Designing an introductory survey course in private security*

Abstract

In this study we explore the issue of the core components for an introductory survey course in private security. Using Hirsh's (1987) conceptual framework of cultural literacy, we question whether there is a body of knowledge considered central to security education by academics and practitioners. Data were drawn from three sources. The first involved benchmarking existing and available introductory textbooks in security. The second source of data was a large national sample of more than 5,600 security managers and directors representing various organizations, including Fortune 1,000 companies. We asked security professionals to identify the important topic areas or subjects that constitute the core of private security course work in the undergraduate program. Respondents ranked the importance of various security-related subjects. The third data source was the proceedings of a two-day symposium of academics and practitioners. The participants met in focus groups and used Delphi technique to design an introductory survey course in security. Findings suggest that while there is a fairly high degree of consensus on topics relating to the physical and procedural aspects of security, there is less agreement on the conceptual and methodological components of security education.