INTL 405 · Syllabus
The semester
Four modules. Fifteen weeks. A lab on every week. File a week by reading the seminar, passing the examination at 70%, and completing the field exercise.
Module 1 · Weeks 1–3
Foundations & Cover
Before there is an operation there is a theory of knowledge: who may see, who may not, and what a constructed self can survive.
0/3
- 01Strategic OriginsCONFIDENTIALThe typology of espionage and the epistemology of the secretLab · Baseline Observation
- 02Cover ArchitectureSECRETThe bureaucratic intelligence state, official cover, and the legendLab · Legend Construction
- 03Deception & SubversionSECRETDouble-Cross, SOE, morale operations, and the ethics of the useful lieLab · Deception Channel
Module 2 · Weeks 4–7
The Asset Lifecycle
Espionage is a human relationship conducted under conditions of secrecy, fear, and unequal knowledge. The cycle is psychology wearing a file number.
0/4
- 04Spotting & VulnerabilitySECRETCambridge, Penkovsky, and the maps of motiveLab · Target Assessment Dossier
- 05Development & ElicitationSECRETWolf's Romeos, Fuchs, and the conversation that does not feel like oneLab · Live Elicitation Practicum
- 06The PitchSECRETTolkachev, walk-ins, false flags, and the moment the relationship is namedLab · The Pitch
- 07Handling & the Breaking of MenSECRETGordievsky, Hanssen, Ames, and the psychology of the long relationshipLab · Asset Health Board
Module 3 · Weeks 8–11
OPSEC, Comms & Covert Action
The body must move through space that is watched. The message must travel. The state, when it acts in shadow, must still answer to someone.
0/4
- 08Midterm BoardSECRETFoundations, cover, and the asset cycle under examinationLab · Station Board Midterm
- 09Counter-SurveillanceTOP SECRETMoscow Rules, the SDR, and the illusion of innocenceLab · SDR Architecture
- 10Clandestine CommunicationsTOP SECRETDead drops, pads, bursts, and the problem of touching at a distanceLab · Site Survey
- 11Covert ActionTOP SECRETAjax, stay-behinds, Cyclone, and the politics of the unsigned handLab · Emergency Exfiltration
Module 4 · Weeks 12–15
The Panopticon & the Ethic
The adversary is inside the building. The city has become a sensor. Law and conscience are not decorations on the brief — they are constraints on the possible.
0/4
- 12CounterintelligenceTOP SECRETAngleton, Hanssen, Montes, and the enemy who has a badgeLab · Insider Threat Inquiry
- 13The Digital PanopticonTOP SECRETDubai 2010, Ghost Stories, and tradecraft in a city that recordsLab · Digital Chokepoints
- 14Law & the Unquiet ConscienceSECRETChurch, FISA, 12333, Title 10/50, and the abandoned assetLab · Oversight Hearing
- 15The RequirementTOP SECRETCapstone: an end-to-end plan, and the kind of officer you have become