SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS

Voyage: Spring 2015

Disciplines: Cross-Listed—Politics and International Relations, Psychology, Anthropology
PLIR 3310: Ethics and Human Rights in World Politics (Division: Upper)
PSYC 3500-102: Psychology, Human Rights & Social Justice (Division: Upper)
ANTH 2590: Human Rights & Social Justice (Division: Lower)
Faculty Names: Krista Wiegand, Walton R. Johnson, and Scott Plous
Credit Hours: 3; Contact Hours: 38
Prerequisites: None

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course—jointly taught by professors of political science, anthropology, and psychology—

offers a global perspective on human rights and social justice. The first part of the course will
provide a cross-cultural introduction to prejudice and discrimination, social justice, intergroup
relations, and human rights. For example, we'll examine what human rights are, how they work in
various parts of the world, and why they're important. In the next part of the course, we'll focus on
specific cases of discrimination and social domination involving political, religious, and ethnic
persecution, caste-based biases, and racial discrimination. During this part of the course, the class
sessions and accompanying homework assignments will often relate to the port cities visited during
our voyage. For instance, we'll look at political rights when visiting Burma, caste differences when
visiting India, and race relations when visiting South Africa. In addition, each port stay will be
preceded with a briefing on human rights in that country. Finally, the course will end with a look at
future trends and debates, including movements to grant legal rights to nonhuman primates, the
role of transnational actors such as the United Nations, and effective strategies to promote social
justice and safeguard human rights.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

From ancient times to the present, human history reveals not only a record of remarkable social
development but a record of social stratification, inequality, and persecution. How are we to
understand these competing impulses? The objectives of this course are for students to:

1. Learn about the psychology of prejudice, discrimination, and various forms of social
subjugation.

2. Understand human rights and social justice from a cross-cultural perspective based on a
combination of classroom instruction and field experiences in different countries during the
voyage.

3. Assess past and current thinking about the nature of human rights and the global prospects
for greater social justice.

4. Become empowered to use knowledge and insights from this course to become effective
global citizens.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

AUTHOR: Jack Donnelly

TITLE: Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice
DATE/EDITION/ISBN: 2013 / 3rd / 978-0801477706
PUBLISHER: Cornell University Press

TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE

The following schedule may be modified to suit student interests or take advantage of special
opportunities that arise during the voyage. All reading and assignments should be completed by the
beginning of class on the day of the deadline.

Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment

Jan 7 Depart Ensenada, Mexico
1 Jan 9 Our World Today: Human Rights and Social Justice (WJ)
• Human Rights: An Overview (Council on Foreign Relations)
2 Jan 11 The Roots of Injustice: A Psychological Overview (SP)
• Plous, Preface and pp. 1-48
3 Jan 13 Stigmas Old and New (SP)
• Plous, pp. 49-62, 63-83, 92-97, 108-110
• LaFraniere, S. (2010, March 4). A miniature world magnifies
dwarf life. New York Times, p. A10.
Jan 14 Hilo, Hawaii
4 Jan 16 Racial Injustice and Racial Privilege (SP)
• Plous, pp. 111, 122-127, 134-164, 178-181, 191-196, 204
5 Jan 18 The Changing Face of Sexism and Gender Equality (SP)
• Plous, pp. 213-233, 237-241, 254-260, 271
Jan 20 Group Discussions: The Psychology of Prejudice
6 Jan 22 Heterosexism and Transgender Bias (SP)
• Plous, pp. 375-383, 390-391, 394, 396-397, 401-409, 412-423
7 Jan 24 Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust (SP)
• Plous, pp. 273-317
• Pringle, H. (2010). Confronting anatomy’s Nazi past. Science,
329, 274-275.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Japan
• Fogarty, P. (2008, June 6). Recognition at last for Japan's Ainu.
BBC News.

2
Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment
Jan 26-27 Yokohama, Japan
Jan 28 In Transit
Jan 29-31 Kobe, Japan
8 Feb 1 An Introduction to Human Rights (KW)
• The Story of Human Rights
• Donnelly, Chapters 1, 5, & 9
➔ Human Rights Briefing: China
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: China.
Feb 3-4 Shanghai, China
Feb 5-6 In Transit
Feb 7-8 Hong Kong
9 Feb 9 Human Rights Norms in International Law (KW)
• Donnelly, Chapters 2, 4, & 6
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Vietnam
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: Vietnam.
Feb 11-16 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
10 Feb 17 Democratization and State Repression (KW)
• Donnelly, Chapter 13
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Singapore
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: Singapore.
Feb 19-20 Singapore
Feb 21 Group Discussions: Democracy and Human Rights
11 Feb 22 Political Persecution and Human Rights (KW)
• Turnell, Sean. (2011, Fall/Winter). Myanmar's fifty year
authoritarian trap. Journal of International Affairs, 65(1), 79-92.
• Hlaing, Kyaw Yin. (2012, August). Understanding recent
political changes in Myanmar. Contemporary Southeast Asia: A
Journal of International & Strategic Affairs, 34(2), 197-216.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Burma
• Human Rights in Burma
Ø Port Visit Journal Entry #1 Due
Feb 24-Mar 1 Rangoon, Burma

