DIGITAL SAFETY - 2026/7

Module Overview

This level 7 module aims to develop student understanding of online risk in a way which complements skills developed elsewhere on the MSc Cybercrime & Cybersecurity. It stresses the holistic nature of threats posed by digital networks (sexual, psychological, financial and so on) . It evaluates the typical harms associated with such threats and considers how traditional strategies for crime prevention need to be adapted and updated to digital environments:
¿ the development of online spaces as sources of harm
¿ evaluating and comparing differing varieties of online risk
¿ situating digital safety issues within appropriate empirical and theoretical frameworks
¿ enhancing understanding of the differing strategies used to protect vulnerable individuals in digital spaces
¿ developing skills in researching digital safety

Module provider

Sociology

Module Leader

MCGUIRE Michael (Sociology)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

n/a

Module content

* Digital security
* Information security
* Personal safety
* Psychological safety
* AI technologies and safety
* Approaches to researching safety

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Individual presentation to module leader

Assessment Strategy

The class presentation (40%) is designed to give students the chance to test their abilities to conceptualise digital crime through criminological approaches and case study examples, whilst gaining peer and academic feedback.

The written coursework (60%) will assess students skills in linking together examples of digital safety across real-world examples and case studies, including applicability to practices of regulation and enforcement of digital safety. Students will be given opportunities to discuss a brief plan of their coursework assignment with the module convener, which is optional, but encouraged.

Module aims

• Cover key paradigms around digital safety
• Consider the applicability of these paradigms to real-world examples of digital harm
• Recalibrate traditional approaches to crime prevention within the digital ecosystem

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

A mixture of seminar group discussions and lecture format content. These are designed to improve student confidence in applying concepts of digital safety and recognise their real-world application.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: SOCM088

Other information

The Department of Sociology is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in all these areas, as highlighted throughout this module descriptor. A summary of how this is achieved for each of the key pillars is provided below: Employability ¿ Many students that complete the module go onto work in the justice system and technology industry, including within research and analytics. The module engages closely with many perspectives associated with practice, including emerging trends associated with online safety/digital safety. Relevant practice examples are incorporated into the content of the module. Digital Capabilities ¿ Technology raise questions about risk, safety and legal complexities surrounding fairness and equity. Being foremost about new technologies, the module will guide students towards understanding the ways technologies present new risks and challenges for control and regulation in society. Global and Cultural Capabilities ¿ We look carefully at international examples, which are central to understanding the spread of online/digital infrastructure. Examples of how patterns of risk can be understood geo-politically will feature in the module content. Sustainability ¿ The growing pace of technologies including artificial intelligence present challenges for sustainability, including environment effects, monetary and legal complexities. The module will understand also how the configuration of new digital risks create pressures on governmental institutions to manage. Resourcefulness and Resilience ¿ Students will have the chance to engage critically in understanding the role of online safety and digital risks. This includes situations of having to manage risk in organisations, and prepare humans for their responsiveness towards digital harms.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2026/7 academic year.