History of Global Organised Crime (HI2K8)

Module Convenor: Liana Beatrice Valerio

"The Whisper": Judges Giovanni Falcone & Paolo Borsellino

This is a WIISP module that will run in Venice during the Summer term, adapted by Dr Liana Beatrice Valerio from the original syllabus designed by Professor Ben Smith.

This module aims to tell the story of the rise and fall of large-scale organised crime groups during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Students will be asked to engage with literature from history, criminology, and political science.

This course introduces students to the world of organised crime spanning the Italian mafia, Japanese Yakuza, Mexican drug cartels, and beyond. You will consider the integral role of women in criminal organisations, as well as the fatal price often paid by journalists and legal experts who attempt to expose and tackle illicit activity. You will interrogate the complex circumstances where organised crime and state politics can often be embodied by the same people, or where those groups are in close collusion. Pirates, traders in exotic wildlife, smugglers of human beings, and narco-traffickers are but a few of the activities we will explore across a global scale.

Syllabus

Seminar 1 | What is Organised Crime?

Seminar 2 | Omertà, "Honour", Ritual, & Origin

Seminar 3 | Italian Mafia: Cosa Nostra, Camorra, ‘Ndrangheta

Seminar 4 | The Japanese Yakuza

Seminar 5 | The Mexican Cartels

Seminar 6 | Journalists & Judges: The Fatal Price of Truth and Justice (Case Study Mexico & Italy)

Seminar 7 | More than the Wives: Queen-pins, Foot Soldiers, Snakeheads, & Women in Organised Crime

Seminar 8 | Piracy & The Illegal Wildlife Trade: Africa & South-East Asia

Seminar 9 | The Globalisation of Organised Crime

Seminar 10 | The Ethics of Glamorising Crime: Cinema, Music, Video Games, & Netflix

Assessment

3000 word essay (80%)
Class Presentation (20%)