticalreadingsofkeyarticlesonrisk,criticalreviewsofwidelyrecognizedbooks(particularlybyfutureemployers)onvarioustopicsofrisk,twogroupprojectstodevelopandrefineyourunderstandingoftheprinciplesofriskanalysis,andcompletionofafinalexamcoveringtheverybasicelementsofriskanalysisandcriticalthinking.
CriticalArticleReviews(25%).Eachstudentisresponsibleforproducingnofewerthanfive(5)criticalreviewsofscholarlyarticlesonriskorriskanalyses.Thisactivityisdesignedtoexposestudentstomodernperspectivesonsecurityriskanalysiswhilepracticinghisorherabilitytocriticallyevaluateeachauthor’sargument.Articleswillbedueeachlecture,butstudentsneedonlysubmitareviewontheirindividualscheduledduedates.Ifastudentcompletesall5oftheirassignedarticles,anyadditionalarticlessubmittedthatscorehigherwilloverwritelowerscores.
CriticalBookReviews(20%).Eachstudentwillsubmitacriticalreviewoneachoftwo(2)massmarketbooksonthesubjectofrisk.Thebooksavailableforreviewarewidelyknowntorealdecisionmakersandmayactuallyhaveinfluencedtheirperceptionsandunderstandingofrisk.Thefirstreviewwillbeonabookthatallstudentswillread,andforthesecondbookstudentswillbedividedupevenlyamongthetitlesaccordingtothepreferencesfordifferenttopics.Readinggroupswillbeassembledtohelpwiththisactivity.
MethodologyAppraisal(10%).Eachstudentwilldissectoneortwosecurityriskanalysismethodologiesorstudiesintermsofterminology,approach,results,etc.fromonemethodologycompareswiththeresultsfromothers.Teamsmaybeformedforthiseffort,butthenumberofmethodologiesreviewedandrequirementsforappraisalincreaseswiththesizeoftheteam.
RiskAnalysisProject(25%).Eachstudentwillparticipateinariskanalysisproject,eitheraloneoraspartofagroup,thataddressesareal‐worldsecurityriskanalysisproblem.Eachprojectrelatestoarealquestionorproblemthatservestheinterestsofarealdecisionmaker.Successfulprojectsmaybeusedtoinformrealdecisionmaking,andmayprovidethebasisforfutureopportunities.FinalExamination(20%).Eachstudentwillcompleteanin‐classfinalexaminationcoveringthebareessentialtopicsofthiscourse.Thefinalexamwillconsistoftwoparts:thefirstpartisacriticalarticlereviewonarelativelyshortrisk‐relatedarticle,andthesecondpartconsistsof10‐20multiplechoicequestionsspanningthebareessentialtopicsofthiscourse.
IMPORTANTNOTE:TheSRAmajorrequiresthatallSRAstudentsachieveagradeofCorbetterinthiscoursetograduate(≥70%).
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READINGMATERIALS:Most,ifnotall,oftheday‐to‐daycoursematerialswillbeintheformoftechnicalarticlesongeneralandsecurityriskanalysistopics.LinkstocoursematerialsasPDFfileswillbemadeavailableonlineviathecoursewebsite.Twocategoriesofprintedbooksareintegraltothiscourse:three(3)requiredbooksandfive(5)optionalbooks[asdescribedbelow].
RequiredBooks.Thefollowingtitlesareallrequiredforthiscourse.BUYTHESERIGHTAWAY.• TheMiniatureGuidetoCriticalThinking:ConceptsandTools,byElderandPaul(ISBN:
0944583105)[anexcerptisavailableat:http://www.criticalthinking.org/files/Concepts_Tools.pdf]• TheMiniatureGuidetotheArtofAskingEssentialQuestions,byElderandPaul(ISBN:
0944583164)[anexcerptisavailableat:http://www.criticalthinking.org/files/SAM‐Questions2005.pdf]• AgainsttheGods:TheRemarkableStoryofRisk,byBernstein(ISBN:0471295639)
Pseudo‐OptionalBooks.Studentsareresponsibleforreadingoneofthefollowingtitles.DONOTBUYANYOFTHESEUNTILYOUKNOWWHICHBOOKYOUAREACCOUNTABLEFOR.
