Location:

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Summer

Program Overview

Program Description:

As society has gone digital, so has crime. Not only have new offences appeared, like hacking and attacks designed to take down websites or networks, but IT has begun to play an increasingly important role in some traditional forms of crime. Examples include internet fraud and cyberstalking.

Digitization has consequences for the entire spectrum of crime and raises all sorts of questions. For example, are we dealing with the same old offenders simply moving their activities online? Or has a new type of criminal emerged, with their own characteristics and motives? What personal and contextual characteristics increase or decrease the risk of falling victim to cybercrime? And which actors are best placed to protect potential victims: the police, commercial cybersecurity companies, internet service providers, hosting services? 

This course tackles such questions by looking at cybercrime from the human perspective. Topics covered include criminological theories in the information era, victim and offender profiles, cybercriminal networks and, of course, fighting this form of crime. However, the exact nature of the issues addressed is largely up to you as a participant: at an interactive session in the first week, you formulate relevant research questions and then collect and analyse data with a view to presenting your findings at the end of the course.

This course is organized jointly with the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), home to a world-leading research group on the human factor in cybercrime.

Setting Description:

As society has gone digital, so has crime. Not only have new offences appeared, like hacking and attacks designed to take down websites or networks, but IT has begun to play an increasingly important role in some traditional forms of crime.

Cost:

1000 EUR. The tuition fee includes: • Airport pick-up service • Welcome goodie bag • Orientation programme • Course excursions • On-site support • Emergency assistance • Transcript of records after completion of the course

Additional Program Information

Scholarships:

Yes

Scholarships Description:

The VU Amsterdam Summer School offers ten scholarships that cover the full tuition and housing fees of one course. Information about how to apply for the scholarship will be posted on the VU Amsterdam Summer School website.