Web-Enabled Elective Courses

OVERVIEW

The College also offers shorter web-enabled elective courses for students in the night Fleet Seminar Program. These offerings are designed to permit each student to expand beyond the three core courses into greater depth in some specific areas of interest. As in the other courses, grades will be assigned. Each elective is completed as a web-enabled course. Students write essays on questions selected from a list provided with each module/block. Submission requirements vary according to the course and will be explained in the individual course syllabus guide. The elective courses are not required for a Naval War College Diploma or the Program for Joint Professional Military Education Phase 1 credit, and will only be given to students in the Graduate Degree Program according to the following precept:

  • Graduate Degree Program (GDP) student applying for first web-enabled elective.
  • Student taking second or having completed at least two night seminar courses and applying for first web-enabled elective.
  • In night seminar program courses and last web-enabled elective taken over one year ago.
  • In night seminar first course or last web-enabled elective less than one year ago. 
  • Non-GDP students on space available bases.

CURRENT OFFERINGS

Electives Credits (Graduate Semester Hours) Length (weeks)* Months Offered
International Law 4 16 JUL
African Culture and History 3 12 APR OCT
African Governance and Economics 3 12 APR OCT
Terrorism & State Sponsorship of Terrorism 3 12 OCT
Terrorism by Non-State Actors 3 12 JAN
Counter Terrorism 3 12 APR
Disaster Relief, Consequence Management 3 14 JUL
*First week in all web-enabled elective courses is an orientation to Blackboard. This is required for new students.

Terrorism and State Sponsorship of Terrorism (EL-668)

This course reviews the history or terrorist movements, theories about the causes of terrorism, terrorist strategies and tactics in general.  It also addresses the phenomenon of state-sponsored terrorism:  the reasons why states sponsor terrorism, the effectiveness of the policy of state sponsorship, and the steps that the international community has taken to discourage states from supporting or sponsoring terrorism. 

The course objectives are to:  1) Understand international terrorism as it has evolved over time.  2) Understand international law on terrorism.  3) Evaluate state-sponsored terrorism and the actions of the international community to suppress it. 

Terrorism by Non-State Actors (EL-669)

This course examines the phenomenon of terrorism by non-state actors—that is to say, terrorism that is not conducted or sponsored by a state. The course examines the major non-state terrorist organizations, the conditions conducive to their formation, their ideologies, objectives and strategies. Finally, the course identifies current trends in non-state terrorism with an eye towards predicting the future of terrorism in different parts of the world.

Counter Terrorism: Strategies for Reducing the Terrorist Threat (EL-670)

This course addresses the strategies that have been or should be adopted to reduce the threat of terrorism, primarily against the United States and its allies. The assumption made in this course is that the terrorist threat will exist for a long period of time and that it may never be completely eradicated. Although the focus of the course is reducing the ability of terrorist groups to operate, the issues of infrastructure protection and emergency response to terrorist incidents will also be covered.

International Law (IL)

The International Law course is fashioned to provide the student with a fundamental understanding of the concepts and principles of international law and the application of these concepts and principles to practical situations that the naval commander may face. The course will address issues in a broad context of operations to provide the student with the necessary understanding of the impact of international law on all phases of warfighting and peacekeeping.

Disaster Relief, Consequence Management and Humanitarian Assistance (EL-539)

This course focuses on consequence management—dealing with the political, economic, military and humanitarian aspects of natural disasters, domestic terrorism and complex humanitarian emergencies overseas. The first half of the course will be dedicated to policies, programs, and issues involving domestic disasters and terrorist incidents. The roles of the private sector and state and local governments will also be addressed. It will also explore the emerging threats, vulnerabilities, challenges and opportunities associated with the consequence management aspects of homeland security. The second half of the course will address US policies toward operations in overseas humanitarian emergencies. The roles of nongovernmental organizations and the United Nations system will be matters of emphasis. Grades will be based on an exam, class participation and one or two group research projects.

Introduction to African Cultures and History (EL-661)

This twelve week course will survey the history and geography of the African continent to create a context for understanding its diverse cultures and more than fifty nations. Since North Africa is also part of the Middle East and, after Israel, Egypt and Sudan have been among the greatest recipients of American foreign aid, this continent is very significant. Its importance also lies in its natural resources (oil, and key metals), its strategic position (with three naval 'choke points'), major security dimensions (al-Qaeda, stability, democracy and failed states); markets, and a large diasporic population to name just a few. Yet, the study of Africa has been much neglected so this course will examine some major topics in African history, language and cultural diversity. Such will include: physical geography, climate, the length of African history, state formation, the slave trades, colonialism, national liberation, African political economy, religion, African cultural practices, and contemporary African issues and developments in health, economy, democratization, and conflict resolution.

Governance & Economics in Africa (EL-662)

This twelve week course will provide students with a critical understanding of developing political systems in Africa- a vast and diverse continent, encompassing some 53 independent states. Knowledge of our world is increased when we expand and apply our efforts to the study of political systems beyond the limited scope of our domestic political systems. In an increasingly globalizing international political system, the ability to understand how emerging political systems function can only be in our intellectual self-interest. Upon completion of the course, students will be expected to understand the role that developing political systems, particularly African political systems, play in shaping our modern world.

Materials

For the web-enabled electives program, students are usually required to purchase all of the required textbooks on their own.

The administration and handling of materials varies depending on the course. Specific instructions on which materials must be purchased and returned are given for each course. Students will be billed for replacement of unreturned materials and no student will receive credit for a course until materials have been returned. Many students wish to purchase their course materials; unfortunately, regulations preclude this.

Additional Information

For system recommendations and enrollment procedures, please refer to Web-Enabled Program Overview.

Contact Information

Email: Manager, Web-Enabled Programs or Electives Administrator
Comm: (401) 841-4397
DSN: 948-4397
FAX: (401) 841-2457