CQUniversity Unit Profile
PMSC28004 Fundamentals of Counter-terrorism and Operational Medicine
Fundamentals of Counter-terrorism and Operational Medicine
All details in this unit profile for PMSC28004 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

The threat of terrorism is a high priority for state and federal law enforcement, emergency response organisations and emergency medical response services in Australia. This unit will provide you with foundational knowledge of the definition of terrorism and the terrorism threat landscape in Australia. You will explore terrorist organisations, ideologies, capabilities, and attack vectors, as well as the complexity of contemporary layered attack methodologies used by these groups. Additionally, you will analyse and discuss Australian open-source federal and state policies related to the response, management, and recovery from terrorist attacks. Finally, you will be introduced to the intersection of operationalised medical and emergency response.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate
Unit Level: Level 8
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 8
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

There are no requisites for this unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 1 - 2024

Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Written Assessment
Weighting: 30%
2. Written Assessment
Weighting: 30%
3. Written Assessment
Weighting: 40%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Critically analyse state and federal policy related to the response to a terrorism-related attack
  2. Develop an understanding of contemporary terrorist organisations' ideologies and prevalence in Australia
  3. Evaluate how emerging technologies are likely to contribute to novel terrorist threats
  4. Identify a typology of contemporary terrorist tactics and attack modalities
  5. Operationalise a medical response plan to a terrorism-related attack based on critical elements of specific attack modalities.
Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Written Assessment - 30%
2 - Written Assessment - 30%
3 - Written Assessment - 40%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Knowledge
2 - Communication
3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills
4 - Research
5 - Self-management
6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility
7 - Leadership
8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Aldon Delport Unit Coordinator
a.delport@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 04 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Introduction and welcome. 

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 11 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Terrorist groups typologies and ideologies.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 18 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Wave theory.

Lone wolf terrorism.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 25 Mar 2024

Module/Topic

Causes of terrorism.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 01 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Innovation and malicious creativity in terrorist organisations.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Evaluating Response and Preparedness for Terrorism and Mass Violence events. Due: Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 12:00 pm AEST
Vacation Week Begin Date: 08 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 15 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Emerging technological threats.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 22 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Operational medicine: towards a subspeciality.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 29 Apr 2024

Module/Topic

Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear threats.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Use case scenario. Due: Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 12:00 pm AEST
Week 9 Begin Date: 06 May 2024

Module/Topic

Attack vector case studies.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 13 May 2024

Module/Topic

Fire as a weapon (FAW).

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 11 Begin Date: 20 May 2024

Module/Topic

Use of drones in operational medicine.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 27 May 2024

Module/Topic

Revision.

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Use case scenario response plan. Due: Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 12:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 03 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 10 Jun 2024

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Evaluating Response and Preparedness for Terrorism and Mass Violence events.

Task Description

Objective: This assessment requires you to critically analyse your organisation's readiness and response mechanisms in the context of terrorism and intentional mass violence events, focusing on your state of origin, the current threat and most likely attack methodology.

This assessment has three parts.

Part 1: Response Analysis.

Task description: Review the response arrangements for your state in the event of ongoing terrorism or intentional mass violence event.
Discuss: What are your organisation's roles and responsibilities during the acute phase of such an event?
Discuss: Do these roles and responsibilities effectively address the therapeutic vacuum in these situations?

Part 2: Terrorism Organisations Analysis

Task description: Identify three terrorist organisations from the Australian National Security Database.
Provide a brief synopsis of each selected group's driving ideologies.
Cross-reference these groups with the Global Terrorism Database (GTD) to determine their most common attack modality.

Part 3: Historical Attack Modalities and Organisational Preparedness

Task description: Using the Global Terrorism Database, identify the three most common historical attack modalities in your country of origin.
Assess whether your organisation is adequately resourced to address the injury profiles common to these attack modalities based on your current operational and tactical medicine knowledge.

Conclusion:

Task description: Conclude your essay by evaluating your organisation's capacity to address the therapeutic vacuum created by a terrorist attack in your country of origin. This should consider historical and favoured attack modalities of currently active terrorist groups.

