This fall, Sal Costa will teach a publicly available course on the mafia.
TO THE CASUAL OBSERVER, it might not look like Sal Costa is retired. It’s common to bump into him on campus, usually in the Student Union Building chatting with former colleagues or current students. For several weeks most semesters he can be found in other familiar territory — the classroom.
Since 2024, Costa has developed abbreviated public versions of some of his most popular courses. It started with his most notable course, “Serial Killers and Psychopaths,” a class he taught for years in psychology and later as a JINS offering. The idea for the public offerings came after Costa presented on the topic at a few public forums and received overwhelming demand for more.
“After doing some open forums we had several people ask if they could take a course like that,” he said. “That was instrumental in starting these courses.”
The first public version of the class took place once a week in the evenings and was only offered as an in-person option. Due to popular demand, Costa taught the class the next year with an online option to allow alumni and friends the ability to partake. Those taking the class online could experience the content in real time or asynchronously, watching the lectures at their convenience. The online version of these courses can be taken from anywhere in the United States.
For some, these classes are an opportunity to sample a Truman course, while others take it because of their interest in the subject matter. Many participants simply want to take a stroll down memory lane.
“I believe I do get a lot of students taking it for nostalgic reasons,” Costa said. “Some others tell me they take it because they weren’t able to get into the class when they were students. It’s very exciting to have former students in there.”
Costa later developed an abbreviated public version of “The Psychology of Abnormal Behavior,” allowing participants to explore the complexities of the human mind and the science behind psychological disorders.
This fall, Costa will unveil a new publicly available course, “The History of the Mafia.” Technically, this is not an adapted version of one of Costa’s previous classes. He always intended to teach the course before his retirement, but the popularity of the serial killers class kept him from working it into his rotation. He is picking it back up now because, as an Italian American, the subject matter is personally meaningful.
“Being of Sicilian heritage, I’ve just been very fascinated by Italian history in general,” he said. “Participants will be able to gain a wealth of knowledge, including about Sicilian and Italian customs. These are things they might have a little familiarity with, but they can gain more.”
As with the previous offerings, “The History of the Mafia” will be available both in-person and online. The course is open to any non-degree seeking student for a cost of $65. Registration can be completed online at institute.truman.edu soon. Anyone who takes the class — which is offered as a pass/fail option — will receive one hour of college credit. The class will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning Aug. 18 and run through Oct. 6. Online lectures will be posted and available for viewing shortly after each session.
Anyone interested in taking Costa’s abbreviated version of the “Serial Killers” course should also keep an eye on the registration page. He plans to offer the public version of that class online and in-person again for Spring 2027.