3
Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment
12 Mar 2 Religious and Ethnic Persecution and Freedom (KW)
• Donnelly, Chapter 10
• Horowitz, Donald L. (2000). Ethnic Groups in Conflict,
Oakland, CA: University of California Press, pp. 3-12 and 21-
36.
• Julius, Demetrios A. (1991). The genesis and perpetuation of
aggression in international conflicts. In V. D. Volkan, D. A.
Julius, and J. V. Montville (Eds.), The psychodynamics of
international relationships: Unofficial diplomacy at work (pp.
97-108). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
13 Mar 4 Caste: The Perfect System of Domination (WJ)
• Wikipedia. (2014). Caste System in India.
• Position of Dalits in the Indian Caste System
• Attitudes of the Indians Toward the Dalits
• Living as an Outcaste in India
• Caste Violence in Haryana
➔ Human Rights Briefing: India
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: India.
Mar 6-11 Cochin, India
14 Mar 12 Differing Manifestations of "Race" in Southern Africa (WJ)
• Coleman, Max. (1998). The many faces of repression. In M.
Coleman (Ed.), A crime against humanity: Analysing the
repression of the apartheid state. Capetown, South Africa:
Human Rights Commission.
• Familara, Aileen. (undated). Mauritius: Communities of
paradise. Quezon City, Philippines: Isis International.
Mar 14 Group Discussions: The Nature of Social Domination
15 Mar 15 Why Do Some People Violate Others' Rights? (WJ)
• The Psychology of Evil (Philip Zimbardo TED talk)
• Johnson, W. (2008). Are "whites" in South Africa really ready
for democracy? Social Identities, 14(5), 621-636.
Ø Port Visit Journal Entry #2 Due

4
Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment
16 Mar 17 What About America? (WJ)
• Savage, C. (2014, March 14). U.S., rebuffing U.N., maintains
stance that rights treaty does not apply abroad. New York Times,
p. A12.
• Miller, G., & Goldman, A. (2014, April 3). Senate panel votes
to release CIA interrogation report. Washington Post.
• Cumming-Bruce, N. (2014, March 29). Human rights panel
criticizes U.S. New York Times, p. A10.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Mauritius
• Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. (2014).
Mauritius 2013 Human Rights Report. Country Reports on
Human Rights Practices for 2013. Washington, DC: United
States Department of State.
Mar 18 Port Louis, Mauritius
17 Mar 20 Reform and Reconciliation (WJ)
• Murphy, Jeffrie E. (2003). Getting even: Forgiveness and its
limits (Introduction: Responding to evil, pp. 3-8). New York:
Oxford University Press.
• de Grieff, Pablo. (2006). Justice and reparations. In Pablo de
Grieff (Ed.), The handbook of reparations (pp. 451-477).
Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Villa-Vicencio, Charles. (2003). Restorative justice in social
context: The South African Truth and Reconciliation
Commission. In Nigel Biggar (Ed.), Burying the past: Making
peace and doing justice after civil conflict (pp. 235-250).
Washington: Georgetown University Press.
• Wolterstorff, Nicholas. (undated). Does forgiveness violate
justice?
18 Mar 23 Where Are We Now? Where Do We Go From Here? (WJ)
• Prager, Denis. (2011, April 3). Social Justice
• Novak, Michael. (2000, December). Defining social justice.
First Things, 108, pp. 11-13.
• Fabricius, P. (2014, April 10). "Geography of justice" riles
Africa. Cape Times.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: South Africa
• SouthAfrica.info. (2014, February. You and your rights.
Mar 25-30 Cape Town, South Africa

