DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY SCIENCE
Undergraduate Catalog 2008-2010 PRINT PAGE
Major Clark Easter, Chair; Major Terry DeWitt, Staff Sergeant Daren Crow
The Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is an academic program which can lead to a commission as an officer in the Army, the Army National Guard, or the U.S. Army Reserve. Instructors in the Military Science Department who conduct the Reserve Officers Training Corps Program are members of the active army or reserve officers on active duty assigned to Henderson State University for that purpose.
The ROTC Program is divided into a two-year basic course and a two-year advanced course. During the basic course, the freshman and sophomore years, the student incurs no military obligation. Upon entering the advanced course, the junior and senior years, a military obligation is incurred. After commissioning, a student can either go on active duty or serve in the Reserve or National Guard. Students in the advanced course are required to go to a five-week camp between their junior and senior years. Students may attend during the summer months such Army schools as Airborne or Air Assault Training. They may also participate with an active duty unit after advance summer camp under the cadet troop leadership training program. In order to earn a commission, each Advanced Course cadet is also required to complete academic courses in Written Communications, American Military History, and Computer Literacy.
All students participating in the ROTC program are furnished, on a loan basis, necessary textbooks and other items required in the program. Students in the basic course do not receive pay. Students enrolled in the advanced course receive a $300-$350 stipend for their junior and senior years.
Advanced placement credit for the two-year basic course may be given for prior military service, Junior ROTC, or ROTC Basic Camp. Students who are active in the Army National Guard or U.S. Army Reserve may qualify for advanced course placement by participating in the Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP). Anyone with questions should contact the Department of Military Science.
Courses in Military Science
Basic Courses
MSC 1011. Introduction to the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC). The purpose of this semester is to introduce cadets to fundamental components of service as an officer in the United States Army. These initial lessons form the building blocks with lessons in values, fitness, leadership, and officership. Additionally, the semester addresses communications theory and practice (written and oral), and interpersonal relationships. Upon completion of this semester, the cadets should be prepared to receive more complex leadership instruction. This course meets one hour per week in addition to a leadership lab. Students are encouraged to participate in physical fitness training weekly and an optional weekend exercise.
MSC 1021. Introduction to Leadership. This semester builds upon the fundamentals introduced in the previous semester by focusing on leadership theory and decision making. Topics during this semester include: problem solving, critical thinking, leadership theory, followership, group interaction, goal setting, and feedback mechanisms. Upon completion of this semester, cadets should be prepared to advance to more complex leadership instruction concerning the dynamics of organizations. Additionally, they will be increasingly required to demonstrate knowledge of leadership fundamentals and communications (written and oral). Students are encouraged to participate in the weekly physical fitness training and an optional weekend exercise.
MSC 2032. Self/Team Development. This semester contains the principal leadership instruction of the basic course. Building upon the fundamentals introduced in the MS-I year, this instruction delves into several aspects of communication and leadership theory. The use of practical exercise is significantly increased over previous semesters, as cadets are increasingly required to apply communications and leadership concepts. This course is designed to refine and apply the skills that help to develop an individual’s leadership abilities and contribute to the building of effective teams. Other areas of emphasis include developing oral presentations, issuing written operation orders, event planning, coordination of group efforts, and basic military tactics. This semester concludes with a major leadership and problem solving case study which draws on virtually all of the classroom instruction received in the first three semesters of the Basic Course. Upon completion of this semester, cadets should be well grounded in the fundamental principals of leadership, and be prepared to intensify the practical application of their studies during the MS-III year. Students are required to participate in two one-hour physical fitness seasons and a leadership lab. Students are encouraged to participate in one overnight field training exercise.
MSC 2042. Individual/Team Tactics. The final semester of the basic course focuses principally on officership, providing an extensive examination of the unique purpose, roles, and obligations of commissioned officers. It includes a detailed look at the origin of our institutional values and their practical application in decision making and leadership. In addition, this course provides an introduction of basic military tactics, small unit leadership, planning considerations, pre-execution checks, and risk assessments. This semester, more than any before it, draws the various components of values, communications, decision making, and leadership together to focus on a career as a commissioned officer. Upon completion of this semester, cadets should possess a fundamental understanding of both leadership and officership, demonstrate the ability to apply this understanding in real world situations, and be excited about the aspect of shouldering the responsibility of a commissioned officer in the United State Army. Students are required to participate in two one-hour physical fitness sessions and a leadership lab. Students are encouraged to participate in one optional overnight field training exercise during the semester.
