Among the possible courses to take, we give you the possibility to combine criminology and foreign languages. Not only to reinforce the knowledge of a forensic vocabulary, but also to get into the socio-cultural dimension of the country of reference. And thus understand what factors can promote, support, legitimate and condone even behavior that we consider illicit and deviant.

Crime and Generation Z: an increasingly strong combination, especially in recent years.

In fact, many people are becoming increasingly passionate about the world of True Crime, thanks to podcasts and themed TV programmes, which attract great interest especially among the younger generations. According to Spotify’s Culture Next 2023 report, passion for the genre has contributed significantly to the success of podcasts: True Crime-themed audio content has a completion rate of over 80% and listening to this category has increased by 133% compared to the previous report. TV is also witnessing this generational phenomenon: crime-themed programmes are registering an ever-increasing audience rate among the younger generations, who interact to the tune of comments on social platforms such as Instagram and X. Also joining the phenomenon is Netflix, which in its report lists the original series The Night Agent, which follows the adventures of FBI agent Peter Sutherland, as the most viewed, with more than 812 million viewing hours.

More interest in true crime, more demand for courses

This phenomenon has led to an ever-increasing demand from young people for courses of study related to criminology, such as bachelor’s or master’s degrees. Which course, however, is best to take? There are actually two branches of criminology: the first, investigative socio-criminology, and the second, defined as clinical criminology, which is studied in depth in psychiatric/psychology specializations. In fact, criminology is a multifactorial discipline that draws from various fields, sociological, cultural, clinical, and legal, and is a branch that seeks to comprehend the dangerousness of individuals, to determine their deviant behavior, as well as the factors that alongside prejudicial contexts may contribute to the actualisation and formalization of violent and self-inflicted criminal agents.

In Italy today, however, there is no defined course of study to become a criminologist. Since this is a specialization, one must first obtain a degree in law, psychology, medicine or sociology. Or, as an alternative, you can opt for a language course that focuses precisely on criminology.

From a cultural point of view, there is an increasing focus on chaos, the spectacularization of disorder and the fascination of evil: we need to see, to know, we are attracted by conflicts because we are interested in understanding people’s reaction to critical events” – comments Simone Borile, Co-ordinator of the course in Security and Social Defence (Criminology) at CIELS and an expert judge at the Venice Surveillance Court. “The figure of the criminologist in Italy, however, unlike in other states, is not yet regulated, precisely because they can come from many different fields”.

Security and social defense: languages applied to criminology

Witnessing the growing demand of young people for this particular subject is the specialization in Security and Social Defence (Criminology) at CIELS, the (Higher School of Socio-cultural Language Mediation) with a university system of the Plena Education group, which focuses on the investigative, scientific and forensic world. Starting from a profound literary and scientific knowledge of the field of criminology and victimology, the course leads to the development of legal, psycho-social and communicative skills, with the aim of training students to understand behavior at risk of aggression and how to come into contact with these phenomena, establishing an empathic relationship with the subject that allows for mediation. Skills are consolidated through various workshop activities addressing legal, criminal psychology and social issues with the aim of defining criminal profiles, all in an innovative context which analyzes cyber crime trends.

Why criminology and foreign languages

Why foreign languages? The study of languages does not only involve learning a forensic vocabulary, but also allows us to get into the socio-cultural dimension of the country of reference and therefore understand what factors can promote, support, legitimize and condone even behavior that we consider illicit and deviant. . La mediazione linguistica, inoltre, è una delle facoltà che negli ultimi anni ha trovato modo di espandersi ed essere sempre più ricercata come scelta degli studenti, complice una globalizzazione continua, dove non solo i mercati ma le culture si intersecano e si contaminano vicendevolmente. It is consequently becoming increasingly essential to find people who can act as mediators to improve economic, labor and political exchanges, becoming bridges in contexts where cultural peculiarities seem to clash instead of becoming an advantage for all.

The license to practice this profession is issued by the prefecture on the basis of a three-year course (with a university course in the field of investigative criminology). The forensic language mediator, in addition to the traditional linguistic opportunities provided for and related to the activity of translator and interpreter, will therefore be able to work within delicate networks related to the investigative, scientific and forensic world, such as large institutions, lawyers’ offices, prisons and facilities that operate in contexts in which there are victims of critical events and/or protagonists of crimes.

The future professional

The student and future professional is trained in the translation and understanding of criminal phenomena. Furthermore, they are able to place them in international contexts by adopting a systemic, global and cultural approach. The activity of translation and interpreting enables the mediator to enter an innovative market segment that is potentially rich in professional opportunities. The accurate study of languages places the student as an undisputed specialist in the processes of analysis, comprehension, identification and translation of texts and contexts of delicate social importance.

About Plena Education

Founded in Italy in 2023, as a natural evolution of K-Now, Plena Education is an Educational Hub that includes different types of Schools and hosts over 4000 students. Plena’s aim is to offer students the opportunity to experience Italian culture and creativity first-hand, through the study of Art, Fashion, Design, Music and Language Mediation, areas of excellence in our country. A wide-ranging educational offer that varies according to the Institutes and their locations (Ferrari Fashion School – Milan; RUFA – Rome Milan; SPD – Milan; SAINT LOUIS – Rome Milan; CIELS – Brescia, Padua and Bologna; MADE – Syracuse). It offers courses in Design (Graphic Design, Fashion, Car Transportation, Food, Product Interior Design, Architecture, Urban Planning, Exhibition), Fine Arts (Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Ceramics, Photography), Liberal Arts (Cinema, Screenplay, Set Design), Music (Pop, Jazz, Composition Writing, Applied Music, Sound Engineering and Electronic Music Composition) and, finally, Language Mediation and Strategic Communication (Criminology, Interpreting and Dubbing, Tourism, Marketing and International Relations).