Note: Your assessment should be grounded in relevant data from the databases provided in the task descriptions and incorporate critical analysis of your organisation's preparedness and response capabilities.


Assessment Due Date

Week 5 Friday (5 Apr 2024) 12:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 7 Friday (26 Apr 2024)


Weighting
30%

Assessment Criteria

There is a minimum word count of 2000 words and a maximum word count of 2200 words, excluding references for your assessment. Your assessment must be clear and concise. The assessment will be assessed per the information and rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. It should be presented in an essay format. This assessment task is worth 30% of the final mark. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Critically analyse state and federal policy related to the response to a terrorism-related attack
  • Develop an understanding of contemporary terrorist organisations' ideologies and prevalence in Australia
  • Operationalise a medical response plan to a terrorism-related attack based on critical elements of specific attack modalities.

2 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Use case scenario.

Task Description

Objective: This assessment is an opportunity to be creative and to speculate how a terrorist organisation would use emerging technologies to conduct an attack. However, the assessment must be grounded in reality and point to contemporary evidence of the use cases of emerging technologies and innovation by terrorist organisations.

Requirements: 

Provide a speculative use case scenario of how a currently existing terrorist organisation might use an emerging technology in a terrorist attack. The chosen terrorist organisation must be currently active in Australia or your country of origin. Consider the chosen organisation's idealogy, goals and capabilities as a foundation for target selection and attack capabilities. Consider that an attack might consist of multiple modalities and could be conducted in phases or stacks. For example, a vehicle ramming might be followed up with a stabbing spree like the 2017 London Bridge attack. Discuss the implications of these technologies in attacks and potential pitfalls for first responders during the immediate aftermath of a terrorist incident. Briefly assess the readiness of current state and federal policies to address the challenges posed by technologically-driven attacks and propose actionable strategies to enhance first responders' preparedness and response capabilities as they relate to the attack methods you have chosen to consider. Support your analysis with concrete examples and references, highlighting the intersection of emerging technologies and the implications for those on the front lines of counter-terrorism medicine efforts.


Assessment Due Date

Week 8 Friday (3 May 2024) 12:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 10 Friday (17 May 2024)


Weighting
30%

Assessment Criteria

There is a minimum word count of 2000 words and a maximum word count of 2200 words, excluding references for your assessment. Your assessment must be clear and concise. The assessment will be assessed per the information and rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. It should be presented in an essay format. This assessment task is worth 30% of the final mark. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Critically analyse state and federal policy related to the response to a terrorism-related attack
  • Develop an understanding of contemporary terrorist organisations' ideologies and prevalence in Australia
  • Evaluate how emerging technologies are likely to contribute to novel terrorist threats
  • Identify a typology of contemporary terrorist tactics and attack modalities

3 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Use case scenario response plan.

Task Description

Objective: Consider Assessment two and the hypothetical terror attack.

Develop a comprehensive medical response plan for the hypothetical terrorism-related attack, considering critical elements specific to the attack modalities you described in the Assessment two submission.

Requirements:

Use your current state policy for response to mass casualty incidents as a framework for your plan. Outline the key components of your plan, including the coordination of medical resources, support agencies, and communication strategies to ensure an effective and timely response. Your plan must align with the critical elements described in your Assessment two essay submission.  

A critical element in the context of this assessment is a feature of the hypothetical attack you described in assessment two. For instance, the critical elements of the Paris attacks of November 2015 are:

·         Simultaneous coordinated assault by multiple attack cells.

·         Use of explosive devices to target civilians and funnel them towards secondary attacks.

·         Small arms attack followed by a hostage-taking.


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (31 May 2024) 12:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Friday (14 June 2024)


Weighting
40%

Assessment Criteria

There is a minimum word count of 2000 words and a maximum word count of 2200 words, excluding references for your assessment. Your assessment must be clear and concise. The assessment will be assessed per the information and rubric provided on the unit Moodle page. It should be presented in an essay format. This assessment task is worth 40% of the final mark. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify a typology of contemporary terrorist tactics and attack modalities
  • Operationalise a medical response plan to a terrorism-related attack based on critical elements of specific attack modalities.

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?