Advanced Courses
MSC 3053. Advanced Leadership and Tactics I. The advanced course accepts cadets with various levels of leadership competencies gained through the ROTC Basic Course or lateral entry constructive credit activities. The instructional content and activities in the MSC 3053 level curriculum are intended to build leadership competencies and facilitate the cadet’s initial demonstration of individual leadership potential at advanced camp, while also preparing cadets for their future responsibilities as officers. Students will learn small unit maneuver tactics and refine basic military skills. While a measure of technical and tactical understanding of small unit operations is necessary, the focus of instruction is on the leadership competencies. Much of the application and assessment of MSC 3053 level leadership instruction will be conducted using the Leadership Development Program (LDP) for out-of-class activities: leadership positions during labs and unit operations. The MSC 3053 semester begins with instruction in the Leadership Development Process (LDP) which is used throughout the academic year and at advanced camp to assess and develop leadership. The MSC 3053 semester uses a defensive scenario because the planning requirements of the defense better facilitates the achievement of our learning objectives, and because defensive operations are more universally relevant to officers of all branches. Instruction in principles of war, purposes, fundamentals, and characteristics of the defense provides the necessary knowledge base for meaningful contextual treatment of the Troop Leading Procedures (TLP). Instruction in the decision-making, planning, and execution processes of the TLP are followed by the refocus on the critical leadership task of communication the plan using the Operations Order format. Special emphasis is placed on physical conditioning and stamina. Students will be required to participate in physical training three times per week. The semester closes with instruction in small unit battle drills to facilitate practical application and further leader development during lab and FTX Squad Situational Training Exercises (STX). Students enrolled in this course receive a stipend of $300 per month.
MSC 3063. Advanced Leadership and Tactics II. The final semester of the MS III year continues focusing on doctrinal leadership and tactical operations at the small unit level. It includes opportunities to plan and conduct individual and collective skill training for offensive operations to gain leadership and tactical experience. This critical semester synthesizes the various components of training, leadership and team building. Cadets are required to incorporate previous military science instruction from MSC 3053 and the Basic Course for their practical application in a performance oriented environment. Upon completion of MSC 3063, cadets will possess the fundamental confidence and competence of leadership in a small unit setting. The MSC 3063 curriculum compliments progression through the cadet’s campus evaluation process and in the culminating event of the MS III year in the field training environment of advanced camp. Students are required to participate in physical fitness three times per week. In addition they receive a stipend of $300 per month.
MSC 3093. U. S. Military History.
MSC 3131. Military Science Lab.
MSC 4073. Applied Leadership and Management I. This semester of the advanced course concentrates on leadership, management and ethics and begins the final transition from cadet to lieutenant. The course focuses cadets, early in the year, on attaining knowledge and proficiency in several critical areas they will need to operate effectively as Army officers. These areas include: Coordinating Activities with Staffs, Counseling Theory and Practice within the “Army Context,” Training Management, and Ethics. The introduction of these subjects early in the MS IV year has the added benefit of preparing cadets to lead the cadet battalion throughout the remainder of the year. While the proficiency attained in each of these areas will initially be at the apprentice level, cadets will continue to sharpen these skills as they perform their roles as cadet officers in the battalion and after commissioning. At the end of this semester, cadets should possess the fundamental skills, attributes, and abilities to operate as competent leaders in the cadet battalion and confidently communicate to subordinate cadets their preparedness to shoulder the responsibilities entrusted to them. Students enrolled in this course receive a stipend of $350 per month.
MSC 4083. Applied Leadership and Management II. The final semester of the Advanced Course focuses on completing the transition from cadet to lieutenant. As a follow up to the ethics instruction in MSC 4073, the course starts with a foundation in the legal aspects of decision making and leadership. The next module reinforces previous instruction on the organization of the Army and introduces how we organize for operations from the tactical to strategic level. This is followed by instruction on administrative and logistical management that will focus on the fundamentals of soldier and unit level support. The final module that introduces new information focuses on the often confusing process of changing duty stations and reporting to a new unit. At the core of this semester is the Advanced Course’s Capstone Exercise. This 12-lesson exercise will directly reinforce all modules from this semester, and will also incorporate and reinforce many learning objectives from modules throughout the entire curriculum. The Capstone Exercise will require the cadets, both individually and collectively, to apply their knowledge to solve problems and confront situations commonly faced by junior officers. Upon completion of this semester, the cadets will be prepared to shoulder the responsibility of being a commissioned officer in the United States Army. Students enrolled in this course receive a stipend of $350 per month.
MSC 4123. Independent Study in Leadership.