Course Syllabus

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Criminology of Organized Crime

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Semester & Location:

Summer Session 3 2026- DIS Stockholm
Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Criminology / Criminal Justice, Legal Studies, Public Policy

Faculty Members:

Hans Martin Brun (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:

Weekday, time, classroom TBA

 

Course Description

This course provides an analysis of criminal organizations within and across national borders, exploring their structures, operations, and impact on global security.

Students will investigate key topics such as the historical development of organized crime, the socio-economic factors that foster these criminal networks, and the diverse forms of criminal activity they engage in, including fraud and welfare fraud, money laundering, cybercrime and various types of trafficking (guns, drugs, humans).

 

Through case studies and interactive discussions, participants will examine the strategies and challenges of combating organized crime, highlighting the roles of law enforcement, international agencies, and policy frameworks.

By the end of the course, students will have gained critical insights into the mechanisms of organized crime and developed strategic thinking skills necessary for addressing these pervasive global threats.

Learning Objectives

- Understand the historical and contemporary contexts of organized crime.

- Analyze the structures and functions of criminal organizations.

- Evaluate national and international responses to organized crime.

- Apply theoretical knowledge to real-world case studies.

- Develop strategies to combat organized crime effectively.

 

This course would be ideal for students pursuing careers in criminal justice, international relations, security studies, and related fields.

Faculty

Hans Brun

PhD student at the Department of War Studies, King's College, London. His research is focused upon various aspects of counter-terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, and intelligence based police. At the moment he is finishing his PhD thesis on the use of hard power policies in Northern Ireland during the troubles. Some of his latest publications are “A Neo-Nationalist Network: The English Defense League and Europe´s Counter-Jihad Network” (with Alexander Meleagrou- Hitchens, 2013) and “Terrorism Learning and Innovation: Lessons from PIRA in Northern Ireland” (with Magnus Ranstorp, 2013). He gives lectures on a regular basis in Sweden, Europe, and the United States for academics as well as professionals. With DIS since 2016.

Readings

  1. Theoretical Perspectives on Organized Crime

Alex Chung, Theoretical Perspectives on Organised Crime, in Chung (ed), Chinese Criminal Entrepreneurs in Canada (2019), Volume I, 33-68, 35 p.

Edward R. Kleemans, Theoretical Perspectives on Organized Crime, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014), 32-52, 20 p.

  1. Researching Organized Crime

Felia Allum, Researching Organized Crime: A Novel Approach Combining Inductive and

Storyline Paradigms, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Volume 24: 1–12, 12 p.

      D Hobbs, G.A. Antonopoulos, How to Research Organized Crime, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014) p. 96-120, 24 p. 

  1. Organized Crime: Example of Actors

      Gianluca Fulvetti, The Mafia and the ʻProblem of the Mafiaʼ: Organised Crime in Italy, 1820-1970, in C. Fijnaut and L. Paoli (ed ), Organised Crime in Europe: Concepts, Patterns and Control Policies in the European Union and Beyond (2004) p 47-77, 30 p.

      JS Albanese, The Italian-American Mafia, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014) 142-158, 16 p.  

  1. Organized Crime: Example of Actors

      V Volkov, The Russian Mafia:Rise and Extinction, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014) 159-176, 17 p.

       Y Gilinskiy and Yakov Kostjukovsky, From Thievish Artel to Criminal Corporation: The History of Organised Crime in Russia, , in C. Fijnaut and L. Paoli (ed ), Organised Crime in Europe: Concepts, Patterns and Control Policies in the European Union and Beyond (2004), 181-202, 21 p. 

  1. Organized Crime: Example of Actors

FE Thoumi, Organized Crime in Colombia: The Actors Running the Illegal Drug Industry, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014), p. 177–195, 18 p.

      V Pereda, Working for both sides: how organised crime networks influence Mexican police culture, Policing and Society, 2023, 33(7), 749–766, 17 p.

  1. Organized Crime: Example of Actors

      Ko-Lin Chin, Chinese Organized Crime, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014) 219-233, 14 p.

      P Hill, The Japanese Yakuza, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014), 234-253, 19 p. 

  1. Organized Crime: Example of Actors

      P Williams, Nigerian Criminal Organisations, in Paoli (ed), The Oxford Handbook of Organized Crime (2014), 254-269.

      M La Lime, Black Axe—Nigeria’s Most Notorious Transnational Criminal Organization, African Center for Strategic Studies, 2024, 8 p.

      S Lazarus, Cybercriminal Networks and Operational Dynamics of Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scammers: Insights from the “Black Axe” Confraternity, in Deviant Behavior, 2024, 46(4), 456–480, 24 p.

