First of all, welcome to the class.

This is the first class in a series of classes that make up a larger course titled Countering Irregular Threats 2017 Edition. I hope you have already enrolled in each of the other classes. If not, perhaps this first class will convince you to do so.

If you are only interested in the Counter Threat/Terrorist Financing classes it would still be wise to complete the first and second classes because the first two classes provide the foundation for the latter classes.

For example, since Irregular Threats is an abstract and rather complicated topic, cognitive-scaffolding was utilized as the adult teaching/learning pedagogy for the content and course development. Cognitive-scaffolding starts off by providing a base layer of well-researched relevant information and knowledge about the topic at hand and then builds upon that information. An example of this would be starting off with key terms and definitions that define an abstract concept. The next step would be to show how the concept was intended to be applied in a dynamic or changing situation. The next step would be to provide case studies that show how the concept was actually used in real situations. A final step could be asking the student to use the concept in a particular scenario. This last step could be utilized to asses the students comprehension of the abstract concept. The understanding and utilization of any abstract idea depends upon whether or not the basic concept was assimilated or not; assimilation can be tested.

This class and overall course have a large target audience. It includes the full range of Intel types, military to public, and financial Intel staff, plus military operational and planning staff, and private, public, and government policy and decision makers at multi levels. There is a wide variety of professionals that deal with Irregular Threats. This vast array of individuals should understand what role they play and why and roles of others play and why.

Prezi lecture: http://prezi.com/h2u_nc9zaq7v/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

The reading assignment pdf is attached: If you are familiar with the Irregular Warfare Joint Operating Concept (IW JOC) please review the document in its entirety. If you are not familiar with the IW JOC, then read pages 3 through 44. As you read the information pay special attention to the underlying concepts, precepts, and premises. It might help you later if you take notes on this first reading assignment.

The video homework assignment is also below: The title of the video is The Malayan Emergency. View it in it's entirety. The reason for this is that The Malayan Emergency is a case study in countering Irregular Threats. As this course develops many of the precepts and premises discussed in this specific case study will reemerge. For instance, information and intelligence are key ingredients for any counter Irregular Threat campaign. I have provided two different links for the same video just in case you have problems with a link.

The Malayan Emergency, part 1 of 9; https://youtu.be/g7RvDwXC9LE

The Malayan Emergency, part 2 of 9; https://youtu.be/A1sHYqjRZ6s

The Malayan Emergency, part 3 of 9; https://youtu.be/a769r_Si50I

The Malayan Emergency, part 4 of 9; https://youtu.be/2v2vmkJW6TU

Teaching/Learning: It would be wise to write down some notes about the Prezi lectures and videos series after you watch them. Taking notes during a presentation actually distracts from the teaching/learning. Here is a technique you could use. Writing down some notes afterward a lecture or video helps you to learn and memorize the content. You could use a single sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle of it. Then after you watch the Prezi for this class write down some interesting bullet points on one side of the line. Then watch the videos and write down some interesting points about the videos on they other side of the line. Then review the bullet points on each side of the lines and draw lines between them. There should be several similarities.