Security and Technology
UndergraduateMUR-POL2082026
Course information for 2026 intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 19 July 2026
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 15 weeks
- Start dates
- 27 July 2026
- Price from
- $2,176
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
Security and Technology
About this subject
On successful completion of this subject you will be able to:
- Understand and explain technology use in different national, regional and international security contexts.
- Identify key concepts in security studies and their relevance to tech applications in different security contexts.
- Evaluate the strengths and shortcomings of policy and governance of technology in security.
- Synthesise evidence to communicate arguments in relation to technology’s role in security across different formats.
- Part I: Sovereignty and technology
- Introduction
- Technical solutions to intelligence and certainty
- Sovereignty, automation and responsibility
- Cybersecurity and sovereignty
- Part II: Dilemmas for dual use technology
- Hackers, leakers and policymakers: Politics of surveillance technology
- Artificial intelligence
- Nuclear energy and technology
- Autonomous technology: drones and robots
- Augmented reality: Games and simulations
- Part III: Global norms and governance
- Governing surveillance
- Governing AI
- Reflections: Why should we think about the past, present and future of technology in security?
Technological capacity is increasingly a defining feature of security capability, whether at the national or international level. In recent years, security cooperation between states has involved non-state actors with technical expertise, products, and solutions.
This subject provides students with a foundation to approach questions about technology in security: How does technology promise to solve key concerns for security and sovereignty? How do technologies shape security interests, definitions, or objectives? What are the dynamics of competition and cooperation between different state and non-state actors in terms of technology governance and/or regulation?
The subject is structured in three parts: sovereignty and technology, dual use technology, and global norms and governance relevant to the intersection of security and technology.
Please Note: All students studying at Murdoch University will need to complete the compulsory unit, Murdoch Academic Passport (MAP100), which only takes 2-3 hours to complete online. Find out more: http://goto.murdoch.edu.au/MurdochAcademicPassport.
- Presentation (25%)
- Annotated bibliography (25%)
- Research Essay (50%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
This research-based university in Perth has a strong interdisciplinary focus and a reputation for outstanding teaching and ground-breaking research. With more than 25,000 students and 2,400 staff from over 90 countries, and campuses in Dubai and Singapore, Murdoch embraces free thinking, shared ideas and knowledge to make a difference, and Open Universities Australia is certainly part of that.
Learn more about Murdoch University.
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- QS World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 26
- Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2025, within Australia:
- 31
Entry requirements
Others
To enrol in this subject, you must have passed a minimum of 12 credit points at 100-level.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
UndergraduateMUR-BAR-DEG
UndergraduateMUR-BGS-DEG
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