Sociology of Organized Crime (Advanced)

The course has the following objectives: 1) to broaden the knowledge acquired during the basic teaching of Sociology of Organized Crime by presenting the results of the main and most recent academic researches on organized crime conducted at national and international level; 2) to provide the knowledge of the main methodological tools used in the field of research on organized crime, drawing from different disciplinary fields (sociology, criminology, anthropology and judicial hermeneutics) and focusing in particular on the analysis of the methods used for collecting and analysing oral sources and investigative-judicial documents; 3) to develop the ability to read critically institutional and media representations of the Mafia phenomenon.

Knowledge and understanding (knowledge and understanding) about: the main and most recent academic researches' results on organized crime produced at national and international level; the main concepts and methodological tools used in social sciences for studying organized crime; the methods of planning and conducting researches on organized crime (research design, collection and analysis of sources, elaboration of the results).
Ability to apply knowledge and understanding (applying knowledge and understanding) in relation: to the planning of sociological research on organized crime; preparing and conducting interviews and focus groups with key observers (magistrates, law enforcement, journalists, representatives of economic categories, social workers, etc.), and in-depth interviews with witnesses and collaborators with justice; to the collection and hermeneutical analysis of investigative documents (for example taped conversations) and judicial documents (for example, precautionary custody orders, sentences). During the course not only frontal lectures will be proposed, but also group activities aimed at setting up a research on organized crime, analyzing sources, elaborating interviews and, finally, communicating what has been acquired through group presentations.