5
Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment
19 Mar 31 Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide (WJ)
• Schabas, William A. (undated). Convention on the Prevention
and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. United Nations
Audiovisual Library of International Law.
• Hadley, B. L. (2005). From Africa to Auschwitz: How German
South West Africa incubated ideas and methods adopted and
developed by the Nazis in Eastern Europe. European History
Quarterly, 35(3), 429-464.
• Power, Samantha. (undated). Never again: The world's most
unfulfilled promise. Frontline, PBS.org.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Namibia
• Amnesty International. (2014). Namibia Human Rights.
Apr 2-6 Walvis Bay, Namibia
20 Apr 7 Humanitarian Intervention (KW)
• Donnelly, Chapters 14 & 15
• Smith, Michael J. (2001). Humanitarian intervention: An
overview of ethical issues. In Patrick Hayden (Ed.), The
Philosophy of Human Rights. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.
21 Apr 9 Social Justice for Animals? The Movement for Nonhuman Rights (SP)
• Plous, pp. 507-528, 536-556
Ø Port Visit Journal Entry #3 Due
Apr 11 Group Discussions: Reflections on Race and Ethnicity
22 Apr 12 Confronting Prejudice and Discrimination (SP)
• Plous, pp. 463, 465-466, 427, 443, 429, 447, 474-480, 473, 490,
500-506
Ø "Making a Difference" Paper Due
23 Apr 14 Transnational Actors and the Responsibility to Protect (KW)
• United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention
of Genocide. (undated). The Responsibility to Protect.
• Donnelly, Chapters 11 & 14
Apr 16 Exam Review and Discussion of Central Course Themes

6
 Class Date Topic, Activity, and/or Assignment
24 Apr 17 Self-Determination As a Solution? (KW)
• Knight, D. B. (1999). Geographical perspectives of self-
determination. In P. Taylor & J. House (Eds.), Political
Geography: Recent Advances and Future Directions (pp. 168-
190). Totowa, NJ: Barns & Noble Books.
• Maghraaoui, A. (2003, Spring). Ambiguities of sovereignty:
Morocco, the Hague and the Western Sahara dispute.
Mediterranean Politics, 8(1), 113-126.
• Zunes, S. (2013, December 20). US should stand up for Western
Sahara’s self-determination. National Catholic Reporter, p. 29.
➔ Human Rights Briefing: Morocco
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014:
Morocco/Western Sahara.
Apr 19-23 Casablanca, Morocco
25 Apr 24 Ø Final Exam
Apr 29 Southampton, England

DISCUSSION SESSIONS

During each of the academic calendar's designated Study Days (except the day before the final
exam, which will be a review session), you'll meet with roughly a dozen classmates for a group
discussion. These discussion sessions will be led by a professor but will focus on questions from
both students as well as faculty. To receive credit for participating for a session, you must arrive on
time (worth 1 point) and submit a typed sheet with three questions that you'd like to discuss related
to the course readings, lectures, or videos (worth 1 point per question). Details on the time,
location, assigned group, and other logistics will be given on the first day of class. All told, the
group discussions will account for 20% of your course grade (five sessions worth 4 points each).

FIELD WORK

(1) Journal Entries (30 points)

As we seek to understand social justice and human rights, the time spent in port will be just as
valuable and educational as the time spent on board. For example, when visiting different
countries, you'll be able to observe the status of various social groups—everything from levels of
racial and gender segregation in public spaces to media portrayals in billboards and magazines to
the handicap accessibility of buildings and mass transit systems. In addition, on the first day of
class we'll provide you with a list of history museums, social justice organizations, and related
travel sites that you can visit in various countries.

7
To make the most of these port stays, we ask that you submit a 1-2 page "journal entry" connecting
course topics with your observations and insights from the time spent visiting different countries
(due at the beginning of Sessions 11, 15, and 21). When drafting these journal entries, try go
beyond a purely descriptive travelogue ("I visited XYZ and did ABC") to offer your own unique
analyses and ideas related to social justice and human rights. In doing so, don't be afraid to
research your journal topic or interview other people, and whenever possible, draw on information
and experiences from more than one country.

☞ Tip: Given the two-page limit, it's generally best to pick one central theme rather than
trying to cover multiple topics. To help focus the journal entry, it's also good to give your
paper a thematic title (e.g., "Women's Rights in Asia: A Three-Country Paradox") rather
than a generic label such as "Journal Entry #1."

Journal entries will be graded primarily on the basis of creativity and critical thinking, but style
will also be considered. To minimize errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling, please spell-
check your work and proofread the printed version. The grading for each journal entry will range
from 0-10 points along the following scale:

u 10 points = truly superlative (a cleanly written, rare gem of insight)

u 8 points = very good (clean writing and creative, novel analyses)
u 6 points = generally good (shows a mastery of the course material)
u 4 points = acceptable (somewhat thin or contains significant errors)
u 2 point = marginally acceptable (very thin or contains major errors)
u 0 points = not turned in on time (late entries will not be accepted)

(2) Final Paper Assignment: Making a Difference (20 points)

One of the main vehicles for social change is the act of voting in elections and on referenda.
Another is the act of joining local organizations that promote change. But as a global citizen, how
can you reduce injustice in countries where you don't live? For the final paper in this class, your
assignment is to use what you've learned to help strengthen social justice or human rights in one or
more of the countries visited, and to report on your efforts. What did you choose to do, and why?
How effective was it compared with other actions you might have taken, and how might it be made
more effective? In 3-5 pages, describe and analyze the experience drawing on material from the
course. As with journal entries, this paper will be graded on creativity, critical thinking, and style.

