Course Syllabus

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Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change. Instructors will notify students of any changes and students will be responsible for abiding by them. Even if you print this syllabus, please check the online version often.

Description

IST 803: Cybersecurity Foundations (3 credits)

This graduate course builds foundational knowledge in students new to cybersecurity. This course covers operating systems, cybersecurity (OSI Model, TCP/IP suite, hardware, etc.), networking, database, and cloud concepts, as well as topics in security, risk, analysis, and cybersecurity.

Prerequisites

  • None

Objectives

After successfully complete this course, students will be able to:

  1. Generalize the basic components of a computer operating system (e.g., CPU, memory), virtualization, and their relation to safe computing and malware testing
  2. Describe the relevance of technology stacks and organizational planning, and their importance in cybersecurity
  3. Discuss networking concepts (e.g., OSI model, TCP/IP suite, ports and services, hardware, medium, protocols, and encapsulation) and their relationship to cybersecurity
  4. Describe cybersecurity considerations using remote SQL calls in secure database implementation (e.g., normalization, APIs, ETL, cloud-based storage, and port mapping)
  5. Summarize security and risk analysis frameworks and modeling of cybersecurity, including people, processes, and data, the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, and availability), and cloud computing “XaaS”
  6. Apply cybersecurity concepts as they relate to organizations, business processes, and architecture principles

Instructor

Materials

This class will be requiring Cengage MindTap for three texts. Instead of purchasing these three items separately, you only need to purchase one Cengage Unlimited eTextbooks + Online Learning Platforms subscription:

A Cengage Unlimited subscription includes access to all Cengage textbooks & course materials across their entire catalog. If you are taking other courses that also assign Cengage materials, those will be included in your Cengage Unlimited subscription as well.

You can purchase Cengage Unlimited at the bookstore, or directly from Cengage at https://www.cengage.com/unlimited/. Make sure to select the Cengage Unlimited eTextbooks + Online Learning Platforms subscription option.

To add the MindTap textbook materials to your Cengage dashboard:

Assignments & Grading

Students’ knowledge will be assessed via:

  • Weekly reflection and discussion review of topics and their connection to cybersecurity; each student will be required to create a blog with real-life examples of how the topics being taught relate to their background.
    The purpose of the discussion questions is for each group to discuss how the module materials relate to the final group project.  
  • Quizzes; quizzes will be used to demonstrate a solid understanding of the basic concepts being presented in the course. There will be twelve quizzes required overall, weighted equally.
  • Final paper including team-based analysis; all students will participate in a final team project, summarizing their understanding of course concepts and how it relates to a case study.
  • Hands-on experiential labs; students will be expected to actively participate and complete hands-on labs provided to reinforce current concepts in operating systems, networking, and security. There will be eight hands-on experiential labs required, weighted equally.
Course Grading Breakdown
Grading Category Percentage of Final Grade
Weekly reflection and discussion review of topics and their connection to cybersecurity 20%
Quizzes 30%
Final Paper 25%
Labs 25%
TOTAL 100%

Course Grading Scale

The following are minimum cutoffs for each grade:

  • 93.00% = A
  • 90.00% = A-
  • 87.00% = B+
  • 83.00% = B
  • 80.00% = B-
  • 77.00% = C+
  • 70.00% = C
  • 60.00% = D
  • less than 60.00% = F

Course Policies and Expectations

  • Logging into Canvas - Students are expected to login regularly to check for course updates, announcements, emails, discussions, etc.
  • Emailing through Canvas - Students are expected to use Canvas for all course email communication.
  • Attending virtual meetings - Students are expected to use specified virtual meeting tool(s) for collaboration, meetings, presentations, etc., as needed.

Emergency Notifications

PSUAlert is available at https://psualert.psu.edu. PSUAlert is Penn State’s emergency notification system for students, faculty and staff. The system will be used to alert members of Penn State’s campus communities of emergencies, campus closings and other urgent information. Using this portal, students, faculty and staff can choose to receive PSUAlert messages by text message, voice message and e‑mail. We recommend that students enroll in this system.

Academic Integrity

Penn State and the College of Information Sciences and Technology are committed to maintaining Penn State's policy on Academic Integrity in this and all other courses. We take academic integrity matters seriously and expect you to become a partner to the University/College standards of academic excellence.

For more information, please review these policies and procedures:

While utilizing additional sources outside of this class is encouraged for gaining a better understanding of course concepts, seeking explicit answers for graded assignments from outside sources (e.g. Course Hero, Chegg, tutoring services like tutor.com, etc.) is considered CHEATING and will not be tolerated. Sanctions range from failure of the assignment or course to dismissal from the University. Additionally, sharing course content without permission is a violation of copyright and may result in university sanctions and/or legal ramifications. Contact your instructor with questions related to this topic. 

University Policies

Review current information regarding various Penn State policies (such as copyright, counseling, psychological services, disability and military accommodations, discrimination, harassment, emergencies, trade names, etc.) on the University Policies page.

Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage (http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/).

Resources

Find extensive information and links to many Penn State and IST resources (including the Penn State libraries, video conferencing tools, technology and software, writing and research help, and much more) on the Resources page.

Technical Requirements

Standard World Campus computer technical specifications are assumed for this course. Please test your computer for requirements. In addition, a webcam and a headset with a microphone are REQUIRED for the course. These may be used for virtual meetings, virtual office hours, interactions with classmates and your instructor, and group presentations - which are all conducted with virtual meeting tools. No special software is required.

Schedule

The following schedule outlines the topics covered in this course, along with the associated time frames, readings, activities, and assignments. All due dates reflect Eastern Time (ET). Specifying the time zone ensures that all students have the same deadlines, regardless of where they live.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due