NSU to offer new course, Border Security, Politics and Media

A new online course at Northeastern State University addressing border security, politics and media is set to begin March 11.

This timely, eight-week course will examine the history and current events of border security in the United States.

In this course we will also look at the manipulation of facts for political ends as well as examine the role the media plays in both attempting to accurately convey the border security issue and hyperbole offered by questionable media sources, said assistant professor James Buster Hall.

Students will learn to critically analyze the issues during the course.

Critical reasoning is important for almost anyone in that if we only ever take things at face value we forget to question and merely respond without question, Hall said. Being superficial makes one too easily swayed and too easily manipulated.

Students who will benefit from the course include anyone with an interest in the topic, those whose future careers might be dependent on an in-depth understanding of border security, how the media reports on an issue and how the political body can gain from manipulating public opinion. Students majoring in criminal justice, political science and communication would also find interest in this course.