Reading Assignments

The reading assignments are to be completed by the dates listed in the table below. They may be the subjects of questions on the Midterm and Final Examinations. Background information and current events assignments are posted in separate sections of the table. Please be sure to check both sections for new additions.

Required Texts

  • What Terrorists Want by Louise Richardson
  • Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear States, & Terrorism, 4th edition, by Beckman et al.
  • The Little, Brown Essential Handbook, 6th edition, by Aaron

Background Information
Due Date Assignment
Jan 22, 2008 Read Article 1, Part 4 of the Student Code
Jan 22, 2008 Read Nuclear Weapons, etc., pages 1–50
Jan 24, 2008 Read A More Effective Approach to US Security
Jan 24, 2008 Read Nuclear War Terms
Jan 29, 2008 Read Nuclear Weapons, etc., pages 51–80
Jan 29, 2008 Read What Terrorists Want, pages 1–37
Jan 31, 2007 Read OTA Report Chapter 1 and Chapter 4
The definition of "fissionable material" in Box 4-A on page 121 of the OTA Report is incorrect; see Nuclear Weapons
Note: If you are having trouble viewing Chapter 4 of the OTA report, try saving it to disk instead of viewing it in your web browser.
Feb 05, 2008 Read Nuclear Weapons, etc., pages 81–122
Feb 05, 2008 Read What Terrorists Want, pages 38–70
Feb 12, 2008 Read What Terrorists Want, pages 71–138
Feb 12, 2007 Use of Reactor-Grade and Weapons-Grade Plutonium in Nuclear Explosives
Feb 19, 2008 Read What Terrorists Want, pages 139–199
Feb 26, 2008 Read What Terrorists Want, pages 200–240
Feb 26, 2008 Read Nuclear Weapons, etc., pages 123–155
Feb 28, 2008 Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States Through 2015 (December 2001 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate)
Feb 28, 2008 The Ballistic Missile Threat Joseph Cirincione
Mar 6, 2008 The Day After Midnight Office of Technology Assessment (Secure Server)
May 1, 2008 North Korean Nuclear Weapon Program Timeline (Secure Server)

Current Events
Due Date Assignment
Feb 26, 2008 Iran: Nuclear Intentions and Capabilities (December 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate)
Feb 28, 2008 Intelligence, Policy, and the War in Iraq (Paul R. Pillar, Secure Server)
Feb 28, 2008 Prospects for Iraq's Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead (January 2007 U.S. National Intelligence Estimate)
May 1, 2008 U.S. Reaction to North Korean Links to Syrian Nuclear Reactor (Secure Server)
May 1, 2008 A Look at Iran's Nuclear Program (Secure Server)