Instructor: Dr. Andrew G. Kotulic
Office: BSA A-408
Telephone: 330.672.1229 (Office)
e-mail: akotulic@kent.edu
Office Hours: Tues, Wed & Thur 5:00-6:00 PM, Wed 3:00-4:00 PM, Thur 1:30-2:30 PM
Textbook:
Principals of Information Security (2003). Whitman & Mattord. Thomson-Course Technology. ISBN 0-619-06318-1.
Course Objectives
The course is designed to provide a broad view of the field of information security [terminolgy and history]. Additionally, the basic principals and mechanisms[logical and physical] that managers are required to understand in order to implement and manage an information security program will be discussed. The course will provide an introduction to the threats directed at the vulnerabilities of organizational information resources. The primary objective is to introduce the student to the basic tools available to develop and administer an information security risk management program capable of delivering appropriate countermeasures to deal with identified threats and vulnerabilities. The course will provide an introduction to the hardware, software, and firmware that are becoming necessary for managers to understand in order to make more informed decisions about information security program requirements. The classroom activity will include visits to Internet sites, student assignments, i.e., in class case analysis, article/topic discussions and supplemental homework assignments. This approach will be used in order to enrich the learning environment.
The breadth of the course content demands a reading intensive environment. The students will be required to read the assigned material prior to the class meetings.
General Topic Coverage
The topics that will be covered are necessary to understand how the Security Systems Development Life Cycle (SecSDLC) methodology can be used to sucessfully implement an information security program.
Based on the class demographics, selected areas from the SecSDLC methodology will be covered in more depth. This will be discussed during the initial class meetings.
Learning Activities
Lectures
Visits to Web sites
Selected review questions
Exercises and case exercises.
Selected homework assignments.
Selected white paper readings and analysis
Emphasis on class discussion of assignments
Grading Policy: The final grade for this course will be based on the following;
| FACTOR | |||
| Mini Project 01 | 15% | 90-100 | A |
| Mini Project 02 | 15% | 80-90 | B |
| Project 03 | 40% | 70-80 | C |
| In Class Assignments | 15% | 60-70 | D |
| Home Work Assignments | 15% | <60 | F |
| Total | 100% | NA | NA |
Class Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes. If you are not in class you cannot contribute to the overall class experience. In case of borderline grades, attendance (or lack of) will be used in the determination of the final grade. Additionally, if you are not in class you cannot earn class participation points.
Assignments: The chapters, articles and/or white papers that are assigned should be read before coming to class. The student should be ready to contribute to the class by being ready to respond if called upon to lead a discussion based on the specific topic under review. Additional details will be explained in class.
TENTATIVE PROJECT TYPES:
INTERNET BASED. The number and details will be furnished at a later date. This is necessary due to the impact of class size on the type and number that will be assigned.
RESEARCH PROJECT
Each individual is to prepare a research report on some topic from the field of information security and present it in class. The topic you select should be relevant to the course and add new information beyond the material that I cover. The details will be furnished at a later date.
Writing Standards: Students enrolled in this course are expected to use literate and effective English in their speech and writing. All papers submitted must be neat and well-written; grades on written work will be based on expression as well as content.
QUIZZES
There will be no quizzes.
COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Prerequisites: Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisites risk being deregistered from the class.
Course registration: Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes. You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section. Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Friday, September 05, 2003 to correct it with your advising office. If registration errors are not corrected by this date and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.
Academic honesty: Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit. In addition, it is considered cheating when one cooperates with someone else in any such misrepresentation. The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense. It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course. Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.
Course withdrawal: For Fall 2003, the course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, November 01, 2003. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.
Students with disabilities: In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required. Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).
E-mail Accounts: Effective Fall '02 Student Kent State University e-mail accounts are the university's official means of communication with students. Students should check their e-mail accounts on a periodic basis (at least twice a week) for university related items.
I will only send e-mail to a student e-mail account. If you want e-mail sent to a different account you must set up your Kent State account to forward your e-mail. There will be no exceptions to this policy.