HUMINT: Judgment Ethics Fut

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Human Intelligence: Judgment, Ethics, and the Future of Espionage Human intelligence remains fundamentally a human enterprise, shaped by judgment, trust, relationships, and ethical choices even as the environment in which espionage takes place is transformed by technology and ubiquitous surveillance. This course examines HUMINT through the interconnected lenses of human behavior, intelligence judgment, ethical decision-making, and adaptation. Students will explore the motivations and vulnerabilities of human sources; the dynamics of recruiting, handling, and managing sources; and the ways cognitive bias, emotion, uncertainty, and trust shape intelligence decisions. Historical and contemporary cases will illuminate the complexities of espionage, covert action, liaison relationships, counterintelligence, economic espionage, and intelligence failure, while encouraging students to grapple with the ethical and legal tensions between national security objectives, individual rights, and obligations to human sources. Particular attention will be given to how artificial intelligence, ubiquitous technical surveillance, open-source information, and other emerging technologies are changing the practice of HUMINT without eliminating its fundamentally interpersonal character. Through seminar discussion, case analysis, practical exercises, and reflective writing, students will develop a deeper understanding of the human factors that shape intelligence operations and strengthen their ability to assess HUMINT challenges and decisions in their strategic, institutional, ethical, and interpersonal contexts.