Cybercrime

General characterization

Prerequisites

Available soon

Bibliography

Available soon

Teaching method

The course will consist of theoretical-practical classes and seminar-style discussions. The students are expected to participate actively in the in-class discussion. The lecturer will use practical cases to bridge theory and practice. The lecturer intends to invite some external experts to enable the study of cybercrime through an interdisciplinary lens. The students will be advised throughout the semester on which legal texts to examine, where to look for relevant case law, and which additional bibliographical sources to consult depending on the topic under discussion.

Evaluation method

The students will be assessed based on a continuous evaluation model consisting of the following parts:

1. Participation in the in-class debates 15% (3/20 points)

2. Midterm exercise 20 % (4/20 points)

3. Cybercrime Lab (noncompulsory - improving the grade up to 3 points)

4. 3000-word essay 65 % (13/20 points)

Participation in the in-class debates: The course participants will have to participate actively in the in-class debates (occasionally based on group tasks).

Midterm exercise: The students will have to showcase the knowledge acquired about cybercrime typologies and phenomenology.

Cybercrime Lab: The students are encouraged to think creatively about a topic of their interest (approval required). Performance will be assessed based on (i) structured analysis and critical thinking; (ii) proper use of key concepts; and (iii) appropriate reasoning. The presentation should be 4-5 minutes in length, followed by a 5-minute discussion with the lecturer. Presentations can only enhance the final grade (up to 3 points).

3000-word 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 out of the list the lecturer will make it available to them for this purpose. Each of the proposed topics can be chosen by a maximum of 3 students. In case a student would like to work on a topic not included in the list, (s)he should contact the lecturer to reach an agreement with that regard until May 3rd. The assessment of the essays will be based on the successful presentation of the chosen topic (based on a research question); the author’s critical thinking and argumentation; structure and material organization; the originality of the ideas included in the work; style (use of language and terminology); and proper use of literature. The essay will be written in English. The word limit, namely that of 3000 words, includes a bibliography and references across the text. For purposes of grading, essays that are submitted late will be subject to a penalty (0,5 grading points per day of delay). The lecturer may make exceptions to this policy for true emergencies, such as serious illness. The professor’s decision to grant or deny a request for an exception is final and unreviewable. The essays will be submitted on Moodle via a Turnitin assignment. Students who fail to comply with scientific publication rules, particularly with the rules of proper citation and originality, will be excluded from continuous evaluation.

Final exam: Students retain the right to be assessed based on a final written exam. The final grades will be announced two weeks after the exam day.

Subject matter

• Definitions and Cybercrime Fundamentals


• Criminal Law theory applied to Cybercrime


• Offences against the person in online settings


• Financial crime in online settings


• Artificial Intelligence crime


• Cyberterrorism


• Transition from electronic to AI-generated evidence


• Automation in law enforcement settings


• Algorithmic criminal justice


• Automation and criminal justice: EU policies and plans

The syllabus can be subject to adjustments. Students will be informed on time in case of any changes to the syllabus.

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: