Course Grade Received: A
Cybersecurity & Social Science
Cybersecurity is often seen as a technical field, but it is inherently multidisciplinary, with critical aspects best understood through a social science perspective. This CYSE201S course explores the social, political, legal, criminological, and economic dimensions of cybersecurity. Students will learn about the human factors that influence cybersecurity threats and the social dynamics that contribute to cyber incidents. The course also examines the political and legal frameworks designed to mitigate these risks. Additionally, students will study how social scientists from fields like psychology, political science, criminology, economics, sociology, and international studies approach cybersecurity research and analysis.
This course addresses the social, political, legal, criminological, and economic dimensions of cybersecurity through a social science framework. Students are introduced to a human-factors approach to understanding cybersecurity threats. Attention is given to the social factors that contribute to cyber incidents and the political and legal mechanisms that are developed to control the behaviors of those who create risks and cybersecurity incidents. The class also explores how cybersecurity is studied by social scientists in various social science disciplines.
Course Objectives
- Compare psychological, sociological, criminological, political, economic, and legal theories as they relate to cybersecurity.
- Identify strengths and weaknesses of these theories in the context of human behavior and cybersecurity.
- Define key concepts including cybersecurity, cybercrime, cyber law, and digital forensics.
- Identify how professionals in various cybersecurity careers apply these multidisciplinary concepts in their daily routines.
- Describe how hypotheses and research questions are formed in studies addressing cybersecurity through a social science lens.
- Describe how data are collected, measured, and analyzed in studies addressing cybersecurity through a social science lens.
- Identify how marginalized groups have confronted challenges and concerns related to cybersecurity as well as how these groups have contributed to our understanding about the topic.
- Explain how the application of social science theories, principles, and research strategies have contributed to our understanding of cybersecurity at the societal level.