GUIDELINES AND TIPS FOR WRITTEN WORK

When writing for this class, please:

• Be original rather than playing it safe and saying what's obvious

• Use specific examples rather than being abstract and general
• Consider the role of culture and draw on multiple port experiences
• Use 12-point font, 1" inch margins, and do not exceed the page limit
• Print your paper at least one day before the deadline (there are no extensions)

8
What you'll be graded on includes:

• How factually correct your paper is

• How creative, insightful, or original the work is
• How logical and well reasoned your conclusions are
• How clear and well organized the writing is
• How well you incorporated the role of culture

☞ Tip: When completing written work for this class, please skip lengthy introductions or
restatements of material from the course lectures or readings. Instead, dive in to your own
content after a sentence or two of opening context, and don't let your paper stray from its
main points.

METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC

Grading will be done using a 100-point system. The final examination will be worth 30 course
points and will include a variety of fixed format questions (e.g., multiple choice, true-false), short
answer items, and essay questions covering content from the class sessions (including all human
rights briefings), required readings, and in-class or assigned videos. No readings or videos
designated as "optional" will be covered on the exam.

The following table contains a breakdown of all course points.

Course Component Points

Journal Entries (10 points each) 30
Group Discussions (4 points each) 20
Paper Assignment: Making a Difference 20
Final Examination 30
Total points possible 100

Once the course ends, your point total will be converted to a final letter grade. Because this course
hasn't been given before, it's difficult to specify in advance how various scores will translate into
particular letter grades. Nonetheless, you may use the following cutoffs as a rough guide (the final
cutoffs might be different from these, but not by much). These cutoffs are based on Peterson's—the
most common method of matching letter grades to 100-point scales:

Letter Grade Point Total

A+ 97-100
A 94-96
A- 90-93
B+ 87-89

9
 B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 77-79
C 74-76
C- 70-73
D+ 67-69
D 64-66
D- 60-63
F below 60

CLASS PARTICIPATION

The value of this course depends in part on what you bring to it—each member of the class is
personally responsible for the quality of our time together, and we welcome your contributions. To
participate fully, please: (1) arrive punctually to all sessions and course events, (2) complete all
required readings on time, (3) contribute to the group without dominating the discussion, and (4)
help create a climate in which others can comfortably share their opinions.

DOCUMENTARIES

Call Me Kuchu (2012, 13 minutes, edited)

Coming to Terms (1990, 9 minutes, edited)
Interview with Raul Hilberg (1989, 11 minutes, edited)
Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey (2003, 120 minutes)
Middle Sexes: Redefining He and She (2005, 24 minutes, edited)
Race: The Power of an Illusion (2003; 16 minutes, edited)
Unnatural Causes: In Sickness and in Wealth (2008, 13 minutes, edited)

Optional Viewing

A Time for Justice: America's Civil Rights Movement (1992, 38 minutes)

America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference (1994, 60 minutes, edited)
Little People (1984; 58 minutes)
Namibia: Genocide and the Second Reich (2004; 60 minutes)
The Canary Effect (2006, 35 minutes, edited)

10
ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS

• Amnesty International. (2014). Namibia Human Rights.

• Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. (2014). Mauritius 2013 Human Rights
Report. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013. Washington, DC: United
States Department of State.
• Coleman, Max. (1998). The many faces of repression. In M. Coleman (Ed.), A crime
against humanity: Analysing the repression of the apartheid state. Capetown, South Africa:
Human Rights Commission.
• Cumming-Bruce, N. (2014, March 29). Human rights panel criticizes U.S. New York
Times, p. A10.
• de Grieff, Pablo. (2006). Justice and reparations. In Pablo de Grieff (Ed.), The handbook of
reparations (pp. 451-477). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Fabricius, P. (2014, April 10). "Geography of justice" riles Africa. Cape Times.
• Familara, Aileen. (undated). Mauritius: Communities of paradise. Quezon City,
Philippines: Isis International.
• Fogarty, P. (2008, June 6). Recognition at last for Japan's Ainu. BBC News.
• Hadley, B. L. (2005). From Africa to Auschwitz: How German South West Africa
incubated ideas and methods adopted and developed by the Nazis in Eastern Europe.
European History Quarterly, 35(3), 429-464.
• Hlaing, Kyaw Yin. (2012, August). Understanding recent political changes in Myanmar.
Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International & Strategic Affairs, 34(2), 197-
216.
• Horowitz, Donald L. (2000). Ethnic Groups in Conflict, Oakland, CA: University of
California Press, pp. 3-12 and 21-36.
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: China.
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: India.
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: Morocco/Western Sahara.
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: Singapore.
• Human Rights Watch. (2014). World Report 2014: Vietnam.
• Johnson, W. (2008). Are "whites" in South Africa really ready for democracy? Social
Identities, 14(5), 621-636.
• Julius, Demetrios A. (1991). The genesis and perpetuation of aggression in international
conflicts. In V. D. Volkan, D. A. Julius, and J. V. Montville (Eds.), The psychodynamics
of international relationships: Unofficial diplomacy at work (pp. 97-108). Lexington, MA:
Lexington Books.
• Knight, D. B. (1999). Geographical perspectives of self-determination. In P. Taylor & J.
House (Eds.), Political Geography: Recent Advances and Future Directions (pp. 168-190).
Totowa, NJ: Barns & Noble Books.
• LaFraniere, S. (2010, March 4). A miniature world magnifies dwarf life. New York Times,
p. A10.
• Maghraaoui, A. (2003, Spring). Ambiguities of sovereignty: Morocco, the Hague and the
Western Sahara dispute. Mediterranean Politics, 8(1), 113-126.
• Miller, G., & Goldman, A. (2014, April 3). Senate panel votes to release CIA interrogation
report. Washington Post.
• Murphy, Jeffrie E. (2003). Getting even: Forgiveness and its limits (Introduction:
11
 Responding to evil, pp. 3-8). New York: Oxford University Press.
• Novak, Michael. (2000, December). Defining social justice. First Things, 108, pp. 11-13.
• Plous, S. (2003). Understanding prejudice and discrimination. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Power, Samantha. (undated). Never again: The world's most unfulfilled promise. Frontline,
PBS.org.
• Savage, C. (2014, March 14). U.S., rebuffing U.N., maintains stance that rights treaty does
not apply abroad. New York Times, p. A12.
• Schabas, William A. (undated). Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the
Crime of Genocide. United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law.
• Smith, Michael J. (2001). Humanitarian intervention: An overview of ethical issues. In
Patrick Hayden (Ed.), The Philosophy of Human Rights. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.
• SouthAfrica.info. (2014, February. You and your rights.
• Turnell, Sean. (2011, Fall/Winter). Myanmar's fifty year authoritarian trap. Journal of
International Affairs, 65(1), 79-92.
• United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide. (undated).
The Responsibility to Protect.
• Villa-Vicencio, Charles. (2003). Restorative justice in social context: The South African
Truth and Reconciliation Commission. In Nigel Biggar (Ed.), Burying the past: Making
peace and doing justice after civil conflict (pp. 235-250). Washington: Georgetown
University Press.
• Wikipedia. (2014). Caste System in India.
• Wolterstorff, Nicholas. (undated). Does forgiveness violate justice?
• Zunes, S. (2013, December 20). US should stand up for Western Sahara’s self-
determination. National Catholic Reporter, p. 29.

COURSE POLICIES

ATTENDANCE—Because our class sessions will cover material that goes beyond the readings,
attendance is absolutely essential and will be recorded at the beginning of class. After two
unexcused absences (i.e., absences not due to a medical problem or an emergency), there will be a
5-point penalty for each additional unexcused absence, so please do your best to attend all sessions
and arrive punctually.

ASSIGNMENTS—All assignments you submit must be original (not reprinted, excerpted, or adapted
from existing work such as papers for other classes, books, articles, web pages). Similarly, all text,
tables, figures, and images reproduced from other sources must include clear reference citations,
and all quoted passages must use quotation marks to indicate that they are quotations. If you're not
sure about how to properly cite a source, please ask rather than running the risk of an honor code
violation. Also, please note that late assignments will not be accepted except in the event of a
serious illness or emergency; please backup your work and print a copy of your assignments at
least one day before they're due.

CELL PHONES AND RECORDING DEVICES—Before each class session begins, please turn off all
mobile phones and recording devices. Audio or video recording of lectures or class sessions
without permission is expressly forbidden.

12
HONOR CODE

Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of

Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University's honor code. The code prohibits all acts of
lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager's Handbook for further explanation of
what constitutes an honor offense.

Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: "On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment." The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed with your name typed and followed by
"[signed]" (including the square brackets) after your name.

13