PS 2B03

PEACE ST 2B03/WOMENS ST 2A03/LABR ST 2W03:

Human Rights and Social Justice

Course Outline — Term 2, Winter 2010/11

Monday 10:30-11:20am T13 127

Wednesday 10:30-11:20am T13 127
Thursday 10:30-11:20am T13 127

Instructor Dr. Colin Salter

Office: TSH 302

Phone: (905) 525 9140 | Extension 23722
Email: saltec@mcmaster.ca
Website: http://colin.salter.id.au
Consultation Time: Mondays 2:30-3:30pm

Other times by appointment

My TA:

Office:

Phone:

Email:

Consultation Time:

PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 1 of 12
Subject Description
In this course we explore the concepts and practices of
rights, human rights and social justice in a local, national
and global perspective — in both theory and praxis

In reflecting on the ephemeral, socially constructed and

constituted discourse of rights and justice, we will consider
the manifestations and implications of institutional
mechanisms and actions seeking and promoting these
notions. We will ask of ourselves a number of questions
including: Are rights and justice universal? Are some
rights, or some humans, more highly valued than
others? Where, in all of this, can I we locate the entry
point(s) for our own praxis?

Assessment Summary
Assessment Format Length Due Date Weighting

Participation in class 20%

1 Participation n/a weekly
discussion & activities (see notes)

2 Assignment 1 Commentary 750 words January 24 15%

3 Assignment 2 Commentary 1250 words February 17 20%

4 Assignment 3 Essay 2250 words April 4 30%

5 Final exam Formal exam see notes exam period 15%

Reading material, courseware and text books

This course has a high reading load. All set readings are included in the courseware pack available from
Titles (the bookstore). Whereas there are no set texts for this course, you may find the following two
books on human rights very useful.

Reeta Tremblay, James Kelly, Michael Lipson and Jean Francois Mayer (2008) Understanding Human
Rights: Origins, Currents and Critiques, Nelson: Toronto.

Michael Goodhart, ed. (2009) Human Rights: politics and practice, Oxford University Press: Oxford.

PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 2 of 12
Learning Outcomes
PS 2B03 w ill expose you to different
perspectives and debates about human rights
and social justice. A diverse array of themes are
explored, ranging from the individual through to
the international level. These include debates
about the rights of the person, structural
violence, gender, ableness and the challenges
faced in a period considered by some to be
typified by global insecurity.
The set readings will challenge you, some may
confuse you, and you will likely disagree with
many. Be prepared for some interesting and
lively discussions on a range of issues — some of
which you may not have given any thought to.
PS 2B03 includes a lot of small and medium
sized group work. This enables you to be
exposed to diverse, challenging and supportive
perspectives in a respectful and supportive peer
environment.
The collective experience of questioning ideals
and values, of being challenged by key concepts
and frameworks, and in being exposed to others
can foster a valuable group dynamic.
By the end of this term, the experiences gained
should enable you to demonstrate a number of
learning outcomes. You will have developed a
sound knowledge of human rights and social
justice issues through a peace studies lens.
These learning outcomes include:
- Demonstrate academic competence
(research, writing, etc.) using a peace
studies perspective
- Define, understand and apply relevant
course concepts, terminology and
frameworks
- Demonstrate holistic, multi-level and
critical thinking (e.g. key issues and
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 3 of 12
challenges faced by human rights and
social justice campaigns)
- Discuss the role of identity, values,
culture and ideologies in shaping rights
discourse
- Engage with both self directed and
collaborative learning activities
The emphasis on group work will also foster the
development of valuable collaborative skills that
will assist you in becoming more effective
communicators.
PS 2B03 Pedagogy
This course consists of 3x1hr seminars each
week. You will be working in small and medium
groups to develop and formulate different
analyses of set material, and to complete set
tasks.
You may find the increased role of peer-directed
learning to be quite different to many other
subjects. In this course, we aim to encourage
you to learn through self-reflection and group
processes in a facilitated and elicitive seminar
environment.
By finding and analyzing examples related to
each weeks set material, working in groups and
by helping others to learn you will participate in
a rich — and at times challenging — learning
environment. This requires you to come to class
prepared to discuss key themes and issues. This
will both assist you and your fellow students.
R e fl ec t ive o f t h e em pha s i s o n g rou p
participation, non-attendance at class will
impact on your final grade. This is unusual and
you should familiarize yourself with this
— please read the subject outline carefully.
Timeline
This course is divided into 4 parts: an
introduction to the concept of human rights;
transnational issues and approaches; the person,
the animal, and the environment; and, rights
and justice post 9/11.
Part 1:
Introduction to the concept of human rights
Week 1. Introduction, what are human
rights I (January 3)
Following an overview of the course, and getting
yourself familiarized with the course outline, we
explore the origins of and evolution of human
rights discourse.
Readings
Reeta Tremblay, James Kelly, Michael Lipson
and Jean Francois Mayer (2008) Understanding
Human Rights: Origins, Currents and Critiques,
Nelson: Toronto. pp. 21-56 (Chapter 2. Human
Rights in World Politics).
Further Reading
Anthony J Langlois (2009) ‘Normative and
Theoretical Foundations of Human Rights’, in
Michael Goodhart (ed) Human Rights: politics and
practice, Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.
11-25.
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 4 of 12
Reeta Tremblay, James Kelly, Michael Lipson
and Jean Francois Mayer (2008) Understanding
Human Rights: Origins, Currents and Critiques,
