This course introduces the student to the role of intelligence in support of national security with an emphasis on ethical conduct. The course is to provide a framework for understanding the field of intelligence work in terms of establishing the foundations and interdisciplinary focus of ethical theory, public administration, and the sociological parameters of professionalism. There are four stages to the course. (1) The course will begin with a broad overview of understanding intelligence work with lectures and readings from US government documents and contemporary academic articles, designed to provide an introductory context for the emergence of intelligence work. (2) In the second part of the course, the students will develop an understanding of classic moral philosophy to include the concepts of cultural relativism, subjectivism, ethical egoism, utilitarianism, Kant, virtue, and the idea of a social contract. (3) In the third part of the course, the emphasis will shift to the role of professionalism and public administration as a way of understanding how organizations and individuals interact in a public and bureaucratic forum. (4) The final section of the course will involve in-class discussions and student presentations on the interaction of the role of intelligence as it is applied to various ethical theories. Student topics will be chosen, in consultation with the professor.

Credit is not given for both this course and LSHV 708.