Course

Cybercrime

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Criminology
Course code
Crim 3365
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course explores technical, legal, and social issues related to cybercrime. Cybercrime is a broad term that includes offences where a computer may be the target, crimes where a computer may be a tool used in the commission of an existing offence, and crimes where a computer may play a subsidiary role such as offering evidence for the commission of an offence. The operation of computers and the internet will be discussed. The origins and extent of cybercrime, responses from legal systems to cyber-criminals, and the social impact of cybercrimes will be addressed. Various types of cybercrimes, cyber-criminals, as well as the motivations and methods involved in cyber-offences will be explored. The etiology of cybercrimes will be analyzed from cultural, subcultural, sociological, and opportunity perspectives. International issues and jurisdictional challenges will be critically examined.
Course content

1. Computer and internet basics:

  • Computer hardware and software
  • Operation of the Internet
    • Infrastructure and usage

2. The legal composition of cybercrime:

  • Defining cybercrime
  • Classifying cyber offences
    • Computer offences
    • Computer-facilitated offences
    • Computer-supported offences
  • Prevalence and frequency of cybercrimes
    • Globally
    • Canada

3. Methods and techniques used in the commission of offences:

  • Malicious software
    • Viruses
    • Worms
    • Trojan horses
    • Spyware, adware, and scareware
  • Hacking
    • Classification of hackers
    • Techniques used by hackers
  • Spamming, phishing, and skimming
  • Botnets
  • Distributed denial of service attacks

4. Computer offences:

  • Illegal access
  • Illegal interception
  • Data and system interference
  • Misuse of devices

5. Content-related offences:

  • Child pornography

6. Offences against the person:

  • Cyberstalking
  • Grooming
  • Voyeurism
  • Cyberbullying

7. Fraud and financial crimes:

  • Fraud
  • Identity theft
  • Money laundering
  • Copyright infringement
    • Software piracy

8. Theoretical explanations for cybercrimes:

  • Cultural and subcultural
  • Sociological
  • Opportunity

9. International issues:

  • Cyber-terrorism
  • Cyber-warfare
  • Human trafficking

10. Jurisdictional issues:

  • Canadian laws and jurisdiction
  • Global nature of cybercrimes and jurisdictional issues
    • Prescriptive jurisdiction
    • Adjudicative jurisdiction
    • Enforcement jurisdiction
  • Canadian laws and jurisdiction
Learning activities

This course will employ a variety of instructional methods to accomplish its objectives, including some of the following:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • audio visual material
  • small group discussions
  • research projects and research papers
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific evaluation criteria at the beginning of the semester.  Evaluation will be based on some of the following:

  1. Participation
  2. Essay
  3. Oral presentation
  4. Exams and quizzes

An example of one possible evaluation scheme would be:

Participation

10%

Midterm Exam 1

20%

Midterm Exam 2

20%

Essay  

30%

Oral Presentation

10%

Final Quiz

10%

Total

100%

 

 
Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, successful students will be able to: 

  1. Illustrate the operation of computers and the internet.
  2. Identify various classifications of cybercrimes and cyber-criminals.
  3. Describe the prevalence of cybercrimes in Canada and other nations.
  4. Identify the methods and techniques commonly used by cyber-criminals.
  5. Distinguish between various types of cybercrimes with respect to the motivations and methods of operation of offenders, the types of victims or targets, and the spatial, temporal, and legal domains in which they are carried out.
  6. Analyse international issues such as cyber-terrorism, cyber-warfare, and human trafficking.
  7. Examine the ability of existing criminological theories to explain cybercrime.
  8. Analyse existing Canadian cybercrime legislation and the dynamic nature of the ways cybercrimes are documented in legislation.
  9. Explain jurisdictional challenges when responding to cybercrime.
Textbook materials

Title: Principles of Cybercrime, 2nd Edition

Author(s): Clough, Jonathan

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Publication Date: 2015

 

Title: Cybercrime: Key Issues and Debates

Author(s): Alisdair A. Gillespie

Publisher: Routledge

Publication Date: 2015

 

Title: Cybercrime: Investigating High-Technology Computer Crime

Author(s): Robert Moore

Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Publication Date: 2014

 

Title: Cybercrime and the Law: Challenges, Issues, and Outcomes

Author(s): Susan W. Brenner

Publisher: Northeastern University Press

Publication Date: 2012

 

Title: Cybercrime in Canadian Criminal Law

Author(s): Sara M. Smyth

Publisher: Carswell

Publication Date: 2015

Requisites

Prerequisites

CRIM 1150

Corequisites

Courses listed here must be completed either prior to or simultaneously with this course:

  • No corequisite courses

Equivalencies

Courses listed here are equivalent to this course and cannot be taken for further credit:

  • No equivalency courses

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for CRIM 3365
Athabasca University (AU) AU CRJS 3XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU CRIM 3XX (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) No credit
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR CRIM 2XX (3)
Columbia College (COLU) No credit
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU CRIM 3XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG CRIM 2XXX (3)
Northern Lights College (NLC) NLC CRIM 2XX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU CRIM 380 (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU CRIM 3XXX (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW ARTS 2XX (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC SOSC 3XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV CRIM 3XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC SOCI 3XX (1.5)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC CRIM 2XXX (3)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) No credit

Course Offerings

Winter 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
35
Remaining seats:
0
On waitlist
29
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N3410
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section notes

See Legal Studies (LGST) for other university transferable law and legal system courses