Homeland security publicationsTwo new articles in the Journal of Homeland Security Education

Published 13 June 2012

Two new articles in the Journal of Homeland Security Education look at important aspects of homeland security: the first examines homeland security academic provisions in the United States and the EU, the second argues that assessing practitioner experience as it relates to subject theory can be challenging, but critically important in homeland defense and security programs where student experiences are often utilized in the process of applying learning objectives

We note that two new articles have been added to the Journal of Homeland Security Education’s latest issue (Spring 2012):

Homeland Security Education across the Atlantic
Authors Don Wallace of the University of Central Missouri, Craig McLean of Northumbria University (United Kingdom), William Parrish of Virginia Commonwealth University, and Sarah Soppitt of Northumbria University (United Kingdom), and Daniel Silander of Linnaeus University (Sweden) have been examining homeland security academic provisions in the United States and the EU. The study aims to help develop benchmarks and assess core areas within the homeland security-related curricula.

With frequent calls for closing the gap between security services and academia, these findings could have an impact on establishing specific benchmarks for homeland security specific academic programs. In the U.S. context, these academic programs reflect a post-9/11 government restructuring which has not occurred to the same extent in either the governmental or academic institutions in the EU.

Reflective Journaling: Building Bridges between Theory and Practice
By Kenneth Goldberg of National University. Assessing practitioner experience as it relates to subject theory can be challenging, but critically important in homeland defense and security programs where student experiences are often utilized in the process of applying learning objectives. Consequently, a common question that faces educators is: How can seemingly unique practitioner experiences be consistently applied to appropriate theory and assessed for the understanding of course learning objectives? This commentary explores how reflective journaling can utilize unique practitioner experiences that can be applied to learning objectives.