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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PL 325"
COURSE NAME: "Human Trafficking and Contemporary Slavery"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2014
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Silvia Scarpa
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS:
by appointment
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
While
slavery and the slave trade were abolished long ago, new and more subtle forms
of exploitation are alarmingly on the rise in many parts of the world and they
seem to be more widespread today than slavery has been in any other period of
human history. This course aims at analyzing contemporary forms of slavery and
trafficking in human beings as complex phenomena requiring an interdisciplinary
approach and it is designed to foster students’ critical examination of the
political, economic and social factors determining these practices, thus
providing an enhanced understanding of the various issues connected with them.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Starting
with a brief overview and a comparison between slavery of the past centuries
and the contemporary exploitative practices, this course will analyze various
forms of exploitation, focusing in particular on chattel slavery, religious
slavery, servitude, the bonded labor/debt bondage practice, forced prostitution
and sexual slavery, including their link with sex tourism, early and forced
marriages, the exploitation of child soldiers and forced labor. Every form of
exploitation will be defined to clearly emphasize differences and overlaps
existing among them. The course will subsequently deal with trafficking in
human beings, assessing its spreading in the world, emphasizing the lack of
data, commenting on the available estimates and analyzing its causes and
consequences and the most common forms of exploitation related to it, including
sexual and labor exploitation, the involvement of children in armed conflicts,
illegal adoptions and trafficking for the removal of human organs.
The lack of an internationally agreed definition of human trafficking until the
adoption in 2000 of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish
Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children will be discussed and the
differences between this phenomenon and the smuggling of migrants will be
studied. Specific attention will be dedicated to understanding what can be done
to fight against the spreading of these contemporary forms of slavery and of
human trafficking.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon
completion of the course, students will be able to define the various
contemporary practices and processes studied, being aware of their spreading in
the world, of their main causes and consequences, of the international action
aimed at abolishing them and of short and long-term strategies that need to be
adopted to eradicate them. They also will be able to assess the major successes
and failures in establishing a framework in which these phenomena could be
eradicated and they will have conducted group work and research on a specific
topic of their choice, for the purpose of drafting an advocacy plan.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy | Kevin Bales | University of California Press | 9780520272910 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments |
| From Human Trafficking to Human Rights | Alyson Brysk and Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick (eds) | University of Pennsylvania Press | 9780812243826 | | |
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Mid-term exam | Essay questions. | 25% |
| Advocacy plan | Group work + essay (2,000 words minimum). | 25% |
| Final exam | Essay questions. | 25% |
| Class participation | Attendance is compulsory & students shall contribute to class discussions. | 10% |
| Oral presentation | In-class oral presentation of group work. | 15% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material. Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included. In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance
is compulsory. Students
shall read assigned materials before classes and shall participate to
class discussions.
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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WEEK
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TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED
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READING ASSIGNMENTS
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Week 1 (September 1 and 3)
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What is contemporary slavery? What is human trafficking?
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Quirk, Ch. 1 – p. 23-33; Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 3-8; Brysk and
Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ch. 1
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Week 2 (September 8 and 10)
September 8: last day for late
registration/last day to add/drop a class.
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Is slavery of the past different from the one of today?
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Bales, Ch. 1; Quirk, Ch. 3 Brysk and Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ch. 2.
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Week 3 (September 15 and 17)
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Vestiges of past slavery: chattel slavery and religious slavery.
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Bales, Ch. 3; Black, p. 1-26; 35-38.
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Week 4 (September 22 and 24)
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Forced labor and child labor.
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Forced labor: ILO Handbook, p. 8-16; Kang Muico, p. 1-19 and 27;
Child labor: Lieten; Hindman; AI_Cocoa Report, p. 3-18 and 40-69.
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Week 5 (September 29 and October 1)
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Debt bondage.
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Bales, Ch. 4, 5 and 6.
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Week 6 (October 6 and 8)
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October 6: Mid-term exam.
·Trafficking in persons: lack of data,
estimates, causes & consequences and distribution in the world.
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· Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 8-21.
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Week 7 (October 13 and 15)
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The smuggling of migrants: definition. Trafficking in persons v.
the smuggling of migrants.
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· Bhabha and Zard; Gallagher.
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Week 8 (October 20 and 22)
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· The forms of
exploitation related to human trafficking.
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· Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 22-34 and 40; Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ch. 4.
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Week 9 (October 27 and 29)
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Con’t.
The commercial sexual exploitation of
children and child sex tourism.
October 31: Diplomacy Barcamp “A
Call for Ideas on Fighting against Trafficking in Human Beings and the
Smuggling of Migrants”.
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· Bales, Ch. 2 and Ecpat Report.
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Week 10 (November 3 and 5)
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· Peacekeeping and human trafficking.
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Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ch. 7; Mendelson, p. 1-38.
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Week 11 (November 10 and 12)
November 14: last day to
withdraw from a class
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· Trafficking in persons for the removal of organs.
NOVEMBER 12: DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE ADVOCACY PLANS.
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Pearson, Scheper-Hughes; Scarpa, Ch. 1 - p. 34 - 39.
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Week 12 (November 17 and 19)
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What can be done to fight against contemporary slavery and human
trafficking?
Students’ presentations
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Bales, Ch. 7; Choi-Fitzpatrick, Ch. 11.
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Week 13 (November 24 and 26)
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Students’ presentations
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Week 14 (December 1 and 3)
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Con’t and Final summary.
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Week 15 (December 6 - 12)
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Final exam
Date TBA
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FULL LIST OF READING MATERIALS
Anti-Slavery International,
The Cocoa Industry in West Africa: a History of Exploitation (Anti-Slavery
International, 2004).
Bales K., Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy
(University of California Press, 2004).
Bhabha J. and Zard M., “Smuggled or Trafficked?” 25 Forced Migration Review
(May 2006) p. 6-8.
Black M., Women in Ritual Slavery (Anti-Slavery International, 2007).
Brysk A. and Choi-Fitzpatrick A., From Human Trafficking to Human Rights
(University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012).
ECPAT, Combating Child Sex Tourism (ECPAT, 2008).
Gallagher A., “Trafficking, Smuggling and Human Rights: Tricks and Treaties” 25
Forced Migration Review (May 2006) p. 25-28.
Hindman H. D., "Worst Forms of Child Labor" in The World of Child
Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey (M.E. Sharpe, 2009).
Kang Muico N., Forced Labour in North Korean Prison Camps (Anti-Slavery
International, 2007).
Lieten J. K., “Toward an Integrative Theory of Child Labor” in The World of
Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey (M.E. Sharpe, 2009).
Mendelson S., Barracks and Brothels: Peacekeeping and Human Trafficking in the
Balkans (CSIS Report, 2005).
Pearson, Coercion in the Kidney Trade? (GTZ, 2004).
Quirk J., Unfinished Business: A Comparative Study on Historical and
Contemporary Slavery (UNESCO, 2008).
Scarpa, Trafficking in Persons: Modern Slavery (Oxford University Press,
2008).
Scheper-Hughes N., “Keeping an Eye on the Global Traffic in Human Organs” 361 The
Lancet (2003) p. 1645-48.
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