HLS 3301, Weapons of Mass Destruction 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit IV

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Characterize the types of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs).
2.1 Discuss biological agents, their effectiveness, and how they are disseminated.

4. Examine how the use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) impacts society.

4.1 Discuss the proliferation of biological agents by terror organizations.
4.2 Discuss the mitigation strategies of biological agents and the federal agencies that provide

oversight.

Required Unit Resources

Chapter 4: Biological Agents, pp. 103–134

In order to access the following resources, click the links below.

Kortepeter, M. G., & Parker, G. W. (1999). Potential biological weapons threats. Emerging Infectious

Diseases, 5(4), 523–527. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/5/4/99-0411_article

Rotz, L. D., Khan, A. S., Lillibridge, S. R., Ostroff, S. M., & Hughes, J. M. (2002). Public health assessment of

potential biological terrorism agents. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 8(2), 225–230.
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/8/2/01-0164_article

Schmitt, G. R. (2007, June 1). Agroterrorism: Why we’re not ready: A look at the role of law enforcement.

National Institute of Justice Journal, 257. https://nij.gov/journals/257/pages/agroterrorism.aspx

Sobel, A. L., & Fisher, B. M. (2012, October). Educating the next generation to respond to a bioterrorism

event. Leadership & Management in Engineering, 12(4), 324–329.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=82214033&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Unit Lesson

The content for this unit lesson is presented through PowerPoint with audio below. On each slide, click
on the audio icon to play the audio. You can refer to these lessons as needed.

UNIT IV STUDY GUIDE
Biological Agents

HLS 3301, Weapons of Mass Destruction 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE
Title

Unit IV Presentation

PDF version of Unit IV
Presentation

Suggested Unit Resources

In order to access the following resources, click the links below.

The following article may assist you in preparing your final research paper by providing an analysis of how
experts assess bioterrorism threats to national security. The article also presents ways to restrict terrorist
organizations’ access to biological weapons.

Atlas, R. M. (1999, June). Combating the threat of biowarfare and bioterrorism. Bioscience, 49(6), 465.

https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=asn&AN=1855525&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The following video takes a closer look at the use of bioresearch by terrorist organizations. The transcript for
this video can be found by clicking on “Transcript” in the gray bar to the right of the video in the Films on
Demand database.

Digital Classics Distribution (Producer). (1999). Biological weapons in the hands of terrorists (Segment 10 of

10) [Video]. In Bioterror: The invisible threat. Films on Demand.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=31452&loid=45440

The following article analyzes different models for judging likeliness of terrorist targets.

Ezell, B. C., Berh, J., & Collins, A. (2012, January). Identifying factors that influence terrorist decisions and

target selection. Journal of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, 9(1), 1–5.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=tsh&AN=78277333&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Access the following video for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discussion on bioterrorism. The
transcript for this video can be found beneath the video on the webpage.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (n.d.). Law enforcement and the National Security Branch [Video].

https://www.fbi.gov/video-repository/newss-law-enforcement-and-the-national-security-branch/view