  1. Cybercrime and Organized Crime

A Lavorgna, Organized Crime and Cybercrime, in T. Holt, A.M Bossler (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of International Cybercrime and Cyberdeviance, 2020, 117-134,

S Lazarus, Cybercriminal Networks and Operational Dynamics of Business Email Compromise (BEC) Scammers: Insights from the “Black Axe” Confraternity, in Deviant Behavior, 2024, 46(4), 456–480, 24 p.

  1. Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime

L Paoli, What is the link between organized crime and drug trafficking? Rausch, 6. Jahrgang, 4-2017, 181-189, 8 p.

United Nations, Organized Criminal Networks linked with drug trafficking in the Eastern Indian Ocean Region, 23 p.

D Manzi, F Calderoni, The resilience of drug trafficking organizations: Simulating the impact of police arresting key roles, Journal of Criminal Justice, Volume 91,

https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/2025/03/28/drug-trafficking-as-irregular-warfare-and-what-can-be-done-about-it/

  1. Arms Trafficking and Organized Crime

G Mercado, Arms Trafficking and Organized Crime: Global Trade, Local Impacts, Global Initiatives Against Organized Crime 2022.

Langlois, F., Rhumorbarbe, D., Werner, D., Florquin, N., Caneppele, S., & Rossy, Q. (2022). International weapons trafficking from the United States of America: a crime script analysis of the means of transportation. Global Crime, 2022, 23(3), 284–305, 21 p.

  1. Money Laundering and  Organized Crime

F Schneider, Money Laundering and Financial Means of Organized Crime: Some Preliminary Empirical Findings, Economics of Security Working Paper Series, 2010.

  1. Organized Crime in the United States
  2. Jacobs, The Rise and Fall of Organized Crime in the United States, Crime and Justice, Vol. 49 (2020).
  1. Organized Crime in the European Union

European Union, Serious and Organised Crime Threat Assessment: The Changing DNA of Serious and Organised Crime 2025, pp. 1-20.

  1. Organized Crime and State Actors

       M Galeotti, Gangsters at War: Russia´s use of organized Crime as an Instrument of     

       Statecraft (2024), 62 p.  

  1. Fraud I

Swedish Police Authority, National Operations Department, Organized Fraud: A report on fraud linked to organised criminal circles  (2021)

     Helena Wood, Tom Keatinge, Keith Ditcham and Ardi Janjeva, The Silent Threat

     The Impact of Fraud on UK National Security, RUSI 2021, 56 p.

  1. Fraud II

Swedish Police Authority, National Operations Department, Lethal Fraud (2022).  

  1. Organized Crime and Terrorism

SMullins, JK. Wither, Terrorism and Organized Crim,e Connections, Vol. 15, No. 3 (Summer 2016), pp. 65-82.

Mariya Y. O Melicheva, Rethinking Intersections of Crime and Terrorism: Insights from Political Economies of Violence, International Studies Review (2021) 23, 1541–1565

The United State´s policies to fight Organized Crime: 2023 White House Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime (2023), 26.

The United Nations policies to fight organized crime:  https://www.unodc.org/unodc/humanrights/areas/organized-crime.html 

  1. Policies to Control Organized Crime

The European Union´s Strategy Against Organized Crime: Council conclusions setting the EU's priorities for the fight against serious and organised crime for EMPACT 2022 – 2025, 13 p.

The Swedish National Strategy Against Organized Crime: Government Communication 2023/24:67, Resistance and decisive action – a national strategy against organised crime, 49 p.

  1. The Future of Organized Crime

      P Williams, The Fifth Wave: Organized Crime in 2040 (2024), 30 p.

Field Studies

Field studies serve to complement your course work by placing you in the professional field to extend and rethink what we read and discuss in class. Please be ready for each field study by completing readings (when these are assigned) and preparing questions in advance.

Guest Lecturers

Guest lecturers will be found in the Course Summary below.

 

DIS Accommodations Statement (Summer)

Your learning experience in this class is important to me.  If you have approved academic accommodations with DIS, please make sure I receive your DIS accommodations letter on the first days of class. If you can think of other ways I can support your learning, please don't hesitate to talk to me. If you have any further questions about your academic accommodations, contact Academic Support acadsupport@disstockholm.se

 

Evaluation

One term-paper of a length of about 2000 words

2 shorter pieces of writing of 1200 words each leading up to the term-paper (one mandatory and one optional).

Engagement (attending classes, preparing the readings, considering “today’s question”, taking part in discussions, doing the “News Room”, keeping deadlines)

Presentation of a topic.

Grading

 

Assignment

Percent
Written assignments (35% term research paper & 10% short essay)

45%

 

Presentation

15%

 

Engagement 

40%

 

 
Academic Regulations (Summer)

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due