Michael Pyant

Academic Portfolio

Bachelor of Science in Information Science
IST-488 Structured Intelligence Analysis

Structured Intelligence Analysis is a course designed for information professionals to complement their theory-based IST 200 and 300 level courses with a sense to touch the ground thorough a field of application. Scholars in Information Science generally look for locating, selecting, organizing, and disseminating the existing resources that are readily available. This course’s scope is beyond existing resources and tries to develop a structured process of information “to make judgments on incomplete and ambiguous information” based on the seminal book, Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, written by Richard J. Heuer. Heuer’s book consists of “the articles … based on reviewing cognitive psychology literature.” Established methods of information and intelligence analysis are to be visited, understood, and inherited to overcome risks and biases involved in any analysis process naturally exist both in individual cognitive process and group dynamics.

The course is designed in three weekly blocks as theory, application, and research in their respected topics. To elaborate, first day of week will cover the mandatory textbook as a presentation by the instructor, second day the topics of tradecraft manual will be discussed and analyzed; third day is the time for students to research next week’s course topics and tradecraft manual discussion.

Key topics covered include:

  1. Learning and understanding cognition in information/intelligence process;
  2. The great success and failure examples in ICs;
  3. How ICs utilize information analysis in competitive and uncompetitive environments.

Course content, assignments, and discussions prepare information professionals to broaden their process of information when the resources and time to analyze them are scarce or limited.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Understand the concepts of information/intelligence analysis in relation to intelligence communities (ICs).
  2. Examine the impacts of information/intelligence analysis on decision making.
  3. Analyze and apply psychology of analysis techniques to support decision makers in poor information environments.
  4. Analyze and apply psychology of analysis techniques to support decision makers in rich information environments.
  5. Effectively prepare intelligence reports and present them to customers.
  6. Analyze and understand success and failure experiences in intelligence communities to grasp the value of structured intelligence analysis tools and techniques and educate intelligence customers about the shortcomings in intelligence analysis.