Admission requirements
Admission only after intake, see website of the Cyber Security Academy.
Admission only for those who are enrolled in the governance track.
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 terrorists or criminal organisations would seek sanctuary. According to public perception cyberspace has now become one of these ‘ungoverned spaces’, out of reach for governments and businesses alike. Cybercrime and cyber terrorism seem to have proliferated as a result, and according to some the threat of cyber war looms ahead, but is this really the case? Can we still speak of cybercrime or should we move to an alternative terminology or a different categorization? What are the modi operandi and how do stakeholders get a grip on it?
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.
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 as yet been written in academia on cyber governance, this module will explore the customary theories from a public administration, international affairs and legal perspective. Concepts such as multi-stakeholder governance and public private partnerships will feature to illustrate how states and non-state actors ‘govern’ the Internet and national cyber security.
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.
Course objectives
After completing this module successfully, participants will have:
knowledge and understanding of the different theories on cyber-governance, the implications of cyberspace, the internet for traditional notions such as sovereignty, power, war and conflict, espionage, terrorism and crime and historical developments in cyber governance and how key events have led to the current state of affairs
knowledge and understanding of the governance challenges regarding malicious activities in cyberspace such as cybercrime, cyberwar, espionage, etc.
After completing this module successfully, participants will be able to:
apply conceptual knowledge of cyber governance theories in relation to involved technical aspects to specific situations and case-studies (deduction) and
translate understanding of cyber-events (empirical observations) into concepts, trends and theories and communicate about these concepts in a clear and concise way (induction)
apply knowledge of cyber-governance to practical, policy-orientated questions, to reduce these questions to the essentials and to communicate about the answers in a precise and academic way
use a sound knowledge base of cyber-governance to determine reliability of reporting on issues and contextualize new developments within a conceptual framework
Timetable
7 days from 9.30 until 17.00 in February and March 2020
Mode of instruction
Lectures, seminars, exercises, class discussion
Core lecturer: Dr. James Shires
Course Load
5 EC
Assessment method
Assignment (40%)
Written exam (60%)
The resit will take the same form.
Blackboard
Yes, for posting slides of lectures, relevant literature and assignments.
Reading list
Compulsory literature and literature for further consultation will be announced via Blackboard.
Registration
No registration is required for lectures and exams.
Contact
Mr. James Shires Chantal de Groot, study coordinator
Remarks
For more information see the website of the Cyber Security Academy.