Prospectus

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Global Politics of Cyber Security

Course
2024-2025

Admission requirements

Admission only after intake, please see our website

Admission only for those who are enrolled in the governance track.

Description

The politics of cybersecurity, like internet communications themselves, is transnational, operating across and beyond state borders. National politics greatly affects cybersecurity, as political decisions determine national cybersecurity strategies and relevant legislation. This course therefore examines the global politics of cybersecurity, drawing on international relations theories to put questions of cybersecurity in their appropriate theoretical context. It explores the conceptual underpinnings of common terms like cyber conflict, espionage, and war. It critically examines the growth of international norm initiatives and their future potential, and the emergence of foreign interference through disinformation and influence operations. The course pays special attention to difficulties in empirical measurement, attribution, and data collection.

Course objectives

After completing this module successfully, participants will have:

  • knowledge and understanding of the different theories on international relations and global politics, the implications of cyberspace and the internet for traditional notions such as sovereignty, power, war and conflict, and how key events have led to the current state of affairs

  • knowledge of challenges states face when designing cybersecurity strategies to manage the risks resulting from the emergence of cyberspace

After completing this module successfully, participants will be able to:

  • apply conceptual knowledge of political theories and technical aspects to specific situations and case-studies;

  • translate empirical observations of cyber-events into concepts, trends and theories and communicate about these concepts in a clear and concise way;

  • apply knowledge of the global politics of cybersecurity to practical, policy-orientated questions;

  • use a sound knowledge base of the global politics of cybersecurity to determine the reliability of reporting on cybersecurity issues and contextualize new developments.

Timetable

On the right-hand side of the programme front page of the studyguide you will find a link to the online timetables.

Mode of instruction

Lectures, seminars, exercises, class discussion
Core lecturer: Dr.Jelena Vićić

Assessment method

Assignment (40%)

  • Re-sit of a fail is possible.

  • Re-sit will take the same form

Written exam (60%)

  • Re-sit of a fail is possible.

  • Re-sit will take the same form

Only assessments with the weight of 30% and lower are compensable. This means that one does not have to pass an assessment if it weighs 30% or less in order to pass the course, if the average of all assessments combined is at least a 5.50.
In addition, assignments weighing up to and including 30% cannot be re-taken, meaning that if one failed an assessment of 30% or less one is not allowed to redo it and that assessment must be compensated by the other assessment(s).

Reading list

Compulsory literature and literature for further consultation will be announced via Brightspace

Registration

No registration is required for lectures and exams.

Contact

Dr. Jelena Vićić M.I. Warner, study coordinator

Remarks

For more information see our website