1.
Governance and Accountability in Intelligence
Degree type Bachelor of Arts in Intelligence Studies
Course Code INTS3810 Course Title Governance and Accountability in
Intelligence
Course type Core ECTS Value 5 ECTs
Pre-requisite (If any) None Semester Year III, Semester II
Course description: -
This course is a comprehensive introduction to intelligence governance, oversight mechanisms and
basic professional ethics in intelligence, The course also addresses history and basic methodologies of
intelligence oversight, principles of intelligence governance and new practices of intelligence
governance in democratic societies.
Course Objective: -
The primary purpose of this course is to introduce students to the concepts, purposes, roles, and
principles of intelligence governance in a democracy, oversight mechanisms and ethical principles in
intelligence profession.
Course Indicative Contents:
The emergence of Intelligence governance
Conceptual and practical Development of Intelligence Oversight
Why intelligence oversight matters
Intelligence Governance in a Democratic society
Intelligence oversight, types, purpose and principles
Establishing Effective Intelligence Oversight Systems
Intelligence Transparency, Secrecy, and Oversight in a Democracy
Conducting Oversight
Overseeing Information Collection
Overseeing the Use of Personal Data
Overseeing Information Sharing
Financial Oversight of Intelligence Services
Handling Complaints about Intelligence Services
Learning Outcomes: -
On successfully completing this course students will be able to:
Understand the history, conceptual and practical development of intelligence oversight
Recognize the essence and importance of intelligence governance in a democratic
society
Understand the concept of intelligence oversight as well as types, purpose and
principles of intelligence oversight in a democratic society
Recognize and practice basic ethical principles in intelligence profession.
Mode of Delivery:
Classroom contact/Lecture, group work, interactive tutorial sessions (group and pair
work/discussions, debates, depending on the content and the nature of the activities) and
individual work (independent learning)
Methods of Assessment and evaluations:
Test 1 (10%)
Group work 1 (10%)
Test 2 (10%)
Group work 2 (20%)
Test 3 (10%)
Final Exam (50%)
Core references:
Born, Hans; Johnson, Loch K. & Leigh, Ian (2005). Who's Watching the Spies?
Establishing Intelligence Service Accountability. Potomac Books, Inc.: Virginia.
Born, Hans & Wills, Aidan (2012). Overseeing Intelligence Services: A Toolkit,
DCAF: Geneve.
Bochel, Hugh & Defty, Andrew (2017). Parliamentary Oversight of Intelligence
Agencies: Lessons from Westminster, p. 103-125, In Andrew W. Neal Security in a
Small Nation Scotland, Democracy, Politics. Lightning Source for Open Book
Publishers: Edinburgh.
DCAF Intelligence Working Group (2003). Intelligence Practice and Democratic
Oversight – A Practitioner's View, DCAF Occasional paper No.3. DCAF: Geneve.
Gill, Peter (2020). Of intelligence oversight and the challenge of surveillance
corporatism. Intelligence And National Security. 35(7): 1-20.
Goldman, Zachary K. & Samuel J. Rascoff, Samuel J. Rascoff (2016). Global
Intelligence Oversight: Governing Security In the Twenty-First Century: Oxford
University Press: Oxford.
Richardson, Sophie & Gilmour, Nicholas (2016). Intelligence and Security Oversight:
An Annotated Bibliography and Comparative Analysis: Palgrave: Switzerland.
Zachary K., Goldman; Jane, Harman & Samuel J., Rascoff (2016). Global intelligence
oversight: governing security in the twenty-first century. Oxford University Press:
Oxford.
