BSS162 Intelligence Services in Democracy

Faculty of Social Studies
Spring 2011
Extent and Intensity
1/1. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
RNDr. Petr Zeman (lecturer), prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Mareš, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
prof. JUDr. PhDr. Miroslav Mareš, Ph.D.
Division of Security and Strategic Studies – Department of Political Science – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Lucie Pospíšilová
Timetable
Wed 10:00–11:40 U41
Prerequisites
BSS154 Intr. to Study of Int. Serv.
The course is taught at Bachelor study program. Prerequisites: BSS154
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 14 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The main objectives of this course are: to be acquainted with methods and procedures of intelligence external oversight in the contemporary democratic state. Students should be able to understand and to explain diffrent models of intelligence community and their external oversight in several selected countries. Considerations of some problematic aspect of intelligence are outlined in the course: eg. ethic and legal questions; relation between intelligence professionals and politically partisan bodies; intelligence services and their relations to media, etc.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction. So called "failures of intelligence". 2. Intelligence and practice of international relations. Covert actions. 3. Intell. services vs. media. Disinformation. 4. Ethics in intelligence. Superstitions on intell. services and conspiracy theorists. 5. Security and intelligence community in democratic state. Theory of oversight. 6. Case study – US IC. Internal control. Office of Inspector General. 7. Case study – US IC. Congressional oversight. 8. Control mechanisms in Great Britain. 9. Parliamentary oversight in Germany. 10. Canadian special review body. 11 and 12. Case studies on intell. communities in several other countries.
Literature
    required literature
  • Extended valid list of literature is in the IS.
  • Born, Hans - Leigh, Ian. 2005. Making Intelligence Accountable: Legal Standards and Best Practice for Oversight of Intelligence Agencies. Oslo + DCAF, Geneve, 2005. 143 pp. ISBN 92-9222-017-9.
    recommended literature
  • Who's watching the spies? : establishing intelligence service accountability. Edited by H. Born - I. Leigh - Loch K. Johnson. 1st ed. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2005, xv, 255. ISBN 157488896X. URL info
  • WILLIAMS, Kieran and Dennis DELETANT. Security intelligence services in new democracies : the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania. New York: Palgrave, in association with the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College, London, 2001, ix, 291. ISBN 0333713729. URL info
Teaching methods
Lectures, class discussions, homework (writing of essays).
Assessment methods
Students are bound to undergo subsequently 1) short written test on terminology; 2) then homework essay; after the course 3) oral examination.All parts of exam are necessary.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2007, Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fss/spring2011/BSS162