HIST 387: Topics in Global History

HIST 387-DL5: History of the Mafia in Italy and the United States
(Fall 2021)

Online

Section Information for Fall 2021

   This course examines the changing structures of power in the Italian Mafia, along with its relationship to politics, religion, and society.  Our study takes us from the roots of the Mafia in the Middle Ages to the growth and decline of organized crime under fascism and the migration of Sicilians to the United States.  We then look at the resurfacing of the Italian Mafia during World War II, the rise of the Cosa Nostra and drug trafficking from Sicily to the United States, and the Mafia's arrival in the United States.  The course concludes with a discussion of organized crime families and syndicates in a global context, and in particular the “anti-mafia” movement, as well as how the mafia is depicted in popular culture and films.

    This is a fully online, asynchronous course. Final semester grades are based on weekly participation in Discussion Board, two short response papers, and an 8-10 page research paper. 

HIST 387 DL5 is a distance education section.

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Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3-6

Study of historical topics or periods of special interest in global, Latin American, African, Asian, or Middle Eastern history. Notes: Topics announced in advance. May be repeated for credit when topic is different. May be repeated within the term.
Mason Core: Global Understanding
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies, Non-Western Culture
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

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