This module aims to:

1.enable students to understand and evaluate the impact of digital technological developments on society, crime, harm and victimisation.
2.encourage students to critically consider the applicability of traditional and contemporary criminological theory in understanding cybercrime.
3.develop student knowledge with regards to the challenges that digital change causes for society and its ability to respond to forms of crime
4.enable students to think critically about policing, legislative, regulatory and private responses to cybercrime.
5.prepare students to use independent research skills and present findings in a research report.

(LO1) Critically examine how digital technology is changing the nature of crime, harm and victimization

(LO2) Apply and evaluate criminological theory in the context of cybercrime.

(LO3) Evidence understanding and critical analysis of legislative, policing, regulatory and private responses to cybercrime

(LO4) Demonstrate an ability to critically examine particular types of cybercrime and relevant societal responses to these.

(S1) Communication (oral and written) skills – oral skills will be developed in class workshops, whilst written skills will be advanced in the final written assessment.

(S2) Critical thinking will be developed in workshops and will form a key part of the final assessment.

(S3) Development of skills in reading, analysing and synthesising different viewpoints and presenting findings/conclusions in clear, comprehensible, structured format, with detailed argumentation where appropriate

(S4) Research skills will be developed through assessment as students engage with literature and other resources to produce a report.

(S5) Report writing skills will be developed through the assessment.

The module will provide students with a framework through which they can understand and critically engage with the field of cybercrime. Students will be introduced to key understandings, debates and challenges which span across all areas of cybercrime, including definitions, theories, policing, legislation and regulation. Students will then utilise this framework to further explore different types of cybercrime, for example, cyber-trespass, cyber-theft, cyber-organized crime, child sexual abuse material, child sexual exploitation, cyber-terrorism, interpersonal cybercrime and harmful online spaces and communities. The types of cybercrimes covered each year are subject to change as the field develops and new forms of crime and harm emerge.

Teaching Method 1: Workshops

Scheduled Directed Student Hours: 11 workshops, 2 hours each

Unscheduled Directed Student Hours: 128 hours of independent study

Description: 2 hour workshops will be used as a space where teaching can be flexible and tailored to the content of each particular week. Each workshop will be a mix of delivered content (short lecture type delivery) as well as interactive activities. This will allow students to engage with the materials as they are being learnt. For example, a short delivery of the typologies of cybercrime, followed by an interactive activity to allow students to further explore and apply these. This would then be followed by delivery of further content and further interspersed activities. This should allow students to be active learners and will give them opportunities utilise their reading for a range of different activities each week.

Attendance Recorded: Yes