PD 305

Media Social Media & Crime

This course will examine the impacts of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on law enforcement and investigation practices. Students will learn how to effectively communicate with the general public through social media platforms. Students will be exposed to the current policies and legislation dealing with Social Media including the Freedom of Information Act, protection of privacy and delivering sensitive information. Conversely, students will be exposed to cultural criminal theories, critical Marxist theories and Foucauldian theory. In addition, students will identify how real-time virtual public platforms allow law enforcement officials to discover, conduct and analyze evidence in solving online crimes. In turn, law enforcement officials will be able to use social platforms as agents of social control to assist in reducing the amount of online/virtual deviance, i.e., cyberbullying. Prerequisites: One of: OL200/MB200, PD101, PD205.