MIS41240 The Encrypted Information Society: Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Freedom in Context

Academic Year 2022/2023

This module investigates cybersecurity through its cultural history, institutions and organizations, and technological design. It adopts a broad view of the topic, exploring how “cyber” emerged in modern mathematical and scientific discoveries, flourished with twentieth century systems thinking, and sparked a vigorous debate about liberty and citizenship as it co-evolved with global, online technologies, values, and culture. Contemporary business activities related to cybersecurity are discussed, analysed, and critiqued. Students will learn philosophical and sociological theory, politics and economics, rhetorical and cultural critique, and mechanisms of technology innovation and governance. Scholarly texts are connected to real-world case studies, from hacking and crime to corporate espionage and cyberwar.

Show/hide contentOpenClose All

Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this module, students will be able to:
• Develop a sophisticated analysis of contemporary cybersecurity events
• Situate the cybersecurity industry in past and present economic and industrial contexts
• Understand the functional (instrumental) and strategic inputs that inform cybersecurity procurement decisions
• Debate the norms and designs of the contemporary surveillance state
• Write a scholarly essay

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

30

Specified Learning Activities

56

Autonomous Student Learning

114

Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Independent reading, watching recorded materials, and synchronous class discussion. Self-organized group work 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: Scholarly essay: You will write a 1500-2000 word scholarly essay on a self-selected topic of relevance to the course. Your topic must be pre-approved. Iterative writing process. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded No

40

Group Project: Team assignment: You will be assigned to a team that is tasked with analyzing and then reporting on one of the predetermined questions related to cybersecurity. Week 12 n/a Graded No

35

Assignment: Choose your own adventure: Narrative introduction to challenges and ambiguities of cybersecurity. Online & asynchronous. Week 5 n/a Graded No

25


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Remediation Type Remediation Timing
In-Module Resit Prior to relevant Programme Exam Board
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Summative feedback on individual assignments Formative feedback in-class on work-in-progress group assignment. Summative feedback on completed activities.

Readings will be linked/made available in Brightspace:

Recommended reading: Robertson, J., & Riley, M. (2018, October 4). China Used a Tiny Chip in a Hack That Infiltrated U.S. Companies. Bloomberg.com.
Recommended viewing “The Craft of Writing Effectively” (Youtube link)
-
Reading: Kahn (1968), Codebreakers (pp. 68-113)
Reading: DuPont and Fidler, “Edge Cryptography and the Co-development of Computer Networks and Cybersecurity”
Reading: Rit (2016), “Anarchy” in Rise of the Machines: A Cybernetic History (pp.246-293)
Reading: Zittrain et al., “Don’t Panic: Making Progress on the Going Dark Debate” (pp. 1-15)
Reading: Assange et al. Cypherpunks (pp.1-6, 21-40) & Levine Surveillance Valley: The Rise of the Military-Digital Complex (pp. 219-269)
Reading: Schneier (2020), “Hacking AI” (pp.21-42)
Reading: Choucri et al in New Solutions for Cybersecurity (2017), “Institutions for Cybersecurity: International Responses and Data Sharing Initiatives”
DuPont (2021), “Ethical Cryptocurrency, Blockchain, and DLT Research”
Lecture: DuPont (2019)
Reading: DuPont, “Responsibly Governing Consensus”
Reading: Torpey (2018), The Invention of the Passport: Surveillance, Citizenship, and the State, second edition (pp. 1-25)
Reading: Voshmgir and Zargham, “Foundations of Cryptoeconomic systems”
Name Role
Dr Quinn Dupont Lecturer / Co-Lecturer