Nelson: Toronto. pp. 3-20 (Chapter 1.
Introduction: Foundations of Human Rights).
Week 2. What are human rights II
(January 10)
We continue with an introduction to the origins
of and evolution of human rights discourse.
Readings
Roland Burke (2010) Decolonization and the
Evolution of International Human Rights,
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
pp.  112-144 (Chapter 5. “According to Their
Own Norms of Civilization”: The Rise of
Cultural Relativism and the Decline of Human
Rights).
Marie-Bénédicte Dembour (2010) ‘What Are
Human Rights? Four Schools of Thought’,
Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 32, Number 1.
pp. 1-20.
Brian Orend (2002) Human Rights: concept and
context, Peterborough: Broadview Press. pp:
191-211 (Chapter 7: ‘History I: Origins to the
nineteenth Century’) and pp 213-240 (Chapter
8: ‘History II: Twentieth Century and
Beyond’).
Further reading
Reeta Tremblay, James Kelly, Michael Lipson
and Jean Francois Mayer (2008) Understanding
Human Rights: Origins, Currents and Critiques,
Toronto: Nelson. pp. 85-110 (Chapter 4.
Universalist Theories of Human Rights: Origins
and Critiques).
Rona K. M. Smith (2009) ‘Human Rights in
International Law’, in Michael Goodhart (ed)
Human Rights: politics and practice, Oxford:
Oxford University Press. pp. 26-43.
Week 3. Human rights & Social Justice in
Canada (January 17)
We shift to focus on some key issues and debates
about rights and justice in Canada
Readings
Candice Metallic & Patricia Monture-Angus
(2004), ‘Domestic Laws versus Aboriginal
Visions: An Analysis of the Delgamuukw
Decision’, Borderlands e-journal, Vol. 1, No. 2.
Audrey Kobayashi & Brian Ray (2000) ‘Civil
risk and landscapes of marginality in Canada: a
pluralist approach to social justice’, The Canadian
Geographer, Vol. 44, No. 4. pp. 401-417.
Alyson McCready (2009) ‘Redressing Redress:
The Neoliberal Appropriation of Redress in the
anti-Native Backlash at Caledonia’, ESC: English
Studies in Canada, Vol. 35. No. 1. pp. 161-190
Further Reading
Reeta Tremblay, James Kelly, Michael Lipson
and Jean Francois Mayer (2008) Understanding
Human Rights: Origins, Currents and Critiques,
Toronto: Nelson. pp. 181-217. (Chapter 8.
Canada before the Age of Rights) and pp.
219-253 (Chapter 9. Canada and the Rights
Revolution).
Part II:
Transnational issues and approaches
Week 4. Rights and obligations of and to
those seeking asylum (January 24)
The approach to what is often referred to as The
Tampa Crisis has impacted on the way asylum
seekers are perceived, and many of the ideas
about human rights for refugees.
Undertake your own research on debates
surrounding the arrival of the MV Sun Sea in
Vancouver in August 2010. Come to class
prepared to discuss.
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 5 of 12
Readings
Cecilia Bailliet (2003) ‘The Tampa Case and its
Impact on Burden Sharing at Sea’, Human Rights
Quarterly, Volume 25, Number 3. pp. 741-774.
Michael Pugh (2004) ‘Drowning not Waving:
Boat People and Humanitarianism at Sea’,
Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1.
pp. 50-69.
Derrick Silove, Zachary Steel and Richard F.
Mollica (2001) ‘Detention of asylum seekers:
assault on health, human rights, and social
development’, Lancet, Vol. 357. pp. 1436–37.
Further Reading
Elizabeth Ferris (2008) ‘Protracted refugee
situations, human rights and civil society’ in Gil
Loescher, James Milner, Edward Newman &
Gary Troeller (eds), Protracted Refugee Situations:
political, human rights and security implications,
Tokyo: United Nations University Press.
pp. 85-107.
** Assignment 1 due at the start of Thursday’s
seminar time ( January 24).
Week 5. The international campaign against
landmines (January 31)
International agreement to a treaty banning
certain types of anti-personal weapons is often
looked at as success in the struggle for
recognition of human rights. We explore
different perspectives on the process leading up
to the treaty.
Readings
K Anderson (2000) ‘The Ottawa Convention
banning landmines, the role of international
non-governmental organizations and the idea of
international civil society’, European Journal of
