To understand this assignment, first (re)read the article below:
Fulton et al. 2019. “The effect of entertainment media on mental models of computer security.” https://www.usenix.org/system/files/soups2019-fulton.pdfLinks to an external site.
Choose a book from the list below, or from fiction in Cybersecurity Canon (https://icdt.osu.edu/cybercanon/bookreviewsLinks to an external site. and use the faceted limiter at right to choose the “Fiction / Cyber Novel” category from Genre):
Cory Doctorow, Attack Surface
Hari Kunzru, Transmission
Bruce Sterling, The Zenith Angle
Vaughn, Martin, and Vicente, The Private Eye (in the Open Book Cafe in College Library; also available for paid download from http://panelsyndicate.com/comics/tpeyeLinks to an external site.)
Martha Wells, The Murderbot Diaries series (pick one or two, not the whole series!)
G. Willow Wilson, Alif the Unseen
Several books on the list are available electronically: on the open web or for relatively-inexpensive purchase. If you have another book in mind (it must be fiction!), tell me no later than Week 3’s class; I will likely say yes.
Apply Fulton et al.’s research questions to the book you chose as you read:
Assess the book against the Attribute list in Table 2 (p. 82). You may add attributes you think should be in this list but aren’t! Include the resulting table in an appropriate spot in your turned-in paper.
Produce a table of triggering events, concepts readers learn, and influence(s) on mindset, like their paper’s Table 3 (p. 84). Include this table in an appropriate spot in your turned-in paper.
Assess the book against the misconceptions laid out in sections 4 and 5 (pp. 83-9). Add any misconceptions the book contains that do not appear in these lists. At the same time, make a list of what the book does get right.
Based on your information-gathering, answer these questions about your book in a 5-7 page paper:
What did you learn about computer security from this book? Was the book accurate, or did it foster misconceptions, or some of both? Definitely evaluate the book’s realism and accuracy against the assumptions and misconceptions laid out in sections 4 and 5 of the paper, but you are not limited to those — other readings you have done for class may have useful ideas as well. (Additional questions to consider: did you know these things already? if so, would a typical reader also know them? is the available learning helpful/useful? is it overwhelming? is it scary — and if it is, useful-scary or overwhelming-scary?)
You are absolutely allowed to do additional research into the phenomena you find in the book, to evaluate their accuracy and realism. I will also try to create opportunities to ask questions in class — nudge me if I don’t, please.
How have these learned concepts affected your overall mental model of computer security, and your resulting security behaviors? (Additional questions: what kind of person would you consider a “typical reader” of this book? do you think you reacted as a typical reader would? if not, how do you think a typical reader would react?)
Why did you learn/focus on what you did from this book? What about the characters, plot, or themes felt believable or compelling to you? Why do you think that is?
Include actual evidence from the book (quotations, spoilers/plot points, character or thematic analysis) to support your arguments. You may also read and cite (any citation style is fine, but pick one and use it consistently) book reviews or online book discussions as evidence of readers’ responses.
Finally, explain whether you think information-security professionals should suggest this book to layfolk — people whose security they are directly or indirectly responsible for, non-infosec people they work with, people they meet who are interested in infosec, etc. — and why you think that.
Grading criteria: Mechanically adequate writing (use the Writing Center if you need it!), appropriate structure, depth and accuracy of analysis and interpretation, use of quotations/plot/character/theme to support analysis.
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Make Sure to tell me which book you choose and if you need help with any of the links.
