UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
School of Criminal Justice
College of Liberal Arts
Spring 2015
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
CJ 4523 CRN 27249 (Undergraduate)
Prerequisites(s): ENG 1113, 1213, CJ 1413. Junior or senior standing.
Tuesday and Thursday 9:30am – 10:45am FSI 111
Cyber Crime
University of Central Oklahoma Faculty
Name: Mark R. McCoy, Ed.D.
Office/Office Hours:
Office/Office Hours:
FSI 110 / Monday/Wednesday 8am – 10am
Tuesday/Thursday 10:45am – 11:45am and by appointment
Skype: mrm3810 or mmccoy@uco.edu
Twitter: @DrMcCoyUCO
Telephone Numbers: (405) 974-6914
E-Mail Address: mmccoy@uco.edu
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Dr. McCoy recently retired after 20 years of service as a Deputy Inspector with the Oklahoma State
Bureau of Investigation. Prior to that worked as a police officer for the Tulsa Police Department. He has
been involved in the investigation of all types of crime from homicide to public corruption. During the last
10 years, his focus has been on computer crime and the forensic examination of digital evidence and he
supervised the OSBI Computer Crime Unit.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course provides an introduction to the investigation of computer crime and the forensic examination
of digital evidence. This course involves intensive study of the history and terminology of computer
crime; the types of crimes committed in cyberspace; a behavioral profile of computer offenders; legal
issues in cyberspace; the proper collection and preservation of digital evidence, and an overview of
computer forensics.
REQUIRED COURSE TEXT
Maras, M. H. (2015). Computer Forensics: Cybercriminals, Laws, and Evidence 2nd ed. Jones & Bartlett
Learning. ISBN: 978-1-4496-9222
COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goals of this course are that participants, as part of a community of learners, will be able to:
 Apply the FBI Computer Crime Adversarial Matrix to computer crime offenders.
 Describe the history of computer crime in the United States.
 Define and use computer terminology related to cybercrime investigations.
 Identify the different categories of computer crime.
 Describe the different motivations and behaviors of computer criminals.
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Apply the First Amendment to computer related crime.
Apply the Fourth Amendment to computer related crime.
Comprehend the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.
Transformational Learning Outcomes
University of Central Oklahoma is a learning-centered organization committed to transformative education
through active engagement in the teaching-learning interchange, scholarly and creative pursuits,
leadership, global competency, healthy lifestyles, and service to others. This course addresses 4 of the
university’s transformative learning goals:
 Discipline Knowledge
 Leadership
 Problem Solving (Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activities)
 Service Learning and Civil Engagement
BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE
This course is designed to provide experiences, critical insights, and opportunities for personal growth by
increasing the knowledge, skills and attitudes related to issues in cybercrime investigations. Participants
will be expected to demonstrate their knowledge and skills by engaging in discussion and dialogue
concerning the topics of the course, writing about current issues in cybercrime, and completing practical
exercises.
Tentative Schedule and Important Dates:
Dates for exams and topics are tentative and may be changed with notice from the instructor.
Week
Topic
Reading
1/13 – 1/15
Introduction/Course Overview
Course Syllabus
1/20 – 1/22
Entering the World of Cyber Crime
Maras Chapter 1
1/27 – 1/29
Introduction to Computer Forensics &
Electronic Evidence
Maras Chapter 2
2/3 – 2/5
Laws Regulating Access to Electronic Evidence
Maras Chapter 3
2/10 – 2/12
Searches and Seizures of Electronic Evidence
Maras Chapter 4
2/17 – 2/19
AAFS (Class meets Online)
2/24 – 2/26
Cybercrime Laws
Maras Chapter 5
3/3 – 3/5
Understanding Computer Networks
Scam Artists, Bullies and Lurking Predators
Maras Chapter 6
3/10 – 3/12
Review/Midterm Exam (3/12)
Maras Chapters 1-6
3/17 – 3/19
SPRING BREAK
3/24 – 3/26
Cyberterrorism
Maras Chapter 7
3/31 – 4/2
Where is the Electronic Evidence and tools to
find it
Maras Chapter 8
4/7 – 4/9
Crime and Incident Scene
Maras Chapter 9
4/14 – 4/16
Corporate Crimes
Maras Chapter 10
4/21 – 4/23
Email Forensics
Maras Chapter 11
4/28 – 4/30
The Pretrial and Courtroom Experience
Maras Chapter 14
Reflection Paper Due 4/28
Final Exam
9am – 10:50am
5/5
Course Communication and Content via D2L
I will use the UCO D2L course platform as a supplement to this course so it is very important that you
check D2L before every class meeting. I recommend you login to D2L at least 2-3 times per week,
because lecture notes, course handouts, lab assignments and supplemental materials will be distributed
using D2L. I will also use D2L to send email and make course announcements concerning required
readings, homework assignments, class cancellations etc.. I will not use class time to make these
announcements so you must check your UCO email and login to D2L on a regular basis. I recommend
you configure D2L to text you or email you when new announcements are posted.
