ReMEIC – Research Master in European and International Criminology

Scientific manager: Dario Melossi

Sector: Higher Education

Unibo structure involved: Department of Legal Studies

Unibo Team: Giulia Fabini, Alvise Sbraccia, Stefania Crocitti

Project Duration in months: 24
Start Date: 1/09/2016
End Date: 31/08/2018

Budget: 297.220 euro  
Unibo Budget: 79.090,00  euro

Coordinator: Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)

Partners:

  • Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna (IT);
  • University of Kent (UK),
  • University of Ghent (BE)

Description
The ultimate goal of this challenging Erasmus +Strategic Partnership "ReMEIC" is to develop and implement a two years Research Master's programme in European and lnternational Criminology. By creating a state of the art curriculum on (irregular) Border-Crossing, in which the tension between Security and Social Justice play a central role and in which migration-related social problems issues and transnational crimes are studied in that particular context, the Universities of Rotterdam (Erasmus) (NL), Ghent (BE), Kent (UK), and Bologna (IT) will make a significant contribution to the specific objective of the Erasmus + Programme, as outlined in the 2011 EU Modernisation Agenda, to foster quality improvements, innovation excellence and internationalisation at the level of education and training institutions, in particular through enhanced transnational cooperation between education, research and training providers and other stakeholders.

For a long time, the EU has tried to build a common criminal justice area within its external borders, and the recent escalation of terrorism, coupled with the challenges of large scale migration, refugees and radicalisation have increased the recognition of the need for joint international responses, in which security demands and social justice need to be balanced. lt is evident that, in order to address these challenges, there is a need for highly trained personnel with an international, multi-cultural training and outlook. Personnel that is able to combine viewpoints from different disciplines, including the juridical, political and cultural - sociological disciplines. The problems dealt with in the ReMEIC programme and the solutions to these problems require a European or transnational approach. This transnational and interdisciplinary approach should be reflected in education. However, there are singular courses in global criminology at various universities, there are Master's programmes on various dimensions of it, but an overall programme in which all migration - related international crimes and their governance are connected does not yet exist. The proposed Research Master aims to fill this gap and aims to offer a broad range of expertise and research specialisms which are essential for a genuinely international programme.

The partners involved in developing the Research Master in European and lnternational Criminology all have an ample, albeit different research and teaching expertise In the field of criminology, with special regards to border - crossing, security and social justice. The main aim of the Strategic Partnership is bringing this expertise together and developing a balanced and innovative curriculum with a number of common activities and courses (mainly in the field of global criminology, research methods and transferable skills)and optional courses in order to provide the possibility to follow different tracks. ln addition, ReMEIC will include innovative, interactive teaching methods, in which the strengths of both face-to-face student-lecturer contact, informal learning and social media are optimised.

The programme is embedded in a wider network of collaborating organisations, ensuring the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders from the sector (e.g. potential employers, field organisations, policy makers). The programme will contribute to improving the quality of higher education in the field of criminology, and will educate a new group of experts capable to address the current issues faced by Europe. The new Research Master will provide them with unique career prospects, enabling them to work in an lnternational environment and in different sectors.

Co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union