A regional and global perspective on the “war on drugs” and violence in Latin American countries such as Mexico and Colombia, as well as the United States. The course may include units on such topics as: the recent history of gangs in US urban areas; political violence in Central America and such countries as Colombia and Venezuela; and attempts to mediate and reconcile social conflicts and war in those areas. The interplay between gangs, drug policies, policing, and citizens’ action and protests in major cities of the hemisphere, such as in Argentina and Brazil. Drugs, policing, gangs, and violence as a symbolic and hot button issue in domestic politics, and the consequences for public policy and the character of the discourse about public policy.