Vienna Winter School 2019

With the support of European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) and its Standing Group on Organised Crime (SGOC) and in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), we are organising a two-week intensive Winter School on Organised Crime in Vienna, Austria, between January 13^th and January 24^th, 2019.

During a two-week period, you will have a unique chance to enrich your knowledge, discuss and critically reflect about the challenges posed by organised crime and existing national and international containment policies. You will be part of a selected group of experts, including  scholars and practitioners. As with previous SGOC schools (Catania in 2009, Leuven in 2010, and Ohrid in 2011), the Vienna Winter School is intended to enhance interactions between scholars and practitioners and provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities of the fight against organized crime.

Our collaboration with the UNODC is unique and we are proud to be contributing to the Education for Justice initiative, a component of the Doha Declaration Global Programme, which emphasizes that education is fundamental in promoting a culture that supports the rule of law, crime prevention and criminal justice. Winter School’s program highlights are guest lectures by UNODC officers and visits to various UN and other international agencies (e.g., OSCE, IOM, etc.).

A rich social program and Vienna’s wonderful collection of historic buildings and museums will make your two-week experience unforgettable.

Learning objectives

The Winter School curriculum is designed to help the participants to:

• explain the restraints and opportunities for crime provided by the current nature of international borders;
• distinguish the various ways in which criminal activities and criminal structures transcend international borders;
• critically assess the validity and reliability of data on transnational crime, corruption and terrorism, including of the use of big data;
• identify the major elements of the legal and institutional framework for international cooperation in combating transnational crime, corruption and terrorism and assess their impact on the control of these threats;
• describe private sector, public private and civil society responses to transnational crime, corruption and terrorism and identify existing best practices.

Other expected outcomes

• enhancement of mobility and strengthening of multilateral cooperation;
• advancement of knowledge and professional skills;
• strengthen the feeling of belonging to a common space through intercultural exchange;
• establishment of a network of students interested in researching and studying the serious and organised crime.

Since the Winter School will take place on the premises of the UNODC, participants will visit various sections of the UNODC and will work individually and in small groups on designated assignments. Upon completion of the Winter School, participants will be encouraged to submit individual or co-authored entries to SGOC-RUSI’s SHOC’s blog, The Informer, and its European Review of Organized Crime (EROC) journal.

Curriculum

The Winter School will cover, inter alia, the following topics:

• transnational organized crime and its various manifestations (e.g., human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, drug trafficking, environmental and wildlife crime, cybercrime, trafficking in cultural property, counterfeiting, arms trafficking, etc.);
• Corruption, money laundering and asset recovery;
• Corporate crimes and misconduct;
• International terrorism and crime-terror nexus; Counter-terrorism;
• Sustainable Development Goals against transnational crime;
• Criminal investigation and prosecution
• Legal and organizational responses to transnational crime
• Data collection, research methods, and risk analysis techniques applicable to the study of global crime.

Application Process and Timeline

To apply for the Winter School on Transnational Organised Crime 2019 in Vienna, please complete the application form (click here). The application consists of a series of general questions about your background and research interests. In addition, all potential participants are required to submit a CV/resume and one recommendation letter.

The deadline for applications is October 20th, 2018. Late applications will not be accepted.

After you submit the application form, you will receive an email acknowledging the receipt of your application.

After the selection, you will be informed about the admission by November 1st, 2018.

All accepted students must confirm their participation and pay the registration fees by November 10th, 2018.

ECTS Credits and Certification

Participants of the Winter School have the opportunity to earn up to eight ECTS credits for a two-week programme with a total workload of 60 hours.

Provided that at least 80% of the sessions are attended and the required assignments are submitted, the participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Doha Declaration/Education for Justice Initiative (issued by the UNODC). The certificate of completion can be used to claim course credits from the university/college where the student is enrolled in a degree program.