International Law, Vol. 11, No. 1. pp. 91-120.
Lloyd Axworthy and Sarah Taylor (1998) ‘A Ban
for All Seasons: The Landmines Convention and
Its Implications for Canadian Diplomacy’,
International Journal, Vol. 53, No. 2. pp. 189-203.
Bonnie Docherty (2009) ‘Breaking New
Ground: The Convention on Cluster Munitions
a n d t h e Evo l u t i o n o f In te r n at i o n a l
Humanitarian Law’, Human Rights Quarterly,
Volume 31, Number 4: pp. 934-963.
Valeria Warmington and Celina Tuttle (1998)
‘The Canadian Campaign’ in Maxwell A.
Cameron, Robert J. Lawson & Brian W. Tomlin
(eds.), To Walk Without Fear: The Global Movement
to Ban Landmines, Toronto: Oxford University
Press. pp. 48-59.
Week 6. Humanitarian inter vention
(February 7)
The approach, politics and implications of
humanitarian intervention are often hotly
debated. Inter ventions has significant
consequences, both positive and negative. We
look at some of the issues.
Readings
Alan J. Kuperman (2009) ‘Humanitarian
Intervention’, in Michael Goodhart (ed) Human
Rights: politics and practice, Oxford: Oxford
University Press. pp. 335-353.
Amanda Murdie and David R. Davis (2010)
‘Problematic Potential: The Human Rights
Consequences of Peacekeeping Interventions in
Civil Wars’, Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 32,
Number 1. pp. 49-72.
Chandra Lekha Sriram, Olga Martin-Ortega and
Johanna Herman (2010) War, Conflict and Human
Rights: theory and practice, New York: Routledge.
pp. 180-194 (Chapter 11. ‘Enforcing human
rights transnationally’).
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 6 of 12
Part III:
The person, the animal, and the environment
Week 7. Rights, class and racialization
(February 14)
How do structural and cultural violence
intersect and shape perceptions of marginalized
members of society and access to justice?
Readings
G r a c e E d w a r d - G a l a b u z i ( 2 0 1 0 ) ‘ Th e
Intersecting Experience of Racialized Poverty
and the Criminalization of Poor’, in Diane
Crocker & Val Marie Johnson (eds.) Poverty,
Regulation & Social justice: Readings on the
Criminalization of Poverty, Halfix: Fernwood
Publishing. pp. 75-94.
Todd Gordon (2006) ‘Neoliberalism, racism,
and the war on drugs in Canada’, Social Justice,
Volume 33, Number 1: pp. 59-78
A. Breeze Harper (2009) ‘Social Justice Beliefs
an d A d d i c t i o n to Un co m pa s s i o nate
Consumption: Food for Thought in A. Breeze
Harper (ed.) Sistah Vegan: Black Female Vegans
Speak on Food, Identity, Health and Society,
Brooklyn: Lantern Press. pp. 20-41.
** Assignment 1 due at the start of Thursday’s
seminar time (February 17).
** Mid-term recess commences February 21.
Week 8. Rights, Gender and ableism
(February 28)
The social construction of the ‘normal’ body is
routinely unmarked and unquestioned.
Similarly, the gendered implications of human
rights, in theory and practice, are often
overlooked.
Readings
Jane Freedman (2007) Gendering the International
Asylum and Refugee Debate, New York: Palgrave
McMillan. pp. 45-68 (Chapter 3. ‘Gender
Related Persecutions: Why do Women Flee?’).
Fiona A. Kumari Campbell (2008) 'Exploring
internalized ableism using critical race theory',
Disability & Society, Vol. 23, No. 2, 151-162.
Fionnuala Ní Aoláin (2009) ‘Women, Security,
and the Patriarchy of Internationalized
Transitional Justice’, Human Rights Quarterly,
Volume 31, Number 4: pp. 1055-1085.
Further Reading
Jermoe E. Bickenbach (2001) ‘Disability
Human Rights, Law, and Policy’, in Gary L.
Albrecht, Katherine D. Seelman & Michael Bury
(eds) Handbook of Disability Studies, Thousand
Oaks: Sage Publications. pp. 656-584.
Lennard J. Davis (2006) ‘Constructing
Normalcy: The Bell Curve, the Novel, and the
Invention of the Disabled Body in the
Nineteenth Century’, in Lennard J. Davis (ed)
The Disability Studies Reader, second edition, New
York: Routledge. pp. 3-16.
Rachel Johnstone (2006) ‘Feminist Influences
on the United Nations Human Rights Treaty
Bodies’, Human Rights Quarterly, Volume 28,
Number 1. pp. 148-185.
Susan Moller Okin (1998) ‘Feminism, Women's
Human Rights, and Cultural Differences’,
Hypatia: a journal of feminist philosophy, Vol. 13,
No. 2. pp. 32-52.
