DWA 329 Junior Seminar: Human Rights and Trafficking in Persons

Trafficking in persons - the use of force, coercion, fraud, or deception for purposes of exploitation - is the third most profitable form of illicit activity, globally, following the traffic in drugs and arms. In this course, we will explore the different forms of trafficking, including domestic servitude, sweatshop labor, migrant agricultural work, and child soldiering, although the course will focus most closely on the topic of trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation. Throughout the class, the causes, consequences, and responses to trafficking will be analyzed through a human rights lens. We will study the processes behind the construction of gender identities in order to gain insight into why particular populations are especially vulnerable to trafficking, and why certain constraints exist to prevent and respond to trafficking at both the domestic and international levels. We will study the relationship between trafficking and militarism, including the legacy of the United States' military presence in Asia for sex tourism, and trafficking in the region today. And we will engage the debate over whether trafficking is a "discourse" that perpetuates relationships of dominance and subordination between the global North and South. Open only to DWA majors with junior or senior standing.