Overview
The University of Groningen, in cooperation with the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute(UNICRI), is organizing the Winter School on Illicit Trade, which will be delivered online from 25 to 29 January 2021.
The Winter School course pierces the veil of secrecy around issues related to the dark side of globalization and teaches students about illicit financing and trading; not only through theory and book study, but by learning the actual practices and techniques criminals, terrorists, and dictators use to obscure their profits and evade accountability for their actions, and the corresponding techniques to counter them.
This exciting winter course is the first of its kind in teaching illicit trade in a holistic and practically useful way. Students will learn how to set up offshore companies and bank accounts, obscure the beneficial ownership of assets, exploit the loop-holes of dual-use goods legal systems, and identify vulnerabilities in particular institutions, countries, and jurisdictions. The winter school includes academic and practical learning about illicit finance, trafficking, and trade, and expert examination into strategies and practices about how to combat illicit trade.
The Winter School on Illicit Trade is planned to offer students and practitioners an intercultural experience in this challenging time. We devised the structure of the classes in a way that anyone with internet access can join regardless of the time zone. The lectures and seminars will take place from 3-7 pm CET. This is to create a 12-hours cycle during which students and practitioners can attend the classes, plan their workload to a time that is most suitable, and interact with other students to complete the assignments. We welcome and encourage students that live outside of Europe to apply and take advantage of our global Winter School on illicit trade, unique in its genre.
Requirements
The winter school is designed for undergraduate students in their final year (BA), graduate students (MA), PhD students as well as professionals who are interested in learning more about illicit trade.
It is expected that the participants have a sufficient command of the English language that allows them to participate actively in the discussions and present their own work.
Learning outcomes and workload
After this course you will be able to:
- Display knowledge about Illicit Trade.
- Evaluate research in a critical and substantiated manner, as well as in a way that respects scientific, social and ethical responsibilities.
- The ability to present conducted research and express yourself in a clear and coherent manner, both in oral and in written/typed form, using understandable and correct English.
Become self-reliant and reliable in the execution of the tasks belonging to this course unit.
Workload
Attendance of seminars: 17 hrs.
Preparation for seminars: 32 hrs.
Group work: 12 hrs.
Final Capstone: 8 hrs.
Students who wish to fulfil the equivalent work of 3 ECTS will need to deliver a written assignment within one month after the end of the Winter School.
- Paper: 15 hrs.
Upon successful completion of the programme, the Winter School offers a Certificate of Attendance that mentions the workload of 84 hours / 3 ECTS (28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.
Course schedule
Each day will contain a 4-hour schedule from 15:00 until 19:00 (Central European Time). The first part of the day consists of a lecture from both an academic and practitioners’ perspective, including interactive discussions. The second part will focus on the teaching of a specific set of skills and conclude with a practical assignment that the participants can keep working on afterwards with students from both similar and different time zones, depending on when students are online in their part of the world.
Day 1: Overview
Day 2: Trade and Trafficking
Day 3: Money and Money Trafficking
Day 4: Responses
Day 5: Final Capstone
How to register:
To apply, kindly fill out the online application form. Please note that you will be asked to upload the following documents:
- CV (max. 2 pages)
- Letter of motivation (max. 1 page)
Deadline for application: 22 January 2021
However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Due to the online format and our objective of offering participants an engaging learning environment, there will be a maximum amount of 30 participants. Once this limit has been reached, applications will no longer be accepted.