Course Overview
This course provides an introduction to the theoretical and practical understanding of organized crime in the Canadian and international contexts from the perspective of the police analyst. Several key aspects of this phenomenon are addressed, including: (1) The transnational nature of organized crime (2) The business of organized crime (3) The historical, political and legal aspects of illicit drug control (4) National and international control efforts. Students will find prior training, reading or experience in criminal justice or the social sciences beneficial, though these are not formal prerequisites. The course itself will be multidisciplinary in nature, involving source materials, readings and insights from political science, economics, law, sociology and criminology.
Prerequisite(s)
- Admission to a Forensics credential program or permission of the Program Head.
Credits
3.0
- Retired
- This course has been retired and is no longer offered. Find other Flexible Learning courses that may interest you.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Compare and contrast authoritative definitions and concepts of organized crime in terms of law, operational policing, criminal intelligence, and criminology.
- Outline the origins and evolution of the organized crime control regime and drug control efforts in the developed world.
- Describe and contextualize the substantive elements of organized crime control legislation in Canada, the United States and other relevant jurisdictions.
- Obtain and supply, in an effective and appropriate manner, information on organized crime and criminal activities, within the current structure of international legal and institutional arrangements facilitating cooperation against organized crime.
- Assess current Canadian policy choices regarding legislative and enforcement approaches to organized crime, with particular emphasis on the challenges and limitations underlying these choices.
- Apply this knowledge and these concepts in an operational analytical framework.
Effective as of Spring/Summer 2009
Programs and courses are subject to change without notice. Find out more about BCIT course cancellations.