Digitalisation, Infrastructure and Vulnerability (SAM500)

The course is obligatory for students at the masters degree programs in Societal Safety. The course introduces critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions, the differences between these, and their importance for societal safety and security. The course emphasizes how and why the critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions are vulnerable, with a special focus on digitalization and cybersecurity.

The following topics are addressed in the course:

• Vulnerability in critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions
• Societal safety and security and safety and security manangement
• System thinking and complex technological systems
• Digitalization, cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems, and digital ethics
• Planning and climate change adaption
• Risk regulation

The course will in particular address critical infrastructures such as ICT, power supply systems, and water and sewage systems. Other critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions will also be discussed and used as examples in the lectures.

After completing the course, students shall have the following learning outcomes, defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

The students shall be able to explain

• What critical societal functions, related critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions are, and the differences between these terms.
• What makes critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions vulnerable - with a particular focus on digitalization, complexity, interdependencies, and climate challenges.
• Central concepts and theories about complex technological systems, safety and security management, risk regulation, cybersecurity, and what can reduce vulnerabilities in critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions.
• Why safety and security management of critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions requires system understanding.
• Various means for safety and security management of critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions - such as cybersecurity measures, risk regulation, planning, and climate change adaptation.
• Why critical infrastructures can be described as cyber-physical systems and why a holistic approach to safety and security management is necessary to manage safety and security in critical infrastructures.

The students shall

• Be able to reflect on and discuss challenges for safety and security management of critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions, and digital-ethical dilemmas.
• Be able to analyze relevant and current issues.
• Be able to see connections between theories of safety and security management, planning theories, and system models and perspectives.
• Be able to explain why safety and security management of critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions requires system understanding and a holistic approach to safety and security management.

The students shall

• Have acquired knowledge about critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions, the differences between these, and their importance for societal safety and security.
• Have acquired knowledge about what makes the critical societal functions, critical infrastructures, and fundamental national functions vulnerable, and which means can be used to try to manage the safety and security of these.
• Have acquired basic knowledge of digitalization and cybersecurity.