| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Melanie Brand
Lecturer
Brian Cuddy
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MPICT or MCPICT or GradDipPICT or GradDipCPICT or PGCertPICT or GradCertPICT or GradCertCPICT or MPICTMIntSecSt or MCPICTMIntSecSt or MIntSecStud or GradDipIntSecStud or GradCertIntell or MIntell or MSecStrategicStudMIntell or MIntellMCrim or MIntellMCyberSec or MIntellMCTerrorism or admission to BSecStudMIntell
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
Intelligence agencies are necessary to protect modern liberal democratic states; however, their work challenges the very democratic principles and freedoms on which those states were founded. This unit provides students with an opportunity to examine the intelligence enterprise within a broader political, social, and moral context. Intelligence work can involve breaking the laws of other nations and making difficult moral choices. In this unit, students will consider the ethical challenges faced at each stage of the intelligence cycle and investigate the role, purpose and efficacy of systems of intelligence oversight and accountability.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI assisted? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethical Analysis | 35% | No | Week 6 | Individual | No | Open AI |
| Portfolio | 20% | No | Week 11 | Individual | No | Open AI |
| Case Study Evaluation | 45% | No | Week 13 | Individual | No | Open AI |
Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 35%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open
Students will complete an analysis relating to an ethical challenge relating to intelligence.
Assessment Type 1: Reflection task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 11
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open
Students will complete a portfolio of work that relates to their own reflections and insights into ethical intelligence gathering and analysis.
Assessment Type 1: Written Submission
Indicative Time on Task 2: 48 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 45%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?: Open
Students will evaluate a case study that involves ethical challenges relating to intelligence.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.
3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.
DELIVERY AND RESOURCES
UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS
You should spend an average of 12 hours per week on this unit. This includes listening to lectures prior to seminar or tutorial, reading weekly required materials as detailed in iLearn, participating in Ilearn discussion forums and preparing assessments.
Internal students are expected to attend all seminar or tutorial sessions, and external students are expected to make significant contributions to on-line activities.
In most cases students are required to attempt and submit all major assessment tasks in order to pass the unit.
REQUIRED READINGS
The citations for all the required readings for this unit are available to enrolled students through the unit iLearn site, and at Macquarie University's library site. Electronic copies of required readings may be accessed through the library or will be made available by other means.
TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED
Computer and internet access are essential for this unit. Basic computer skills and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.
Information about IT used at Macquarie University is available at http://students.mq.edu.au/it_services/
SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS
All text-based assessment tasks are to be submitted, marked and returned electronically. This will only happen through the unit iLearn site.
Assessment tasks must be submitted as a MS word document by the due date.
Most assessment tasks will be subject to a 'TurnitIn' review as an automatic part of the submission process.
The granting of extensions is subject to the university’s Special Consideration Policy. Extensions will not be granted by unit conveners or tutors, but must be lodged through Special Consideration: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
LATE SUBMISSION OF ASSESSMENT TASKS
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.
This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic.
REASSESSMENT OF ASSIGNMENTS DURING THE SEMESTER
Macquarie University operates a Grade Appeal Policy in cases where students feel their work was graded inappropriately: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
In accordance with the Grade Appeal Policy, individual works are not subject to regrading.
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct
Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.
The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources.
Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:
Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Unit information based on version 2026.04 of the Handbook