Niamh Reillt (2007) ‘Seeking gender justice in
p o s t - c o n fl i c t t r a n s i t i o n s : t o w a r d s a
transformative women’s human rights approach’,
International Journal of Law in Context, Vol. 3, No.
2. pp. 155-172.
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 7 of 12
Week 9. The case for animal rights (March 7)
Do, or should, animals have rights? This is a
controversial question and source of much
debate.
Readings
Josephone Donovan (1990) ‘Animal Rights and
Feminist Theory’, Signs: Journal of Women in
Culture and Society, Vol. 15, No. 2: 350-75.
Catharine Grant (2006) The no-nonsense guide to
animal rights, Oxford: New Internationalist: pp.
11-20 (Chapter 1: Origins of the animal rights
movement).
David Alan Nibert (2002) Animal rights/human
rights: entanglements of oppression and liberation,
Lanham, Md: Rowmam and Littlefield. pp.
195-235 (Chapter 6. The Social Construction of
Speciesist Reality).
John Sorenson (2010) About Canada: Animal
Rights, Blackpoint, NS: Fernwood Publishing,
pp. 9-21 (Chapter 1. Animals and Social
Justice).
Further Reading
Tom Regan (1982) All that Dwell Therein, Animal
Rights and Environmental Ethics, University of
Berkeley: California Press. pp. 1-39 (Chapter 1.
The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism).
Peter Singer (2002) ‘Speciesism Today’, in
Krishna Mallick & Doris Hunter (Eds), An
Antholog y of Nonviolence – historical and
contemporary voices, Connecticut: Greenwood
Press. pp. 153-167.
Week 10. Climate change and human rights
(March 14)
Is there an obligation to those most directly
impacted by climate change? What might these
include? What are the implications and
potential challenges for the ‘west’?
Readings
John Barry and Kerri Woods (2009) ‘The
Environment’ in Michael Goodhart (ed) Human
Rights: politics and practice, Oxford: Oxford
University Press. pp. 316-333.
Paul G. Harris and Jonathan Symons (2010)
'Justice in adaptation to climate change:
cosmopolitan implications for international
institutions', Environmental Politics, Vol. 19, No. 4.
pp. 617-636
Lavanya Rajamani (2010) ‘The Increasing
Currency and Relevance of Rights-Based
Perspectives in the International Negotiations
on Climate Change’, Journal of Environmental Law,
Vol. 22, No. 3. pp. 391-429
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 8 of 12
Part IV.
Rights and justice post 9/11
Week 11. Extraordinary rendition, the
construction of enemy combatants and
attempts to redefine torture (March 21)
Following the events of September 11, 2001
many issues and debates have (re)emerged.
These include what constitutes human rights.
Readings
David Luban (2007) ‘Liberalism, Torture, and
the ticking bomb’, in S. P. Lee (ed.), Intervention,
Terrorism, and Torture: Contemporary Challenges to
Just War Theory, Dordrecht: Springer. pp. 249–
262.
Jane Mayer (2005) ‘Outsourcing Torture: the
secret history of America’s “extraordinary
r e n d i t i o n” p r o g r a m’ Th e N e w Yo r k e r ,
February 14, 2005.
William F Schulz (2009) ‘Torture’, in Michael
Goodhart (ed) Human Rights: politics and practice,
Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 297-315
Further Reading
Lance Bennett, Regina G. Lawrence, & Steven
Livingston (2006) ‘None Dare Call It Torture:
Indexing and the Limits of Press Independence
in the Abu Ghraib Scandal’, Journal of
Communication, Volume 56, Issue 3. pp. 467-485
Gregory Hooks & Clayton Mosher (2005)
‘ O u t r a g e s A g a i n s t Pe r s o n a l D i g n i t y :
Rationalizing Abuse and Torture in the War on
Terror’ Social Forces, Vol. 83, No. 4. pp.  1627–
1646
Week 12. National (in)security (March 28)
Dissent, the ‘right’ to criticize one’s government,
has emerged as a key issue of contention post
September 11, 2001.
Readings John Wilson (2005) ‘Academic Freedom in
Henry Giroux (2010) ‘Higher Education after America after 9/11’, Thought and Action, Fall,.
September 11th: The Crisis of Academic Freedom and pp. 119-131.
Democracy, in Anthony J. Nocella II, Steven Best
& Peter McLaren (eds.), Academic Repression: Week 13. wrapping up (April 4)
Reflections from The Academic Industrial Complex,
Connecting the dots.
Oakland: AK Press. pp. 92-111.

