This course incorporates history, anthropology, social theory, literature, testimony and movies to analyze a “typically Italian” social phenomenon, the mafia. From its historical origin in nineteenth-century Sicily to its global reach today, we study the mafia as a cultural phenomenon, a social structure, a form of terrorism, and a challenge to international policing. Topics covered include representations of the mafia as an indigenous Sicilian movement, protecting the property and the rights of Sicilians; laws enacted to fight the mafia; and the anti-mafia, a youth movement that works to reclaim land and property from the mafia. We study the spread of mafia crime in the US, from New Orleans in the nineteenth century to New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago in the twentieth century. Students also research the little-known history of the Detroit mafia, who exploited the presence of the auto industry and the Teamsters Union, the proximity of the Canadian border, and their ties in Sicily, between Prohibition and the 1990s.

Class Format:

As a DC (Distance due to COVID) course, all aspects of this course will be fully compatible with remote online learning. Lectures for this course will combine synchronous and asynchronous components. Synchronous online attendance will be required for a portion of Monday class time and for Thursday discussion sections. Grades will be based on attendance of and participation in synchronous class sessions, asynchronous online quizzes, contributions to class research (completed online, synchronously and asynchronously), and a final reflection paper.