STRUCTURAL OPPRESSION AND VICTIMIZATION

Catalog description

This course is a critical examination of different forms of systemic and structural oppression, and the resulting victimization of communities across the globe. Through case studies of both historical and contemporary instances, students will explore how such oppression emerges, how it is justified and sustained, and the profound impact on victims. Topics include mass violence (e.g. wartime rape), genocide, and forced displacement, as well as more subtle forms of victimization through punitive state policies, laws, and practices (e.g. arbitrary mass detention/incarceration and deportation, indefinite confinement and violations of rights of vulnerable population). Agencies that interact with the U.S. criminal justice systems, such as ICE and CBP as well as global initiatives by the International Court of Justice will be under scrutiny. Students will engage in critical discussions that center survivors' voices and propose pathways toward protection and prevention.