There are no set readings for this week.

Kent Roach (2007) ‘Freedom and Security in
Post-9/11 Canada’, in James L Turk and Allan
Manson (eds) Free Speech in Fearful Times: after ** Assignment 3 due at the start of Monday’s
9/11 in Canada, the U.S., Australian and Europe, seminar time (April 4).
Toronto: James Lorimer & Co, pp. 121-161

Ellen Schrecker (2005) ‘The New McCarthyism

in Academe’ Thought and Action, Fall. pp. 103-118

Further reading
Allan Manson and James L Turk (2007),
‘Conclusion’, in James L Turk and Allan Manson
(eds) Free Speech in Fearful Times: after 9/11 in
Canada, the U.S., Australian and Europe, Toronto:
James Lorimer & Co, pp. 296-304.

Attendance
Assessment and submission
- You are not required to pass every
component of assessment to pass the
subject.
- Penalty for late submission of work: 10
marks per day out of 100.
- The subject coordinator reserves the
right to hold an additional oral
ex amination for any piece of
assessment.
Attendance
Attendance at class is a key requirement of this
course. Non-attendance will significantly impact
on what you can learn from this course. By not
participating, you also detract from the ability
of others to learn with you.
If you miss more than 5 tutorials, marks will be
subtracted from your final mark, as follows:
- 0, through 5 absences: no penalty
- 6 absences: 8% subtracted
- 7 absences: 10% subtracted
- 8 absences: 12% subtracted
- 9+ absences: 15%+ subtracted
For example, if your mark is 75% but you missed
6 classes, your final mark will be 75% - 8% =
67%. If you are present for only part of a class,
that counts as fractional attendance. For
example, 5.5 absences leads to a 4% penalty.
If you will not be able to attend a class, please
contact myself or your TA in advance.

PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 9 of 12
Requirements and assessment tasks
Assignment 1: Commentary #1
Due date: At start of Thursday’s seminar in
week 4 ( January 24).
Weighting: 15%
Length: 750 words
Identify and comment on one or two key issues
directly related to the readings set for one of the
weeks (week 1 through 3). Independent
research is central to this assignment, and you
must refer to three peer-reviewed sources and at
least one of the set readings for the week in
question.
You may wish to focus on a case study to explore
the issue(s) you identify .
You may work on this assignment as a group
(maximum 3 people).
Assignment 2: Commentary #2
Due date: At start of Thursday’s seminar in
week 7 (February 17).
Weighting: 20%
Length: 1250 words
Identify and comment on one or two key issues
directly related to the readings set for one of the
weeks (week 4 through 6). Independent
research is central to this assignment, and you
must refer to five peer-reviewed sources and at
least one of the set readings for the week in
question.
Focus on a case study to explore the issue(s)
you identify .
You may work on this assignment as a group
(maximum 3 people).
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 10 of 12
Assignment 3: Essay
Due date: At start of Monday’s seminar in
week 13 (April 4).
Weighting: 30%
Length: 2250 words
Identify and comment on key issues directly
related to the focus of one of the weeks (week 1
through 12). Your essay must address a different
topic to that addressed in either of your two
commentaries.
You can choose to adopt a human rights or a
social justice lens, identif ying debates,
challenges and approaches to promoting human
rights and/or social justice. Use one or more
case studies to explore these issues, and reflect
on the applicability and appropriateness of
human rights concepts or popular notions of
social justice.
Independent research is central to this
assignment, and you must refer to six peer-
reviewed sources and at least one of the set
readings for the week in question.
Final Examination
Weighting: 15%
The final examination will occur during the
exam period and will address material covered
throughout the course.
General grading criteria

The following criteria will be utilized in the
assessment of all written work and will guide the
assessment of all other assignments.
Excellent (A+, A, A-) (100% - 80%)
Thoughtfully develops interesting and original
ideas; secondary material and course readings
are used intelligently and not as a substitute for
the learner’s own thinking; clear indication of
conceptual understanding; originality, creativity
and enthusiasm; solid organization; convincing/
well supported statements; virtually free of
errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation;
uses the conventions of scholarly
documentation correctly.
Very Good to Good (B+, B, B-) (79% – 70%)
Competent/accurate treatment of its topic; well
written with a clear purpose; may demonstrate
weaker conceptual understanding; may lean
uncritically on secondary sources; organization
is clear and sentences are comprehensible; few
errors in grammar and spelling; follows
conventions of scholarly documentation.
Good to Fair (C+, C, C-) (69% - 60%)
Lack of clarity; trivial/underdeveloped
purpose/thesis and/or arguments; considerable
summary and paraphrase, with only occasional
analytical commentary; may be characterized by
conceptual and research inaccuracies; may rely
exclusively on secondary sources; organization
is disjointed; some sentences may be convoluted
and incomprehensible; mistakes in grammar,
spelling and punctuation; carelessness with
scholarly documentation.
Problematic (D+, D, D-) (59% - 50%)
Serious inaccuracies or inconsistencies; minimal
grasp of topic; sources are often misused or
misinterpreted; expresses opinion, but does not
support effectively; lacks coherence/clarity; has
errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Failures (F) (49% - 0%)
Total misunderstanding; disorganization;
considerable grammatical errors; unscholarly
presentation. (This grade is also given for
plagiarism/other academic integrity issues)

