Pace University IS 647 Legal Issues in Information Systems ("Cyberlaw")Cyberlaw by John Bandler front cover

Spring 2025

Weekly topics and reading

This page tells you what chapters to read for each week, and any other reading.

Your reading and research starts with the book, and you can supplement it with reading of cited references (including statutes and court decisions). Please seek the level of knowledge and understanding  suitable for this graduate level course and your individual level of learning.

The book is "Cyberlaw: Law for Digital Spaces and Information Systems", by John T. Bandler, published January 2025.

Menu (jump links)

Week 0 and throughout - Course Materials

Important course materials and resources include:

Week 1 - Course introduction - Cyberlaw learning mindset

Topics

  • In sum: Course introduction and topics tracking Cyberlaw book Chapters 1-4
  • Cyberlaw learning mindset
  • Why cyberlaw
  • Cyberlaw introduced
  • Rules
  • Course introduction and overview
  • Syllabus review
  • Tips on learning and studying

Reading

Weekly reminders (details for every week)

  • First discussion post due by Tuesday at 11:59pm, preferably earlier
  • Discussion replies due Friday at 1159pm.
    • In Week 1, you reply to all of your classmates
  • Assignment due Friday at 11:59pm

Week 2 - Introducing law (and our paper project)

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 4-7 plus paper topic.
  • Rules (recap/catchup)
  • Law
  • U.S. Legal System
  • U.S. Constitution and Amendments
  • Introduction to final paper, discuss paper topics
  • Tips on writing a paper

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See references within materials and on the reference page

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 3 - Introducing criminal and civil law plus two important amendments

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 8-12
  • Crime and criminal law introduced
  • Civil law introduced
  • The First Amendment
  • The Fourth Amendment
  • Jurisdiction

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See footnotes, references, and reference webpage

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 4 - How we got to cyberlaw: Entering cyberspace

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 13-18
  • Getting to cyber law
  • Cybercrime and identity theft
  • Other markets for your data
  • Introducing technology
  • Introducing cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention
  • Assessing and applying law to the digital domain
  • Paper topic assignment (recap)

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See footnotes, chapter resources, and the resources webpage for each chapter.

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • ** Paper topic assignment due **

Week 5 - Criminal cyberlaw 1: Substantive and procedural laws

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 19-21
  • The Western Express cybercrime case
  • Substantive criminal laws for cybercrime ("substantive criminal cyberlaw")
  • Criminal procedure and gathering electronic evidence and cybercrime evidence ("procedural criminal cyberlaw")

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • Statutes, references, etc.

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 6 - Virtual currency, money laundering and cybercrime (criminal cyberlaw 2)

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 22 and 23
  • Virtual currency, cryptocurrency, money laundering
  • Solving the cybercrime problem
  • Encryption and the "going dark" debate

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 7 - Civil cyber law introduced

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 24-26
  • Intentional torts (wrongs)
  • Negligence torts
  • Contract

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • Resources and references

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project
  • ** Submit paper outline **

Week 8 - Contract, cyber insurance, regulation

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 26-28
  • Contract law (recap/catchup)
    • Cyberinsurance
  • Regulation
  • Intellectual property introduced

Reading

  • In sum: Read Chapters xxx
    • Recap/refresh: Chapter 26. Contract law
    • Chapter 27. Regulation introduced
    • First part Chapter 28. Intellectual property law

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See references

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 9 - Intellectual property law

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapter 28
  • Intellectual property law overview
  • Copyright law
  • Trademark law
  • Patent law
  • Trade secrets law

Reading

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion ** Post your three minute recorded presentation about your paper topic to the discussion board by Friday **
  • Assignment (short reflection)
  • Work on your paper project

Week 10 - Data law 1: Data breach and cybersecurity

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 29-31
  • Data law introduced
  • Data breach notification laws
  • Cybersecurity laws

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See statutes, resources, and references

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion (watch presentations of all other students and reply)
  • Assignment
  • Work on your paper project

Week 11 - Data law 2: Privacy, AI, some data laws to review

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 32-34
  • Privacy
  • Privacy laws
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Reviewing some data laws

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • See references

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on final paper

Week 12 - Cyber conflict between nations

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapter 35
  • Law of warfare and cyberconflict
  • U.N. Charter
  • International courts
  • Foreign influence and interference
  • Range of actions and options

Reading (read before class)

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • Work on your final paper

Week 13 (2nd to last week) - Speech and expression in cyberspace

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapter 36
  • Speech and thought online
  • Cyberbullying
  • Communications decency act
  • The battle for our brains
  • Information online: fact or fiction: misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, conspiracy theories

Reading

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • n/a

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment
  • ** Submit your final paper **

Week 14 (last week) - Organization management and compliance, including with cyber

Topics

  • In sum: Topics tracking Chapters 37-41
  • Business basics law
  • Organization management and policy work
  • Apply the Five Components for Policy Work to manage
  • Cybersecurity frameworks (external guidance)
  • The Four Pillars of Cybersecurity
  • Course Wrap-Up

Reading

  • In sum: Read Chapters 37-41
  • Part 9: Organizations and cyberlaw
    • Chapter 37. Business law basics
    • Chapter 38. Management and policy work
    • Chapter 39. Managing cyber issues
    • Chapter 40. Cybersecurity frameworks
    • Chapter 41. The Four Pillars of Cybersecurity
  • Spend ten minutes on each of these sites reading and exploring

Supplemental reading and research (time permitting)

  • Other chapter resources

Weekly reminders

  • Discussion
  • Assignment?

Bottom and notes

Remember to consult the course syllabus and learning management system (LMS).

Where chapters/topics are covered in successive weeks, make sure you have read the chapter for the first week it is covered. Then we may cover it in full the first week, or merely introduce it the first week, depending on schedule.

About the book

This page is hosted at https://johnbandler.com/pace-is-647-cyberlaw-2025-spring, copyright John Bandler, all rights reserved.

Originally posted 1/9/2025.  Updated 1/10/2025.