Seminar for students of the Faculty of Law (including
exchange students),
students of the Master's Programs in Modern East Asian Studies (MEAS) and
Southeast Asian Studies (SEAS)
co-taught by
Prof. Stefan Gruber, PhD (Wuhan University) & Prof. Moritz Bälz (Goethe
University)
Date of block sessions:
4-6 July
2026, 10:00-18:00
Room RuW 2.101.
Introductory session: 2 February 2026, in the morning at 8:15 am via ZOOM.
In this
session,
students will be assigned their individual topics. Kindly think of your
preferences beforehand based on the list of topics provided on OLAT.
You
will find also the link for the zoom Introductory session on OLAT.
If you are unable
to participate in the introductory session, please send an email to Prof. Bälz
indicating three of your favorite topics from the provided list. Depending on
demand, it should be possible to join the seminar later.
Requirements to
gain credits (Leistungsnachweise) see on OLAT.
Course
Description
Illicit Trades and Organised Trafficking
in Asia
Asia is the
world's most financially dynamic region. Still, this rapid growth has fueled a
surge in illicit trades, making it a center for trafficking in drugs, money,
arms, endangered species, heritage, and people. Governments and stakeholders
face constant challenges in combating organized crime, with the most vulnerable
communities suffering destabilizing social and human rights impacts. Many
illegal operations share smuggling routes, organizations, financial channels,
and exploit legal loopholes.
This course
links law, criminology, politics, sociology, and regional studies, focusing on
countering illicit trafficking and organized crime in Asia through legal,
investigative, policy, law enforcement, and community approaches. Case studies
address topics like drugs, arms, wildlife, and human trafficking,
counterfeiting, illegal adoptions, organ trafficking, and high-tech crime, plus
historical, financial, and money laundering perspectives. It examines the
specific difficulties officials and communities face, emphasizing the negative
societal impacts and regional challenges.
This course will
be based on ongoing cutting-edge research led by Stefan Gruber over the past
years, bringing together globally leading experts from legal academia,
political science, enforcement, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
(UNODC), and others who are currently preparing the production of the first
Handbook of Illicit Trades and Organised Trafficking in Asia and an
accompanying edited collection for Cambridge University Press.
Students are
expected to participate in in-class discussions actively.
