PCON/GEOG 304: Criminal Underworld: Drugs, Guns, Bodies/SRS

Examines the ways in which the networks of the illicit global economy intersect with violence and armed conflict. From guns and drugs smuggling, to human trafficking and animal poaching, the course studies the concrete geographical organization of these illicit networks—that is, where and how they take root—asking the following questions: What are the relationships of these illegal activities to legal circuits of power and profit? In what ways are transnational criminal networks redefining the nature of violent conflict and the meaning of peace? How do illicit economies erode and/or strengthen state authority and governance?