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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PL 325H"
COURSE NAME: "Human Trafficking and Contemporary Slavery(This course carries 4 semester hours of credits. A minimum CUM GPA of 3.5 is required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Silvia Scarpa
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 8:30AM 9:45AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 60
CREDITS: 4
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS: by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

After a brief, comparative overview of historical practices, this course will examine contemporary manifestations, focusing in particular on chattel slavery, religious slavery, domestic servitude, bonded labor/debt bondage, forced prostitution and sexual slavery, early and forced marriages, forced labor, and human trafficking. Less familiar forms of human trafficking, such as trafficking for the purpose of illegal adoptions and organ sales, and the difference between human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants will also be studied. Special attention will be given to understanding what should be done to fight against these contemporary exploitative practices.

Students who achieve high levels of academic excellence (minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5) have the option of taking specially designated Honors Courses. These may also include occasional interdisciplinary seminars open only to such students. More frequently, regular John Cabot University courses may be offered with an option of taking them for four academic credits as Honors Courses. Students who register for such courses as Honors Courses must complete additional assignments (e.g., research papers or portfolios) in which they delve more deeply into the subject matter in question. These additional assignments are graded on a "grant of Honors credit/no grant of Honors credit" basis and are not calculated into the final grade for the course. For the granting of Honors credit, students should produce work of a quality that would receive a B (3.00/4.00) or higher and this will be noted on their transcripts. Students taking a course as an Honors Course also enjoy additional mentoring time with the instructor. Instructors for Honors Courses are chosen by the Dean of Academic Affairs in conjunction with the Department Chair, based on their expertise and teaching excellence.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Starting with a brief overview on slavery and a comparison between slavery of the past centuries and the contemporary subtle forms of slavery-like 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. A definition for every form of exploitation will be given 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.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to define the various contemporary slavery-like practices and processes, 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 research on a specific issue of their interest and have conducted a group work on a selected topic.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's SlavesKevin BalesUniversity of California Press9780520257962     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Essay1,500 words minimum80%
Attendance and Class Participation 20%

-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 evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference 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!
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.
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.

SCHEDULE

WEEK

 

TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Week 1 (January 19 and 21)































































































































































































What is contemporary slavery? What is human trafficking?

Quirk, Ch. 1 – p. 23-33; Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 3-8; Scarpa-Article-Groningen J..

Week 2 (January 26 and 28)

January 25: last day for late registration/last day to drop or add classes.

Con’t

Is slavery of the past different from the one of today?

 

Bales, Ch. 1; Quirk, Ch. 3.

Week 3 (February 2 and 4)

Vestiges of past slavery: chattel slavery and religious slavery.

Bales, Ch. 3; Black, p. 1-26; 35-38.

Week 4 (February 9 and 11)

Forced labor.

 

Child labor. Child labor in cocoa plantations.

ILO Handbook, p. 8-16; Kang Muico, p. 1-19 and 27; Anti-Slavery Report, p. 1-5.

Child labor: Lieten; Hindman; AI_Cocoa Report, p. 3-18 and 40-69.

Week 5 (February 16 and 18)

Debt bondage.

General summary.

Bales, Ch. 4, 5 and 6.

Week 6 (February 23 and 25)

 

February 23: Mid-term exam.

The commercial sexual exploitation of children and child sex tourism.

































































Bales, Ch. 2 and Ecpat Report.

Week 7 (March 1 and 3)

 

Trafficking in persons: lack of data, estimates, causes & consequences and distribution in the world.

Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 8-21; Weitzer.

 

Week 8 (March 8 and 10)

The forms of exploitation related to human trafficking.

Scarpa, Ch. 1 – p. 22 - 34 and 40.

Week 9 (March 15 and 17)

Peacekeeping and human trafficking.

Mendelson, p. 1-38.

Week 10 (March 22 and 24)

Trafficking in persons for the removal of organs.

MARCH 24: DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF THE ADVOCACY PLANS.

Pearson; Scheper-Hughes; Scarpa, Ch. 1 - p. 34 - 39.

Week 11 (March 29 and 31)





SPRING BREAK





Week 12 (April 5 and 7)

The smuggling of migrants: definition. Trafficking in persons v. the smuggling of migrants. Trafficking in persons in the wider context of international migrations.  

Bhabha and Zard; Gallagher; Anti-Slavery International Report on Migration-Trafficking Nexus, p. 1-15.

Week 13 (April 12 and 14)

What can be done to fight against contemporary slavery and human trafficking?

 

Students’ presentations.

Bales, Ch. 7.

Week 14 (April 19 and 21)

Students’ presentations.

Week 15 (April 26 and 28)

Con’t and Final summary.

APRIL 26: DEADLINE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF ESSAYS.

Week 16 (April 30 - May 6)

Final Exam

Date TBA

Full List of Reading Materials

Anti-Slavery International, The Cocoa Industry in West Africa: a History of Exploitation (Anti-Slavery International, 2004).































Anti-Slavery International, The Migration-Trafficking Nexus (Anti-Slavery International, 2003).































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).































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 S., Trafficking in Persons: Modern Slavery (Oxford University Press, 2008).































Scarpa S.,
“The Definition of Trafficking in Adult Persons for various Forms of Exploitation and the Issue of Consent: A Framework Approach that Respect Peculiarities” 1(2) GRONINGEN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL LAW (2013) 154 – 163, http://grojil.org/05-Scarpa.pdf.

Scheper-Hughes N., “Keeping an Eye on the Global Traffic in Human Organs” 361 The Lancet (2003) 1645-48.

Weitzer R., “New Directions in Research on Human Trafficking” The Annals (2014) 6-24.