SO/AN 350 - Organized Crime in Italy: Mafias, Murders, and Business

The course analyzes the role of organized crime in Italy through a historical, structural, and cultural perspective. After an overview of the various criminal organizations that are active both in Italy and abroad – the Camorra and the Ndrangheta, today’s richest and most powerful criminal organization – the course will focus on the Sicilian mafia, Cosa Nostra. Discussion topics will include both mafia wars, the importance of investigators Falcone and Borsellino, the Maxi Trial, and the anti-mafia state organizations, from their origins to their role today in the struggle against organized crime. The course will highlight the creation of the International Department against Mafia and legislation developed specifically to aid in the fight against criminal organizations. It will examine the ties between Cosa Nostra and Italian politics, the period of terrorist attacks, and response of the Italian government.