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Faculty of Law Prof. Dr. iur. Gian Ege

Seminar FS 26

Seminar: Organised Criminal Groups: Members, Models, and Myths

Lecturers

Professor Dr Gian Ege, University of Zurich

Professor Dr Bettina Weisser, University of Cologne

Professor Dr Serena Forlati, University of Ferrara

Professor Dr Andreas Schloenhardt, University of Queensland and University of Vienna

Prof. Dr. Susanne Reindl-Krauskopf, University of Vienna

Dr. Monika Stempkowski, University of Vienna

 

Contact

MLaw Niklaus Sempach (niklaus.sempach@ius.uzh.ch)

Suitable for 

Master students

Dates and Places

2 February - 5 February 2026, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

The Seminar Series "Transnational Organised Crime"

The Chair of Professor Christian Schwarzenegger and Professor Gian Ege have been conducting the seminar series "Transnational Organised Crime" in cooperation with the Universities of Vienna and Queensland for several years. This year, for the second time, the University of Ferrara and Cologne will participate. Each year, mainly master students from each university address a current topic from the field of transnational organised crime and publish their findings. In doing so, they do not only gain new insights, but also form relations across universities and nations.

As in previous years, the seminar papers are to be published if they reach the required quality. The seminar, therefore, offers the students an excellent opportunity to publish their first own scientific papers under guidance. In order to acquire the necessary soft skills, the students take part in different trainings (the participants will be told the dates in due time):

  • Research training: The students receive an introduction to scientific research.
  • Presentation training: The students will receive training in structuring scientific presentations and in various presentation-techniques.
  • Academic writing training: The students will be schooled in scientific writing also concerning the publishability of their papers.

At the seminar in Cologne, students present their topics and receive feedback from instructors and fellow students which they can include in their papers. The seminar involves extra work for students but offers unique opportunities as students learn skills related to legal and academic work.

The deadline for submitting the seminar papers is 5 May 2025.

This Year's Topic

This year's Transnational Organised Crime series seminar will focus on organised Organized Criminal Groups, Members, Models, and Myths.

The 2025–2026 Transnational Organise Crime programme broadly explores the structure and organisation or organised criminal groups. This involves the background, evolution, and history of selected groups, their leaders and other members, their hierarchies, networks, and associations, and the many myths that surround organised criminal group. This focus does not include the operations of organised criminal groups, specifically the crime types they engage in and law enforcement measures to prevent and suppress organised crime.

Topics 

The list of topics will be provided for those who will be enrolled in the seminar. Participants will be able to choose from topics from the following subject areas:

  • Concepts and definitions: The first set of topics explore and explain basic terms and concepts of organised
    crime/organised criminal groups (also: criminal organisations) in criminology, international law, and national criminal laws. The focus here is on different approaches to conceptualise and define organised crime and on the defining elements in international and laws, their interpretation and application.
  • Models and types of organised criminal groups: Some of the topics focus on one particular model (or theory) of organised criminal groups and the supporting scholarship and evidence, as well as weaknesses and counterarguments. The focus should be mostly on the model, less on specific organised criminal groups. Other topics explore differences, commonalities, confusion, and myths about organised criminal groups and other groups and associations engage in criminal activities. With all of these topics, the focus is on criminology and concepts; they do not examine laws and other countermeasures and generally do not focus on specific jurisdictions or countries.
  • Criminalising organised criminal groups: The following topics critically explore offences under international and national laws that criminalise participation (and the like) in organised criminal groups. These topics focus on the substantive criminal law provisions, their objectives, evolution, design, content, interpretation, and application, also using scholarly and other sources highlighting their strengths, achievements, gaps, and weaknesses.
  • Notorious members of organised criminal groups: The following topics focus on individual notorious members of organised criminal groups. Each topic critically explores the background, offending, and criminal network of the individual, any charges against, prosecution and trial of them, and further looks myths and portrayals of these individuals in the literature and popular culture. These topics are, for the most part, criminological, sociological, and historical (perhaps psychological); they only marginally deal with legal matters.
  • Informants and undercover agents: Among the main challenges in investigating, prosecuting, and ultimately dismantling organised criminal groups is the unwillingness of member to cooperate with law enforcement and testify against the group and difficulties of law enforcement to penetrate these groups and receive information about their structure and operations. For this reason, the use of undercover agents and informants are two, albeit controversial, tools to obtain information from within the group. The following topics explore the general background, rationale, and challenges of these techniques and their legal framework under domestic law.
  • Organised criminal groups on trial: The following topics document and critically analyse judicial proceedings in which member of (alleged) organised criminal groups were put on trial. The topic document the background,
    facts, and charges, the proceedings and aftermath of the case, including the political implications and controversies.

Preliminary discussion/topic allocation

As soon as the provisional participants have been determined, we will contact you with a Doodle poll. At the preliminary meeting, the topics will be assigned and the dates for the further procedure will be announced.

Grading 

The presentation accounts for 40%, the written paper for 60% of the final grade.

Language

The participants can write their papers either in German, English or French. However, the presentation must be held in English.

Application 

Students have to apply for this course via the faculty's booking tool.

For questions, please contact MLaw Niklaus Sempach (niklaus.sempach@ius.uzh.ch).