• TheBlackSwan:TheImpactoftheHighlyImprobable,byTaleb(ISBN:9781400063512)• WhyCan’tYouJustGiveMetheNumber:AnExecutive’sGuidetoUsingProbabilisticThinkingto
ManageRiskandtoMakeBetterDecisions(ISBN:0964793857)• MadCowsandMother’sMilk:ThePerilsofPoorRiskCommunication,byLeissandPowell(ISBN:
0773528172)• RiskBalance&Security,byGibbsvanBrunschotandKennedy(ISBN:9781412940702)• TheNextCatastrophe:ReducingOurVulnerabilitiestoNatural,Industrial,andTerrorist
Disasters,byPerrow(ISBN:9780691129976)
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TOPICAGENDAANDDELIVERABLESCHEDULE:ThefollowingisatentativescheduleoftopicsandassignmentduedatesfortheFall2008semester.Asanewclass,theinstructormayadjustcoursecontentandtimelinesasneededtoaccommodatebothstudentprogressandtheneedsofthesubject.
NOTE:topicsshadedinbluewillbecoveredonthefinalexam.
PartOne(Fundamentals) PartTwo(RiskAssessment)Date PlannedTopic Deliverable Date PlannedTopic DeliverableTUE8/26
1.CourseintroductionCriticalThinkingReview
StudentSurvey
TUE9/30 11.UncertaintyandIgnorance CAR07
THUR8/28 2.WordsandNotionsofRisk CAR00
THUR10/2 12.AnalyticMethodsI CAR08
TUE9/2
3.RiskAnalysisandDecisionAdvantage
CAR01 TUE10/7 13.AnalyticMethodsII CAR09
THUR9/4 4.TheSixQuestionsofRisk CAR02
THUR10/9 14.AnalyticMethodsIII CAR10
TUE9/9
5.InitiatingEvents,Hazards,andThreats
CAR03 TUE10/14 15.AnalyticMethodsIV CAR11
THUR9/11
6.Outcomes,Severity,andValuation
CAR04 THUR10/16 16.AnalyticMethodsV CAR12
TUE9/16 7.VulnerabilityAnalysisI CAR05
TUE10/21 17.MechanicsofRiskI CAR13
THUR9/18 8.VulnerabilityAnalysisII CAR06
THUR10/23 18.MechanicsofRiskII CAR14
TUE9/23 9.ThreatAnalysis **
TUE10/28 19.SourceAnalysis **
THUR9/25 10.RiskCaseStudy BookRev1
THUR10/30 20.AnalyticConfidence
MethodologyAppraisal
PartThree(RiskManagement)
Date PlannedTopic DeliverableTUE11/4 21.RiskCommunication CAR15
THUR11/6 22.RiskTreatment CAR16
TUE11/11 23.RiskPerception CAR17
THUR11/13 24.Countermeasures CAR18
TUE11/18 25.In‐ClassExercise CAR19
THUR11/20 26.WarningSystems CAR20
TUE‐THUR11/2511/27
THANKSGIVING
TUE12/2
27.MeasuringEffectivenessandAuditing
BookRev2
THUR12/4
28.EthicalIssuesinRiskAnalysis
**
TUE12/9
29.RiskManagementStandards
**THUR12/11
30.CourseRecap/RiskAnalysisinPractice
RiskAnalysisProject
TUE12/?? FINALEXAM–DATETBD
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POLICIESANDPROCEDURES:Thissectiondescribeshowthecoursewillrun,toincludetheformatoflectures,attendance,latepolicy,etc.Payverycloseattentiontothisinformationasitshapeshowyouwillexperienceandfunctioninthiscourse.LectureFormat.Lectureswilltaketheformofclassdiscussionsofdailyreadings,walk‐throughsofriskstudies,groupexercisesandcasestudies,useoftoolsandtechnologiesforriskanalysis,in‐classexperiments,andothermiscellaneousclassroomactivities.Thenatureofthespecifictopicsdiscussedonagivendaywilldrivetheformatforthelecture.Eachlectureis1hourand15minuteslong.Inthosecircumstanceswheretheinstructormustmissclass,apre‐recordedvideo(orperhapslivestream)ofthemissedlecturewillbemadeavailableinstead.CourseWebsite.AllcontentforthiscoursewillbeavailableontheANGELsite,includinginstructionsonobtainingreadingmaterials,assignmentduedates,etc.
