World’s first undergraduate intelligence journal publishes first issue
June 11, 2013 9 Comments
By JOSEPH FITSANAKIS | intelNews.org |
The study of security and intelligence used to be considered strictly a graduate-level preoccupation. Today, however, it is routinely encountered in undergraduate curricula and constitutes one of the fastest growing programs in the humanities. To satisfy the growing undergraduate interest in this field of study, King University in Bristol, Tennessee, launched The Security and Intelligence Studies Journal. It is the world’s first undergraduate scholarly journal focusing exclusively on themes of intelligence, security, counterterrorism, geopolitics and international relations. The first issue of the Journal is now out and available to purchase on Amazon for $9.00. It contains some of the finest undergraduate research on subjects ranging from the rise of Islamic militancy in West Africa, the Syrian Civil War, the Iranian nuclear program, to terrorism funding, and the rise of far-right militancy in the United States, among other issues. On the journal’s website, visitors can find subscription information, as well as the journal’s theme for issue 2, which is scheduled for publication in December 2013. Undergraduate students from all over the world are invited to submit 3,000-word papers on the subject: Al-Qaeda: past, present, future. The theme’s description is as follows: “In less than a quarter of a century, al-Qaeda grew from a small administrative unit in the Hindu Kush Mountains to a leading global agent of Sunni militancy. The history of this enigmatic organization is replete with unpredictable twists and turns that continue to mystify scholars and counterterrorism experts alike. In the past decade, the demise of central al-Qaeda figures, including its founder and Emir, Osama bin Laden, have led some to proclaim the organization extinct. Others point to the rise of al-Qaeda-inspired franchise groups in the Arabian Peninsula and parts of Africa, as well as lone-wolf terrorist acts around the world, in arguing that al-Qaeda’s ideology is far from obsolete. The Security and Intelligence Studies Journal calls on interested authors to explore various aspects of al-Qaeda’s past, present, and future, in an effort to shed scholarly light on one of the world’s most mysterious and elusive militant groups”. Deadline for submissions is set for September 30, 2013. Undergraduate students from around the world with a serious scholarly interest in security and intelligence are encouraged to contact the journal by emailing its editors at KCSIS@king.edu, to express their interest in submitting a paper. Collaborative works are welcome. The journal’s editors also kindly ask academics to forward this call for papers to their undergraduate students.
intelNews.org 
Man, I just graduated and was busting my butt to read about the scholarly side of intelligence and espionage simply to add to the understanding I was getting from normal class work. None of my poly sci or international relations classes discussed this stuff and none of my professors took it seriously; I was mocked as a conspiracy theorist for even being interested in what the CIA does…I was even told when I tried to do my senior thesis that the only angle I could really take with intelligence studies was how information played a role in state decision making (Robert Jervis’ work was about as close as we got to discussing it). I ended up doing my paper on IPE and the future of Chinese/American financial interests.
In other words, the journal probably isn’t for post grad undergrad submissions is it?
As long as you don’t have a degree other than an undergraduate, you can submit a paper for publication. [JF]
Do scholars of intelligence work (like authors of this site) get approached by intel services for advice and similar, are the scholars ignored and regarded with disdain or are you perhaps not at liberty to say?
@TFH: “IntelNews is not affiliated with any intelligence or security agency of any country” (from our FAQ). [JF]
Thanks but what I was really asking is if intel workers take scholars of intel work seriously, have you got any indication?
@TFH: In my experience, yes, especially in the analytical field. Also most government-sponsored intelligence organizations retain historians on staff. [JF]
@TFH
Speaking as a serial commenter :) and post graduate security and intelligence scholar the scholarly view on whistleblowers is as diverse as any large group of individuals’ views. This is taking into account the 100,000s of scholars around the world.
I wish I’d done an undergrad security and intelligence course like the one King University is offering. When I was an undergrad at ANU, three decades ago, the only acknowledged security and intelligence expert around was Professor Desmond Ball an international expert on sigint and several other fields https://researchers.anu.edu.au/researchers/ball-dj#biography .
Regards
Pete
@Pete. Thank you for your answer and insight. My concern is that inttile work will more and more go into directing whomever to take whatever action is needed to provide the justification of whatever political agenda that is needed.
In other words. Mind Control is a real consideration for students of intel work but thanks to the stigma attached to it most scholars will shy away from studying it.