Understanding Criminal Activity Online & Dangers to Teens on Social Media

Popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,  YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, as well as e-commerce platforms such as eBay play an increasingly important role in our society. Most people use these platforms for innocent activities like meeting others who share common interests, connecting with family and friends, planning events, and sharing self-created content. However criminals and violent groups have abused these same online spaces to conduct illicit activities. These activities threaten people, animals and world cultures. 

This course will help students understand how criminals operate online, explore the types of threats that exist on social media and provide strategies for staying safe. This is largely a discussion-based course that will include lectures and interactive activities. It will also feature current events and celebrity stories to make the information accessible to all learners. All materials have been carefully vetted and are age appropriate. 

Schedule Overview:
      Week 1: The Rise of Crime Online 
(Topics include: the history and growth of social media, benefits and harms of social media platforms, how e-crime works, and an overview of the laws governing the Internet)

      Week 2: Threatening World Cultures through Looting Antiquities and Human Remains 
(Topics include: an overview of the antiquities and human remains trades including a discussion of how antiquities are looted and illegally sold online, as well as how and why people buy human remains, and why it matters)

      Week 3: Threatening Innocent Lives with Scams and Human Trafficking 
(Topics include: a rundown of how criminals impersonate famous people to scam people or lure people into human trafficking, the laws aiming to stop the spread of human trafficking, and why it all matters) 

      Week 4: Threatening Wildlife through Illegal Wildlife Markets and Sales of Animal Parts
(Topics include: an overview of how criminals are trafficking animal parts and wildlife, efforts in place to detect and stop illegal wildlife markets, and why it all matters including discussing the intersection of research and conservation)

      Week 5: Staying Safe Online
(Topics include: strategies for staying safe online including privacy settings and limiting information sharing, how to vet a person or group to make sure that they are legitimate, understanding how criminals use information to target innocent victims, and a discussion of how updating the laws governing the Internet can improve user safety)

I will utilize a mixture of lectures, interactive activities and discussions as my teaching method. This class seeks to encourage learners to engage with the content -- so the lecture portion only makes up about  a third of the class. 

No previous background knowledge is needed for this course. All learners are welcome!