General characterization

Prerequisites

Available soon

Bibliography

Bibliography

• Clough J. (2015), Principles of Cybercrime, 2^nd Edition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Grabosky P. (2016), Cybercrime, Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press
• Holt T. J./Bossler A./Seigfried-Spellar K. C. (2015), Cybercrime and Digital Forensics: An introduction, New York: Routledge
• Holt T. J./Bossler A. (eds.) (2019), The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance, Cham: Springer International Publishing
• Taylor R./Fritsch E./Saylor M./Tafoya W. (2018), Cyber Crime and Cyber Terrorism, 4^th Edition, Pearson

Additional readings

• Brewer R. et al. (2019), Cybercrime Prevention: Theory and Applications, Cham: Springer International Publishing
• Jahankhami H. (ed.) (2018), Cyber Criminology, Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland
• Martín Ramírez J./García-Segura L. A. (eds.) (2017), Cyberspace. Risks and Benefits for Society, Security and Development, Cham: Springer International Publishing
• Owen T./Noble W./Speed F. C. (2017), New perspectives on Cybercrime, Cham: Springer International Publishing
• Viano E. (ed.) (2017), Cybercrime, Organized Crime, and Societal Responses, Cham: Springer International Publishing
• Yar M. (2013), Cybercrime and Society, 2^nd edition, Cambridge University Press

Teaching method

The course will consist of short lectures and seminar-style discussion based on input provided in the form of a power point presentation. The teaching material will consist of both theories on cybersecurity topics pertaining to the field of criminal law, as well as of short cases related to different types of cybercrime.

This said, the students are expected to actively participate in the in-class discussion (including exercises solving), and work on readings to be made accessible before each meeting on the Moodle platform. The readings will include articles on cybercrime, cybercriminality and legal responses to them, court decisions and short exercises.

The in-class time will also be used in order to discuss at the beginning of each meeting the 'muddiest' point of the previous one (with the help of the Mentimeter application), to answer any kind of questions, and to give thoughtful feedback both to the lecturer and the students .

Evaluation method

The course participants will be able to choose between two different kinds of assessment.

1. Model

The assessment of students will proceed on the basis of the following methods:

1. Regular attendance & active participation                                                               20 % (4/20 points)
2. 5.000-words essay                                                                                                  40 % (8/20 points)
3. Final exam                                                                                                               40 % (8/20 points)

       Total                                                                                                                             100 % (20/20 points)

 

In this model, the following assessment criteria and standards will be applied:

• Regular attendance & active participation: Students have to take part in ten out of the twelve teaching sessions. Moreover, they will be asked to actively participate in the course by: making use of the reading material (to be uploaded on the Moodle platform of the university on a weekly basis) and being able to elaborate on it (e.g. short presentation of the main arguments); discussing at the beginning of each session the 'muddiest' point of the previous one; and giving thoughtful feedback to their colleagues in the course of the discussion.
• 5.000-words essay: This is the final written work that students will be asked to submit, after they choose a topic or case study to work on in Week 2. The assessment of the essays will be based on the successful presentation of the chosen topic or case study; the author¿s critical thinking and argumentation; structure and material organisation; the originality of the ideas included in the work; style (use of language and terminology); and proper use of literature. The final essay will be due in Week 11. For purposes of grading, essays that are submitted late will be treated as not having been submitted at all. The lecturer may make exceptions to this policy for true emergencies, such as serious illness. Requests for exceptions should be made in advance of the deadline, if possible. The decision of the professor to grant or deny a request for an exception is final and unreviewable.
• Final exam: Students will have to answer to both short and open questions, and solve exercises related to the previously described learning outcomes. The participation to the final exam is mandatory. The final grades will be announced in two weeks after the exam day.

2. Model

The assessment of students will exclusively proceed on the basis of a 3-hour written exam. They will have to answer to both short and open questions, and solve exercises related to the previously described learning outcomes. The final grades will be announced in two weeks after the exam day.

Subject matter

This course will provide an insight into aspects of cybersecurity, which pertain to the field of criminal law ¿ by turning the spotlight particularly to the notion ¿cybercrime¿. For this purpose, it will begin with a thorough examination of the definition and the typology of cybercrime, and a presentation of the criminalization trends in the respective field, which signalise the emerging intersection between criminal law and policies and new technologies (see 1st expected learning outcome: 'identify concepts, aspects and arenas of cybersecurity, which are related to criminal law and policies'). Topics of discussion will subsequently include: the attempts to explain deviant behaviour in the cyberspace by making use of criminological and phychological theories, as well as the attempts to define the cyberspace with respect to the commission of cybercrime, and to adapt these new concepts to the traditional theories of criminal jurisdiction (see 2nd expected learning outcome: 'apply common concepts of criminal law in the field of cybercrime [...]'). The course will proceed by exploring different kinds/phenomena of cybercrime; more specifically: organised financial cybercrime; cyberterrorism; hate speech; sexual violence; child pornography; and privacy violations (see 3rd and 4th expected learning outcomes: 'distinguish between different phenomena/types of cybercrime' and 'work on cases related to the commission of different kinds of cybercrime'). All these phenomena correspond to the protection of various legal interests in the field of criminal law both at international and national level. This said, the course will also place significant importance on the legal responses to cybercrime by exploring the respective international and European legal framework (see 2nd expected learning outcome: '[...] recognize key sources of (international and European) law designed for and applicable to cybercrime'). On this basis, it will finally address questions related to the prevention of cybercrime by taking into account both the legal and societal reaction to it (see 5th expected leaarning outcome: 'develop arguments on the intersection between (criminal) law and new technologies, and evaluate proposed changes in the law related to cybersecurity and cybercrime as well as assess their implications for civil society').

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: