An important component of this course is the research paper. The paper can be on a topic of your choice, but it must relate directly to the course material. You must use at least four academic bibliographic sources (paper or online) in addition to the required course readings. Wikepedia.com is not an acceptable academic reference at this university. The paper should be between 8 and 12 pages in length, not including the title, abstract (if written), or reference pages.
The research paper should include an introduction of the topic, a body in which the topic is developed and references correctly cited in APA format, and a well-defined conclusion. Including an abstract is optional. For more information on how the essay exam questions and the research paper will be graded, see “Grading” below.
I strongly suggest that, as part of your research, you take advantage of the university’s online library link. There is a wide variety of resources there including many full text papers and articles. This may be of particular advantage to any of you who are deployed and do not have traditional library resources available to you.
I also recommend that you contact me with the topic of your paper before you begin your research. The topic you choose may be too broad or too narrow, and a discussion may help you to focus so that your learning will be maximized and your paper will be the best it can be.
You must submit your final papers through Turnitin.com. This is a site that checks for plagiarism, as well as providing resources to assist you in preparing your paper. Be careful in your gathering of resources for your paper and do not copy directly from your sources! A 5% penalty will be imposed for each day that your paper is late, unless you communicate with me in advance. Please refer to the section on Turnitin in the Academic Resources section of this syllabus. Below are instructions for you to access Turnitin for this course.
Course topics
EMS disaster response
Incident command system/ NIMS
Mass casualty care for EMS
Disaster triage
Chemical event for EMS
Radiological events for EMS
Biological events for EMS
Natural disasters and EMS response
Terrorist events for EMS