Admission requirements
Description
This course explores cyber security issues from the perspective of political science and international relations. Having become a major concern for national security, the cyber domain presents policymakers with enduring strategic and doctrinal dilemmas. This course will review relevant debates in international relations and security studies theory; draw lessons from previous technological transformations on how to address contemporary security problems; evaluate scholarly debates about the international security implications of cyber capabilities; examine the operational and technical features of interstate offensive cyber operations; review legal, ethical, and normative paradigms to regulate international cyber conflict; and expose students to policy dilemmas under the pressure of a simulated scenario. By completing the course, students will acquire a knowledge base on cyber statecraft, cyber diplomacy, and international cyber conflict, as well as develop critical thinking, analysis, and communication skills.
Course objectives
- Collect, understand, critically evaluate, and present information in a format appropriate for a professional audience related to state-linked cyber actors and their operations;
- Evaluate scholarly debates and apply relevant theoretical and conceptual frameworks from international relations and security studies to analyse the implications of cyber technologies for international security and security strategy;
- Demonstrate knowledge of issues related to international cyber security, such as cyber conflict, cyber espionage, legal and normative frameworks, disinformation, and artificial intelligence;
- Critically evaluate national cyber strategies, provide practical insights and resolutions to cyber-related problems for decision-makers, and develop an awareness of the complexities of responding to major cyber events.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Assessment method
1 written assessment
t.b.c.
In the case of written assessment methods, the examiner can always initiate a follow-up conversation with the student to establish whether the learning objectives have been met.
Reading list
Registration
To be announced by OSC staff.
Contact
Dr. Monica Kaminska m.k.kaminska@fgga.leidenuniv.nl