Course Description

Cybersecurity is often viewed as a technical field; however, it is inherently multidisciplinary. Many of today’s most significant cybersecurity challenges involve human behavior, social interactions, public policy, law, crime, economics, and international relations.

This course explores cybersecurity through a social science perspective. Students will examine the social, political, legal, criminological, psychological, and economic dimensions of cybersecurity. Throughout the course, students will explore the human factors that influence cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, cybercrime, and cyber incidents.

The course will also examine the political and legal frameworks designed to address cybersecurity risks. Students will learn how scholars and professionals in fields such as psychology, sociology, criminology, political science, economics, law, and international studies approach cybersecurity research and analysis.

By the end of the course, students will better understand how social science theories, principles, and research methods contribute to cybersecurity and how we understand it at the individual, organizational, and societal levels.

-Syllabus by: Professor Dr. Trinity Woodbury