PLSC 404 - Gangs, Organized Crime, and the State in the Americas

This course explores first the theoretical underpinnings of “criminal” collective action in the context of state making and state deterioration, and follows with an analysis of street gangs understood principally as a product of social and economic exclusion, but also as autonomous actors in their own right who are helping to shape political discourse throughout the Americas. We will then proceed with an in-depth analysis of organized crime, focusing primarily on the dynamics of drug cartels in Mexico and para-police militias in Brazil. Finally, we will discuss state policies towards armed criminal groups of all types in the United States and Latin America, critically asking what works and what does not.

Prerequisites & Notes: PLSC 261 or PLSC 271 or PLSC 291; or instructor permission.
Credits: 4
Grade Mode: Letter