Al-Qaeda Terrorist Group Profile, writing homework help

“TOPIC – Al-Qaeda”

Terrorist Group Profile/ Policy Analysis Paper

This assignment will produce a term paper examining a terrorist group, whether domestic or international, and then relating policies we have studied that help or would help counter the threat.

You must submit your choice of topic by the end of week 3 and have it approved prior to starting the paper. Failure to post a selection will preclude any conference grades being posted. Return to the discussion post to ensure your selection is approved. Read all sections of this document. The paper is due at the end of week 8.

PART I

First, in approximately 1,000 words complete a profile of a terrorist organization that threatens the U.S. homeland. The profile should include a discussion of the group’s ideology, targeting,

tactics, capability, and overall goals; an analysis of attacks, and any statements or propaganda released by the group (elements). The selected group can be international or domestic in nature. There is no sanctioned list of domestic terrorist organizations. Foreign terrorist groups must be from the official list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) maintained by the U.S. State Department http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

Place a transition between sections reviewing part one and transitioning to part two.

PART II

Utilize the group profile in the second portion of the paper to conduct an analysis of a U.S. homeland security policy or policies studied in Modules 2 and 3. This section of the paper should focus on one or a few U.S homeland security policies to assess its ability to counter the threat posed by the profiled group. Introduce the policy, explain it, and then analyze it against the information gathered on the profiled group (the elements – ideology, targeting, etc). Select a policy or policies consistent with the group with a clear link between the terrorist group and the selected homeland security policy (ies). If the policy is found deficient, make specific recommendations for policy change to counter the threat. If the policies are deemed sufficient to counter the threat, explain the rationale for your conclusion.

There is a possible 100 points for this assignment based on the rubric

o 90-100 points A o 80-89 points B o 70-79 points C o 60-69 points D o Below 60 F

Format:

• Twelve to fourteen full pages in length to include both parts (not including cover page or references – but including the abstract) with the proper margins. Graphs, charts, photographs or bulleted lists do not count in page requirement.
• Type style Times New Roman, size 12 font, with one inch margins, double spaced.
• Double space between paragraphs – do not triple space. Use your Paragraph function in Word.

• Double space between paragraphs – do not triple space. Use the Paragraph function in Word. Adding extra spacing between paragraphs does not count in meeting the minimum page count.
• APA requirements for format and location of running head, page numbers, titles and subtitles.
• APATutorials–
  o Structural Formatting of Papers
  o ReferencePages
  o Cite Website with no Author, Date or Page Number o In-text Citations, Quotations, and Plagiarism
  o How Many Quotes Can I Use?
  o APA Sample Pages
  o APA Headings and Subheadings
  o AbbreviatingtheTitleofLongSourceintheCitation o APA Checklist
• Title Page: Center your essay title down one third of the page. Capitalize the appropriate first letters; do not underline, italicize, or use bold or oversize type. If it is more than one line, single-space it. Near the bottom of the page, center your name, course name and number, professor’s name, and the due date of the paper. The final line should be approximately one inch from the bottom of the page.
• Your paper must include a thesis statement in your introduction to both aspects of the paper. There should be then a paragraph to the first part of your paper. At the end of the first section, there should be a conclusion to that part of the paper. The next paragraph should be a transitional paragraph into part 2 of the paper. Following that discussion, include a short conclusion to part 2 and then a final conclusion to the paper as a whole. Transitions between paragraphs and topic sentences are a must!
• Spelling, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and other aspects of the style of your paper are grading points. If you have any doubt about your writing ability, the Effective Writing Center will review your paper and provide suggestions. Remember, this is an upper level college course. Your writing should reflect this; therefore, you will need to plan and organization your paper to ensure it is meaningful. A cluster of internet facts jumbled together is not college level writing. Logical flow and the organization of your paper are graded components. Citations: You must use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th Edition format to cite your research.

• Do not assume you know the correct APA format, always refer to the manual. Your Resources link in the classroom will take you to the Library that has resources for APA or use this website http://www.umuc.edu/library/guides/apa.shtml. The Effective Writing Center is also under that link – you can submit your paper to it for review prior to submitting it in your assignment folder.
• Use the APA style guide for guidance on proper grammar and writing structure.
• Research and cite a minimum of three online sources, one journal article and at least one reference from the course texts (Five source minimum).
• Properly cite all others work. All quoted material must include quote marks and cites. Even paraphrased material must be cited. Changing a few words in a sentence is not paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is restating the ideas in the material using your own syntax and words. Any statement presented as a fact must be cited (e.g., Radical Islamic Terrorism is the worst threat to the United States – opinion or fact?).

• Quoting should be done only sparingly; be sure you have a good reason to include a direct quotation. If you use a quote, pick out the most important part of it. Critical thinking is a grading point and a lot of quotes mean less critical thinking.
• The University’s Plagiarism Policy applies to all written assignments for this course. Research: You must conduct academic research to substantiate your papers. The best source of this information resides in scholarly articles. These sources may be found in the course required readings, the UMUC Library, or any other scholarly sources.

• Be cautious of using internet websites, as the content is often biased and represents someone’s personal opinion rather than academic research.
• DO NOT USE websites that are not credible or a valid academic source. These include dictionaries, infoplease, encyclopedias, braining quotes, Wikipedia, etc. A blog can be used but it must be from a reputable source.
• Use the most current information, (e.g., the SBI cannot be used as a policy response as that project was canceled in 2011). Anything older than five years (and in most cases that is too long ago) is not appropriate as policies and statistics change rapidly.
• Papers with only internet research will receive lower grades.
• Follow APA on how to reference your sources (alpha order, indentations, etc). Use the APA tutorial or APA Citation Guidelines in Course Content.
• I use the University’s plagiarism site “Turn It In” to scan your papers for plagiarism. Expectations: College level writing is not about cutting and pasting various facts that go nowhere into a paper. Your paper must take a position and contain your original thought. A conclusion must be drawn from your research and analysis and formed into a thesis statement. Place your thesis statement in your introductory paragraph so it is easily identified. Research how to write a proper thesis statement, as it is critical to your paper’s success. Ensure that you have an introduction, main body of information, and a conclusion. Use subtitles to ensure that all your required elements are completed. Late Assignments: Submit all assignments by the posted due date. There are competing demands on your time, but you must receive prior approval to turn in a late assignment with a valid, documented reason. Contact me as soon as a problem occurs, or you start falling behind with the course work. Whenever possible, I will make reasonable accommodations. I will not accept any requests the day the assignment is due. With prior approval you can submit your paper late but will receive a two point deduction (10%) for every day that it is late up to one week. Afterward you will receive a grade of zero for the assignment. Posting Instructions: Have 1-2 people proof read your essay before submitting it for grading. Post your paper in Microsoft Word format by the date noted in the syllabus as an attachment in your assignment folder with your name.