ATTENDANCE
Your participation and attendance in class is very important, both to your fellow students and to me. If
you are unable to attend class you are still responsible for the all the material covered in the readings, in
class assignments and the other classroom learning activities. During the course you will have
opportunities to participate in group activities and class discussions. I encourage and welcome opposing
perspectives, nevertheless, class participants are expected to treat one another with the respect and
dignity everyone is entitled to and nothing less than such democratic behavior will be acceptable.
EXAMS AND MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS (Evaluation Components)
*Class Participation
25% of your grade for this class is based on your participation in discussion. Participating in discussion
does not necessarily mean talking a lot or showing everyone else that you know or have studied a lot.
Good discussion participation involves people trying to build on, and synthesize, comments from others,
and on showing appreciation for others’ contributions. It also involves inviting others to say more about
what they are thinking. Some of the most helpful things you can do are call for a quiet interlude, bring a
new resource to the classroom, or post an observation on line. So there are multiple ways quieter
learners can participate. Below are some specific behavioral examples of good participation in discussion:
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Ask a question or make a comment that shows you are interested in what another person says
Ask a question or make a comment that encourages another person to elaborate on something
they have already said
Bring in a resource (a reading, web link, video) not covered in the syllabus but adds new
information/perspectives to our learning
Make a comment that underscores the link between two people's contributions & make this link
explicit in your comment
Use body language (in only a slightly exaggerated way) to show interest in what different
speakers are saying
Make a comment indicating that you found another person's ideas interesting or useful. Be
specific as to why this was the case
Contribute something that builds on, or springs from, what someone else has said. Be explicit
about the way you are building on the other person's thoughts
When you think it's appropriate, ask the group for a moment's silence to slow the pace of
conversation to give you, and others, time to think
Make a comment that at least partly paraphrases a point someone has already made
Make a summary observation that takes into account several people's contributions & that
touches on a recurring theme in the discussion
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Ask a cause and effect question - for example, "can you explain why you think it's true that if
these things are in place such and such a thing will occur?"
Find a way to express appreciation for the enlightenment you have gained from the discussion.
Try to be specific about what it was that helped you understand something better.
*Class Blog
Throughout the semester, we will collectively develop a class blog, chronicling news reports on the
impact of cybercrime on society. The blog will be developed in a Facebook Group created for our class.
Use this link to join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/UCOCybercrime/
I am especially looking for you to post and discuss articles related to the themes in our class. Your task is
to contribute at least one link and short commentary to the blog EVERY WEEK, as well as to comment
regularly on others’ posts. I will give you some instruction on the technical side of things, but you are
going to have to “own” this blog, as it belongs to you. Towards the end of the semester, I will ask you to
write up a reflection essay on the themes evoked by the blog and to identify your own contribution. To
complete this assignment, you are going to have to read the news regularly or set up a Google-news
search.
*Reflection Paper
You will write a paper of about 750 words that examines the major themes that you and your classmates
(and I) have explored via our class group on Facebook. What are the contemporary issues that speak to
the themes of this class? How has your understanding changed over the past few months? Most of all,
though, what does your major/discipline/fields of interest have to say about these themes?
The biggest challenge (except for those who haven’t been contributing or reading the page) will be
picking out your themes and thinking about how to bring them together into a coherent essay.
*Reading Quizzes
Short quizzes of 5 – 15 questions covering that week’s assigned reading and homework will be completed
in D2L. The quizzes will need to be completed one hour before the beginning of that week’s class.
Reading quizzes cannot be made up.
*Examinations
The course Exams and Final Examinations will consist of multiple choice, true and false, short answer, fill
in the blank and essay questions based on course readings, lab assignments, lectures and class
discussions. The Final Examination will be comprehensive.
All papers/written assignments should be completed by the assigned due date. A late penalty
of 10% per day will be imposed on papers/assignments that do not adhere to this time frame. The page
count does not include the cover page or reference page. The majority of the papers and assignments in
this class will be electronically submitted in digital format in D2L. I will not accept assignments that are
improperly submitted. These papers should be scholarly in nature and should be cited according to the
American Psychological Association (APA). The Criminal Justice Student Writers Manual is an excellent
resource for APA formatting and course writing assignments. University of Central Oklahoma’s policy on
plagiarism will be enforced.
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I typically do not grant course “Incompletes”. All assignments must be completed and submitted
prior to the last day of the course.
Grades
Participation (In-Class)
Class Blog (Facebook Group)
Reflection Paper
Reading Quizzes
25%
20%
15%
10%
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Grading Scale:
Undergraduate Students
90%- 100%
80% - 89%
70%- 79%
60% - 69%
Below 60%
15%
15%
A
B
C
D
F
Additional student information can be found at: http://www.uco.edu/academic-affairs/files/aaforms/StudentInfoSheet.pdf