Description

With the increasing recognition of corruption as a major impediment to global development, interest in addressing corruption as a subject of academic research and teaching has grown rapidly amongst the academic community in recent years. The new and innovative nature of this field of study, however, has led to recognition from many that while the interest and will to deliver courses is strong, actual experience of teaching anti-corruption topics, in standalone or existing courses, is more limited.

At the meeting of the Anti-Corruption Academic Initiative1 in Doha, Qatar on 25 and 26 February 2015, representatives of universities from around the world called for greater capacity-building support, training and technical assistance to be provided to professors who wish to introduce anti-corruption courses and classes in their institutions.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is organizing an Expert Group Meeting of the Anti-Corruption Academic Initiative (ACAD), to be held at the National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law on 13-14 June 2017. It is aimed at academics from the Asia-Pacific region and will enhance the capacity of participating professors and academics to deliver high-quality anti-corruption education in their respective institutions.

With the goal of supporting the development of stronger teaching capacities in the field of anti-corruption studies, the meeting will facilitate the exchange among professors of academic expertise in the delivery of anti-corruption education. This knowledge exchange will be structured around substantive sessions and facilitated by leading experts. Specialized support will also be provided to those interested in using the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) Academic Course, as developed by UNODC, as a framework for their teaching in this field.2

In addition to providing a detailed analysis of the substantive issues involved in relation to each thematic area, session leaders will share their thoughts and experience with regard to how best such topics can be taught to students with limited prior knowledge.