Your Mission
You have just been handed a copy of a press release from the FBI. Included in this document is the bureau's latest summary of the threats to the United States national security. As advisors to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), it is your team's job to analyze all aspects on terrorism, both at home and abroad, and to provide concise summations in the form of threat assessments. You and your team must determine where and when the next wave of terror might strike and who the guilty parties might be. Most of what you do today and in the future will be known only to yourselves, but the impact of that work will last for generations by securing the safety of our country and its citizens. It is with great excitement that we await your report. The committee thanks you for your hard work and dedication.
The Task
You and your advisors are to determine the extent of the threat to the United States from terrorism, both domestically (home grown) and internationally. In order to fully research and prepare a proper report, you need to answer these questions:
In order to make the best use of your time, it is the committee's recommendation that you divide the research into two categories: International Terrorism, and Domestic Terrorism. Be sure to relate all research to the idea of threat assessment, basing your summations on what you perceive to be the major threats. Utilize your time in this way:
Answer these questions as a supplementation to your report.
1. Does the threat of terrorism for the United States lie mostly within or outside our borders? Explain.
2. Based on your research, do the groups you listed as terrorists have any legitimate arguments to support their activities and beliefs? Why or Why not?
3. Do you think the fact that you are a citizen of the United States shades the way you might perceive a terrorist's activities and beliefs? Why or Why not?
Some resources that may get you started:
The Terrorism Research Center
http://www.terrorism.com/
Hot Links Info on Terrorism
http://www.dhs.gov/files/counterterrorism.shtm
FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/
Government Global Security Website
http://www.globalsecurity.org/
Evaluation/ Grading
You and your team will be evaluated on the quality and authenticity of your research. As you report on your findings, you will be assessed on recommendations and the skill in which you deliver them. To receive an "excellent" rating your report must clearly define the terrorist aspects of the group you studied and why you consider them threatening to the U.S. Your writing and breif oral presentation must be clearly written and persuasive. Please see attached rubric below for requirements.
Hints/Tips
Remember to stay focused on the task at hand. When doing your research on the Internet, it is important to authenticate your sources. As we studied in class, many terrorists are perceived as freedom fighters and heroes for the work they do. Propaganda (bias) is often distributed as truth, when in reality it is built on opinion, not fact. To ensure that your information is truth-based, a good idea would be to stay with sites related to the government of the United States or those similarly credible.
(Modified Mr. MacDonald, Fillmore Middle School)
You have just been handed a copy of a press release from the FBI. Included in this document is the bureau's latest summary of the threats to the United States national security. As advisors to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), it is your team's job to analyze all aspects on terrorism, both at home and abroad, and to provide concise summations in the form of threat assessments. You and your team must determine where and when the next wave of terror might strike and who the guilty parties might be. Most of what you do today and in the future will be known only to yourselves, but the impact of that work will last for generations by securing the safety of our country and its citizens. It is with great excitement that we await your report. The committee thanks you for your hard work and dedication.
The Task
You and your advisors are to determine the extent of the threat to the United States from terrorism, both domestically (home grown) and internationally. In order to fully research and prepare a proper report, you need to answer these questions:
- Identify the groups most strongly linked to terrorism activities here in the U.S. and abroad.
- Be able to identify the goals and objectives of each group as a means of providing the committee with as much pertinent information as possible.
- Be able to explain why the U.S. has been the target of so much terrorism both domestically and internationally.
- Examine and explain the impact nationalism, poverty, oppression, and religious fundamentalism have on spawning terrorist organizations.
In order to make the best use of your time, it is the committee's recommendation that you divide the research into two categories: International Terrorism, and Domestic Terrorism. Be sure to relate all research to the idea of threat assessment, basing your summations on what you perceive to be the major threats. Utilize your time in this way:
- dIdentify and list (FOUR)five terrorist groups.
- Determine the goals and objectives of each group as they relate to its activity (e.g: why they do what they do, how they carry out attacks, recruit more members, etc).
- Prepare your findings in both written (formal report) and oral forms (powerpoint). Since the committee's time is limited, you and your team need to be prepared to speak before the SSCI (class) and provide the necessary information so it can prepare policy.
Answer these questions as a supplementation to your report.
1. Does the threat of terrorism for the United States lie mostly within or outside our borders? Explain.
2. Based on your research, do the groups you listed as terrorists have any legitimate arguments to support their activities and beliefs? Why or Why not?
3. Do you think the fact that you are a citizen of the United States shades the way you might perceive a terrorist's activities and beliefs? Why or Why not?
Some resources that may get you started:
The Terrorism Research Center
http://www.terrorism.com/
Hot Links Info on Terrorism
http://www.dhs.gov/files/counterterrorism.shtm
FBI
http://www.fbi.gov/
Government Global Security Website
http://www.globalsecurity.org/
Evaluation/ Grading
You and your team will be evaluated on the quality and authenticity of your research. As you report on your findings, you will be assessed on recommendations and the skill in which you deliver them. To receive an "excellent" rating your report must clearly define the terrorist aspects of the group you studied and why you consider them threatening to the U.S. Your writing and breif oral presentation must be clearly written and persuasive. Please see attached rubric below for requirements.
Hints/Tips
Remember to stay focused on the task at hand. When doing your research on the Internet, it is important to authenticate your sources. As we studied in class, many terrorists are perceived as freedom fighters and heroes for the work they do. Propaganda (bias) is often distributed as truth, when in reality it is built on opinion, not fact. To ensure that your information is truth-based, a good idea would be to stay with sites related to the government of the United States or those similarly credible.
(Modified Mr. MacDonald, Fillmore Middle School)
GRADING RUBRIC: CLICK TO DOWNLOAD
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