Admission requirements
Only students of the MSc Crisis and Security Management can take this course.
At least 8 students must enroll for the course to take place.
Description
‘Contested spaces’, where a state is unable or unwilling to exert its authority, have frequently been defined as threats to international security in the past twenty years. These were often geographical areas synonymous with ‘failed states’, where non-state actors such as terrorist or criminal organisations would seek sanctuary. According to public perception cyber space has now become one of these ‘ungoverned spaces’, out of reach for governments and businesses alike. Cyber-crime and cyber terrorism have proliferated as a result, and according to some, the threat of cyber war looms ahead. This cyber-governance module will look at where responsibility for cyber security in the public-private-individual triangle is placed and how government institutions have shared, distributed or obtained cyber tasks and duties. Strategies and doctrines will also be covered, and how they combine with traditional state responsibilities such as defence and intelligence (espionage).
In practice, however, internet is not so much ungoverned as subjugated to alternative forms of governance, often by non-state actors. Although relatively little has has yet been written in academia on cyber governance, this module will explore the customary theories from public administration and legal perspective.
Cyberspace also has important repercussions for conflict studies. Traditional concepts such as sovereignty, power, war, espionage and terrorism could face fundamental changes as global internet connectivity and dependence continues to grow. This module will look at competing views on cyber threats (from a ‘digital pearl harbour’ to cyber-operations in support of conventional military attacks), working through definitions, concepts and policies to sketch some of the possible implications for future inter and intra-state relations. Students are required to read primary materials, conduct research on security issues and adopt the concepts and theoretical perspectives provided in the course to their work.
Course objectives
Students obtain advanced knowledge about the history of the internet (how and why did it develop as it did) and key events in cyber conflicts, such as the ‘cyber riot’ in Estonia 2007, the defacement of Georgian websites in 2008 and the famous Stuxnet virus in order to recapitulate the implications of cyber-space and the internet for traditional notions such as sovereignty, power, war and conflict, espionage, terrorism and crime.
Students will be able to differentiate between the different governance models related to cyber, such as the multi-stakeholder model and public-private partnerships with a special emphasis on ensuring security in critical infrastructures and are capable of assessing the consequences of the different governance models in terms of (conflicting) interests, responsibilities, transparency and accountability.
Students are able to recapitulate clear conceptual definitions (concerning cyberspace, cyber-security, cyber-attack and cyber-war) in order to grasp the outlines of complex cyber-issues and conduct in a nuanced debate (in writing or orally) based on sound empirical findings on complex cyber-issues that are often misrepresented in popular media and policy environments, for instance the alarmist reporting on cyber war or cyber terrorism, and implications of current trends such as the Internet of Things.
Student are able to apply their knowledge of cyber-governance and cyber-conflicts by deduction to practical, policy orientated questions, case studies and to critically evaluate by induction empirical observations of trends, new concepts and theories and are able to explain this both in an academic research paper, for a professional audience, through an opinion-piece and during class presentations.
Students will develop their writing skills and the state of the art of writing research papers by learning how to synthesize complex academic papers, reducing complex issues to their essentials and explaining the implications cyber can have for broader society and international relations.
Students have gained advanced knowledge of how to find primary source material for further research and investigation (academic journals, but also give pointer to books, blogs and authors to watch). Given the specific topic, the students will learn who the main opinion formers are, and which works of literature are good entry points for a better acquaintance of the subject.
Timetable
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Blackboard.
Mode of instruction
Seven seminars. Attendance is compulsory.
Students are required to prepare questions on the basis of the literature
Course Load
Total study load 140 hours
contact hours: 21
self-study hours: reading, preparing lectures, assignments, etc: 119
Assessment method
Short paper (25%)
In week 4, students will have to hand in a short paper on the topics and literature covered the first four weeks of the curriculum. The paper consists of max. 800 words.Research paper (75%)
One week after the last lecture, students are required to hand in a referenced paper to complete the course. The paper should consist of max. 4.000 words (excluding front page, footnotes, and literature list) and should be driven by a central research question that grounds the research. The paper should pose a research question, supported by arguments, which is answered through the analysis of primary and secondary source evaluation.
Should students wish, they are welcome to hand-in an outline (max 2 pages) of their research paper to the lecturers NO LATER THAN in the last lecture. They will then receive feedback on the proposed structure of their paper.
Failed partial grades weighing less than 30% should be compensated by a passed partial grade weighing more than 30%. The calculated grade must be at least 5,50 in order to pass the course.
The resit of the research paper takes the same form.
You can find more information about assessments and the timetable exams on the website.
Details for submitting papers (deadlines) are posted on Blackboard.
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website, uSis and Blackboard.
Resit
Students will be permitted to resit an examination if they have a mark lower than 5.5 or with permission of the Board of Examiners.
Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.
Blackboard
Blackboard page will be available one week in advance.
Reading list
To be announced on Blackboard.
Registration
In January you will receive an invitation for the introduction day. In that email we will also send you a form on which you can express your preference for the elective courses. We will do our very best to place you in the elective you prefer most, but if too many students sign up for the same elective we will decide who joins by means of a blind selection.
The OSC will register you in uSIS. In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.
Contact
Sergei Boeke: s.boeke@cdh.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
All other information.