Course Syllabus

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:

Human Rights, International Relations, Political Science
Faculty Members:

Alexander Hviid

(current students please use the Canvas Inbox to contact)
Time & Place:

Tuesdays & Fridays: 13:15-14:35 

Location: Fi44-Kosmo 401

 

Course Description 

Satellites, nuclear submarines, power plants, voting data and your private data are all online and vulnerable. State and non-state actors alike have proven willing to exploit these vulnerabilities and brought the world to a state of perpetual hidden conflict. Espionage, intrusion into critical infrastructure and destructive cyber incidents happens daily. What does this entail for our understanding of peace in the cyber age and for future warfare? Analyze the operational, legal and political perspectives with practitioners in the field. 

 

Course Objectives: 

This course aims to provide you with a thorough understanding of the legal aspects of conflict and espionage in cyber space. It is also the aim to provide you with an introduction to the technical aspects of cyber conflict. Finally, we will explore privacy issues in relation to surveillance and the increasing amount of information we voluntarily make available in cyber space. 

The objectives of this course are to enable you to: 

  • Gain an understanding of how international law applies in cyber space through selected readings and class discussions. 
  • Gain an idea of the possibilities in cyber space and separate facts from myths about cyber conflict through selected readings and class discussions. 
  • Identify and discuss the main issues related to personal privacy and security, and whether those two are contrarian concepts. 
  • Examine and conduct basic analyses of contemporary cases while applying the main principles of international law. It is the aim that students by the end of the course will be able to analyze a cyber event through a prism of international law and separate legal aspects from political considerations. 
  • Increase your ability to write analytical papers using legal argumentation supported by a political perspective. 

 

Prerequisites: 

Knowledge of political science or international law. No knowledge of computer science is necessary. 

 

Course Instructors: 

Alexander Hviid

MA. Social Science (2010) and MSc. International Security & Law (2016). DIS full time faculty.  

 

 

Evaluation and Assessment: 

  • Two research papers. 
  • Participation (preparation for class, active participation during discussions in class with quality inputs rather than quantity – based an analysis and reflection). 
  • Presentation of an analysis of a cyber event. 

 

Main Themes: 

This course will have three main themes: 

  • The first part of the course will establish the framework for the work during the semester. We will discuss how international law applies to cyber space and which are the primary actors in cyber space. 
  • The second part of the course will be a case study of some of the major issues in cyber space. We will discuss privacy issues and human rights in cyberspace, we will discuss cyber war and concepts of sovereignty in a seemingly borderless space. 
  • The course will include with a series of smaller case studies and selected topics in order to further examine the practical issues relating to the development of international law norms and their applicability to cyberspace. We will look at different cyber incidents and how states have reacted to them. 

 

Literature: 

Katharina Ziolkowski (ed.) Peacetime Regime for State Activities in Cyberspace, CCDCOE 2013 http://www.ccdcoe.org/publications/books/Peacetime-Regime.pdf 

 

Michael N. Smith (ed,) Tallin Manual on the International Law applicable to Cyber Warfare, Prepared by the international group of experts at the invitation of the CCDCOE 2013.
E-Book go to Modules on the Canvas page to download

 

Anders Henriksen: International Law, Oxford University Press, 2017 

 

Selected readings from open source media, academic journals, Human Rights Instruments, Security Council resolutions, court cases, legal opinions and textbooks relevant to the individual topics. 

 

Note: Some of the readings might be subject to change during the course, but you will receive any new readings in due time to prepare for class. 

 

Academic Regulations 

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due