CourseCommunication.AllcoursecommunicationsbetweenstudentsandinstructormustbedoneelectronicallythroughtheANGELsystem.Thispolicyisfortworeasons:(1)toprotectyouagainstmeoverlookingyourmessageamongthefloodofemailsIreceiveonadailybasis,and(2)tokeepapermanentrecordofcourseon‐goings.Allcourse‐relatedemailsentoutsidetheANGELsystemwillbeignored.SubmittingAssignments.Thiscourseisapaperlesscourse.GradableversionsofallassignmentsmustbeuploadedtotheappropriatedigitaldropboxonANGEL,withinthe48clock‐hoursprecedingthestartofclassontheassignmentduedate.AllassignmentsmustbesubmittedasPDFfileswiththefollowingnamingconvention(allCAPS,datedigitsseparatedbyhyphens):
PSUID_ASSIGNMENT_MM-DD-YY.pdf
Forexample,theWilliamMcGillsubmittingreadingassignment“CAR08”on22Sep2008(dueon9/23/08)wouldtitletheirPDFfileas“WLM142_CAR08_09‐22‐08.pdf.”Notfollowingthisstandardmayreducetheassignmentgradeinasmallbutannoyingwayinproportiontothedegreeandrepetitivenessoftheoffense.Gradedassignmentswillbereturnedwiththesamefilenameappendedby“_GRADED”priortothefileextension.
LateAssignments.Nolateassignmentsareaccepted.Ifyouanticipatebeinglatewithanassignment,arrangewiththeinstructororteachingassistanttosubmittheassignmentearly.ClassAttendance.Allstudentsareadvisedtoattendalllectures.BeginningwithPartIIofthecourse,formalattendancewillbetakenviaavarietyofcreativemeans.Failuretoattendclassmayresultinuptoa5%reductioninthefinalcoursegrade.StudentswithDisabilities.ItisPennState’spolicytonotdiscriminateagainstqualifiedstudentswithdocumenteddisabilities.Ifafterreviewingthissyllabusyoufindtheneedtomodifyanyaspectofthecoursetoaccommodateyourdocumenteddisability,pleasemeetwiththeinstructortodiscussyourconcernsandtomakearrangementsforanyaccommodations.YouwillbeaskedtopresentdocumentationfromtheOfficeofDisabilityServices(locatedin105BouckeBuilding)thatdescribesthenatureofyourdisabilityandtherecommendedremedy.YoumayrefertotheNondiscriminationPolicyintheStudentGuidetoUniversityPoliciesandRules.
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TeachingAssistantDuties.Thiscoursehasoneteachingwhosecommitmenttothecoursewillnotexceed20‐hoursperweekonaverage.Theteachingassistanthasthefollowingresponsibilities:• Providesoutsidesupporttostudentsduringscheduledofficehoursandpossiblyatothertimesbyappointmentifavailableandwilling
• Attendsalllecturesandmonitorsinappropriateuseoftechnologyduringclass• Gradesallcriticalarticlereviewsandcontributestowardgradingofcriticalbookreviews(notethattheinstructorwillbegradingallprojects)
• Maintainsarecordofstudentgradesandprovidestimelyresponsestoreasonablestudentrequestsforclassperformance
• Reportstotheinstructorallissuespertainingtorelevantpersonalandacademicproblemsofstudentsandgroups
• Otherdutiesasdeemedappropriatebytheinstructor• Teachingassistantsdonotassignfinalgrades
TeachingInternDuties.Thiscoursehasoneteachinginternwithacommitmenttothecoursethatwillnotexceed4hoursperweekonaverage.Theteachinginternhasthefollowingduties:• Providesin‐classsupportforgroupactivitiesandexercisesandout‐of‐classgrouptutorialsasneeded• Subjectivelymeasuresthestudentsentimentandprovidesfeedbacktotheinstructoronhowtoimprovedeliveryofcoursesubjects
• Asneededandastimepermits,providesoutsideassistancetostudentsintheformofmathtutorials,brainstorming,devilsadvocacy,andmentorship.
• Teachinginternsdonotgradeanyassignments,takeattendance,ordisciplinestudentsCourseComedy.Comedyisnotappreciatedinanygradedaspectofthecourse(non‐gradedisok).Thepenaltyforunprofessionalismcanbeuptoa100%reductioninagradedependingonthenatureoftheoffense.SleepinginClass.Ifastudentfallsasleepinclass,heorshewillbewokenup.AcademicIntegrity.AccordingtotheUniversityHandbook:
Academicintegrityisthepursuitofscholarlyactivityfreefromfraudanddeception,andistheeducationalobjectiveofthisinstitution.Academicdishonestyincludes,butisnotlimitedto,cheating,plagiarism,fabricationofinformationorcitations,facilitatingactsofacademicdishonestybyothers,unauthorizedpossessionofexaminations,submittingworkofanotherperson,orworkpreviouslyusedwithoutinformingtheinstructor,ortamperingwiththeacademicworkofotherstudents.Anyviolationofacademicintegritywillbethoroughlyinvestigated,andwhenwarranted,punitiveactionwillbetaken.
Anystudentforwhichthereisreasonableandconvincingevidencethatsuggestsheorsheisorhasbeenacademicallydishonestwillbeaggressivelyprosecuted.
