Investigating the Deep State

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

Is the CIA rendering cartel members to blacksites in El Salvador? Is the Pentagon deploying psychological operations in a bid to annex Greenland? This course will arm students with the tools to run sophisticated national security investigations that can challenge power in the darkest corners of government and change laws. Joel Schectman, an award-winning Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, will teach students how to develop projects that reveal malfeasance at the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon and Washington’s most powerful defense contractors. The class will cover: how to develop hunches about real-world misconduct in the national security state; where to find sensitive intelligence sources, and documents; web forensics that can be used to uncover the trail of covert action; and the art of writing blockbuster reportage that will shock readers and drive legislative change. The course will also teach personal and cyber security safety necessary when pursuing dangerous projects.Over the course of the semester, students will develop a project that has the potential for enormous impact from idea to page.