This course aims to give students the tools necessary to understand legal and policy issues in cyberspace. While it is impossible to become a cybersecurity expert in a single semester, students will leave the course as intelligent laypeople, adept at discussing computer and Internet security policy issues and able to spot political agendas disguised as technical arguments. Students will understand how technology and policy interrelate, when it's time to turn to technical experts, and how to use technical expertise to form effective policy.

This course is designed for policymakers rather than for implementers of preexisting policy. As such, we will not discuss how to implement Internet security policies within government organizations. Rather, we will discuss how to effectively determine which policies are the correct ones to mandate: for government, for private industry, and for individuals. This course is less about learning a body of answers, and more about learning a way of thinking about the topics in general. After completing this class, you will be more sophisticated when you approach new Internet security policy issues. Specifically, you will be able to weigh pros and cons, examine consequences of policies, and craft and recommend policies of your own.