Combating Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Networks in the Americas (CTOC)
Next Course: September 2013
Application period: Closed
Application Instructions - Syllabus - Scholarships - Graduate Survey
The course is conducted in Spanish. No interpretation will be available. Fluency in Spanish is required for reading theoretical and conceptual materials and for conducting group discussions. The ability for reading theoretical and conceptual materials in English is also required since many of the readings are in this language. To assess their language skills, candidates will be interviewed telephonically prior to final selection.
» Course Directors:
Dr. Patricia H. Escamilla-Hamm
Ms. Celina Realuyo
» Overview
This is a six-week course, with a four-week on-line phase and two-week resident phase. The on-line learning system Blackboard and e-mail will be used during the on-line phase, it is expected that participants interact with their classmates and professors in asynchronous as well as synchronous sessions, participants are required to read an average of 80 pages per week. In the resident phase the course is conducted in a combination of individual study, discussions of the literature, conferences and panels, case study and exercises, it is expected that the students read an average of 60 pages per day. At the end of the course each participant will receive an individual evaluation, with grade.» Course Objectives
The principal objective of this course is to deepen the participant’s understanding and analysis of transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and the defense and security threats they pose to the Americas through their illicit activities. These activities include drug trafficking, money laundering, arms trafficking, human smuggling, counterfeiting, and cyber crimes. Each of these modalities is analyzed through specific country case studies, including Colombia, Mexico, and the Tri-border region of South America. The course concludes with an evaluation of government strategies and policies and interagency cooperation that address the threat of TCOs and illicit networks in the Americas at the national, regional, and international levels. By the end of the course, CTOC students must be able to: analyze the phenomenon of transnational organized crime and the illicit activities transnational criminal organizations engage in; assess the defense and security threats posed by TCOs and illicit network; evaluate current national, regional, and international strategies and policies to combat transnational criminal organizations and illicit network; and conceptualize new approaches to combating transnational criminal organizations and illicit networks in Latin America.» Candidate Profile and Requirements
Candidates must be professionally engaged in the formulation, implementation, and evaluation of public policies concerning drug trafficking, money laundering, arms trafficking, human smuggling, counterfeiting, and/or cyber crimes, coming from the following institutions/activities:• Career officials from the ministries/secretaries of Security and Defense.
• Officials from other ministries/secretaries, from the legislative and judicial branches that interact with security and defense, including planning, and control and oversight institutions.
• NGO and think-tank staffs involved in security/defense matters, educators, academic researchers, journalists and members of political parties.
• Police and active duty military officers with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and above;
The course is taught at the graduate level; therefore, it is required that candidates hold a university degree or equivalent practical experience. Military and police personnel must have completed a command and staff course or equivalent. Exceptions are evaluated in a case-by-case basis.
Fluency in Spanish is required for reading theoretical and conceptual materials and for conducting group discussions. The ability for reading theoretical and conceptual materials in English is also required since many of the readings are in this language.
Candidates must be able to commit to participating in the pre-course online phase as well as the on-line post-residence phase, including synchronous and asynchronous sessions with professors and classmates. Certificates will be issued only to participants who have fulfilled all academic requirements.
CHDS graduates (both civilian and military) from resident courses held at CHDS since 1998 will be given priority over other candidates. A minimum of one year is required between courses.
Candidates must have access to the internet, preferably using a wide-band connection.