Social networks constitute a form of social structure that is present in almost all social situations and interactions. Social networks influence the actions...

Social networks constitute a form of social structure that is present in almost all social situations and interactions. Social networks influence the actions of their individual members and affect many aspects of people’s life. The module presents an introduction to social networks and treats the fundamental tools and concepts of the analysis of social networks. These include the methods to collect and handle social network data, types of networks, structures and components of networks, various measures and metrics that describe a network and its components (centrality, degree, clustering, etc.). Next to these tools, the module presents applications of social network analysis to the study of important social phenomena such as social capital, crime, politics, the spread of diseases and ideas, the labour market, homophily, social media, and networks between organisations and countries. Through weekly problem sets, students gain hands-on experience of analysing social network data with the R statistical software. No prior knowledge of R is assumed.

The main aim of this module is to give students a robust introduction to the scientific study of organised crime. In brief, the module will argue against...

The main aim of this module is to give students a robust introduction to the scientific study of organised crime. In brief, the module will argue against simplistic and stereotypical definitions of organised crime in favour of a more flexible framework that focuses on the different empirical manifestations of organised crime along three key dimensions: i) organised crime activities; ii) criminal structures (i.e. criminal groups); and iii) extra-legal governance.

Furthermore, the module will address cross-cutting issues such as the social embeddedness of organised crime, the impact of organised crime on the legal economy, and the complicated relationship between organised crime and government. The module will consider organised crime in the local and transnational dimensions, with examples from a wide variety of contexts. While the module will touch upon major organised crime problems (such as drug trafficking and extortion), the main goal of the module is to equip students with a robust conceptual toolkit that will enable them to independently and critically examine any manifestation of organised crime.