Image sources
Mike Konopacki. 2000. ‘If there was justice in the world‘, 2000 — http://www.veggies.org.uk/calendar/2000.htm

‘Human Rights Champions’, 2001 — http://invisiblecollege.weblog.leidenuniv.nl/2007/03/11/who-wants-to-be-

the-new-human-rights-cha

‘Which do you pet, which do you eat?‘ — http://www.meatout.org/action/outreach.htm

Shane T. McCoy, ‘Detainees at Camp X-Ray’, 11 January 2002. Image in the domain image — http://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Camp_x-ray_detainees.jpg

Wikileaks | Censored —  http://www.antifascistencyclopedia.com/allposts/wikileaks-and-amazon-a-free-speech-

issue

PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 11 of 12
Course Policies
Submitted work
Assignments must be submitted by due dates. Late
submissions will be penalized by 5% of their .value per
day (including weekends) unless an extension has been
granted by the instructor (only the course instructor may
grant extensions). Extension requests will only be
granted if appropriate documentation is provided (e.g. a
doctor’s note). Late assignments will receive a grade, but
no additional comments.
The instructor cannot accept/grade work after the end of
term. Under rare circumstances learners who were not
able to complete their work during the regular term may
apply for an extension by submitting an application to
the Undergraduate Reviewing Committee before the end
of term (see http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/
forms/DeferredTermWork.pdf).
The instructor and TA are not responsible for any
misplaced assignments—always keep an extra copy of
your work. Assignments not submitted in class may be
dropped off in the box outside of TSH 313 (the
Interdisciplinar y Studies Office). Do not slip
assignments under the instructor’s or TA’s doors—these
will not be accepted. Electronic/email copies of
assignments will not be accepted.
Group Work Participation:
It is an issue of academic integrity, closely allied to
plagiarism and cheating, to be a “free-loader” in one’s
group work and activities. “Free-loading” is providing
less than an equal contribution to the work and decision-
making of the group, i.e. benefiting in marks from work
done by other members of the group in an unjust way.
To contribute, each learner needs to be present and
contribute during all group activities—during and
outside of class time. Thus, attendance will be peer
monitored and absences may result in a reduction in the
grade awarded an individual for group work (amount to
be determined on a case-by-case basis). Multiple
absences may be taken as negating membership in one’s
group. Failure to effectively contribute to the group work
may also result in a reduction of the participation grade
awarded.
In order to ensure the groups work effectively, group
members must maintain open communication with the
instructor and teaching assistant regarding their group’s
dynamics. Please inform the instructor of any conflicts or
cases of uneven workload distribution as soon as
possible.
PS 2B03: Human Rights and Social Justice. Course outline, Term 2 (winter) 2010/11 — page 12 of 12
Statement on Academic Integrity:
You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical
behaviour in all aspects of the learning process.
Academic credentials you earn are rooted in principles of
honesty and academic integrity.
Academic dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in
a way that results or could result in unearned academic
credit or advantage. This behaviour can result in serious
consequences, e.g. the grade of zero on an assignment,
loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation
reads: "Grade of F assigned for academic dishonesty"),
and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes
academic dishonesty. For information on the various
types of academic dishonesty please refer to the
Academic Integrity Policy, located at http://
www.mcmaster.ca/academicintegrity
The following illustrates only three forms of academic
dishonesty:
- Plagiarism, e.g. the submission of work that is not
one's own or for which other credit has been
obtained.
- Improper collaboration in group work.
- Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and
examination.
All assignments will be evaluated to ensure academic
integrity. Academic dishonesty will be treated as a very
serious matter in this course and all cases of academic
dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Academic
Integrity.
Email Communication Policy
The course instructor will only open emails sent from
McMaster email addresses. Emails sent from any other
email provider (e.g. Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo) will not be
opened and will be deleted immediately. This policy
protects confidentiality and confirms your identity.
Assisted Learning
The Centre for Student Development is always available
to help students with different learning needs (MUSC
B-107; Ext 24711; http://csd.mcmaster.ca). If you
require special arrangements, you should talk to the
course instructor as soon as possible.