PLST 315 Digital Forensics and the Legal Implications

This course provides in-depth exposure to digital forensics within a legal framework. Students will learn about the technical language associated with digital information, and explore the most common types of digital evidence, while also considering the legal context and legal tools necessary for presenting information within a court of law before a judge and/or jury while addressing implications relevant to the Christian worldview.

As our society’s dependence on electronic communication increases, legal methods for documenting this communication increases as well. This course is designed to give the student the tools necessary to extract data from all formats within a legal context. The student will also study the ethical issues associated with this cutting-edge landscape and develop a biblical worldview through which to evaluate them.   

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (2)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. The initial thread must be 250 words in length and demonstrate course-related knowledge. This thread must contain at least 3 scholarly references published in the last five years cited in current Bluebook format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150 words in length and cite from at least 1 scholarly reference published within the last five years in current Bluebook format. 

Short Paper: Common Types of Digital Evidence, Continued Assignment

The student will write a 2-page research-based paper in current Bluebook format that focuses on eDiscovery defensibility and privacy issues. The paper must include at least 2 references in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible cited in current Bluebook format. 

Article Review Assignments (2)

The student will write a brief paper discussing current news articles related to a trial or other actions that directly relate to the subject matter of data management and e-discovery. News articles used for this assignment must come from the newspaper, a news program, or some other reputable news source. Each paper must be at least 1 full page and no more than 2 full pages. These papers must be double-spaced, use 12-point font, include 1-inch margins, and be structured in current Bluebook formatting.

Quizzes (3)

Each quiz covers the Learn material for the assigned module: week. Each quiz is open-book/open-notes, contains 3 essay questions, allows for one attempt, and has a 2–hour time limit.