LibGuides: SOC-3010 Global Civics: Week 5 Resources

Week 5 Resources

Review the resources listed below to prepare for this week’s assignments. The resources may include textbook reading assignments, journal articles, websites, links to tools or software, videos, handouts, rubrics, etc.

In Defense of Human Rights

This article addresses the need for more defenders, rather than critics, for international human rights law and the human rights movement. It addresses some of the criticisms and considers the current political environment. As you read, take time to think about your own views and how each group on different sides of this issue has an impacting effect.

In Defense of Human Rights This Article argues that international human rights law, and the human rights movement more generally, need more defenders than critics in the current international political environment. Groups ranging from academics to governments have taken stances critical of human rights, and this Article seeks to defend the rights framework from some of these while also arguing for the importance of human rights in today's world. Noting that the field of human rights is not beyond criticism, this Article embraces some of those criticisms. However, it suggests that human rights law specialists need to spend at least as much time defending human rights law, and the universality of human rights, as they do criticizing it. Moreover, their criticisms need to be grounded in the reality of the theory and practice of human rights law to be useful and advance human dignity. Decontextualized hypercriticism risks playing into the hands of antirights actors, including some contemporary governments, as well as diverse fundamentalists and extremists.

Bennoune, K., (2019). In defense of human rights. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, 52(5), 1209-1235. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=shib&custid=natuniv&direct=true&db=a9h&AN=141555612&site=eds-live

The Opportunities and Risks of Mobile Phones for Refugees’ Experience: A Scoping Review

Technology is an opportunity and a threat to human rights. Mobile phones, in particular, represent a dual-edged sword in this regard. This article looks at the opportunities and threats among refugees, a vulnerable population from a human rights perspective.

The Opportunities and Risks of Mobile Phones for Refugees’ Experience: A Scoping Review Although mobile phones (MPs) are inexorably changing the forced migration experience, the realm of digital migration studies is still fragmented and lacking an analytical focus. Many research areas are still unexplored, while no narrative, scoping or systematic reviews have been conducted on this topic to date. The present review analyzed scientific contributions in Humanistic and Social Sciences with the aim to provide an overview of existing studies on the role of mobile phones (MPs) on refugees' experience, and to inform practice and policymaking for advancing the use of MPs for the protection of migrants' human rights. A scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework and the JBI Reviewer's Manual recommendations. A three-step search was carried out in four bibliographic databases by three independent reviewers. Review selection and extraction were performed using an interactive team approach. Forty-three theoretical and empirical contributions were selected, and their content analyzed. The contributions ranged from 2013 to 2018 and varied in terms of disciplines, objectives, methodology, contexts, and migrants' origin, with the most studied group being Syrians. Five different topics concerning refugees' experience and MPs' usage emerged: (a) media practices in refugees' everyday lives; (b) opportunity and risks of MPs during the migration journey; (c) the role of MPs in maintaining and developing social relations; (d) potential of MPs for refugees" self-assertion and self-empowerment; (e) MPs for refugees' health and education. The results showed that modern devices, such as mobile phones, bring both risks and opportunities for refugees' experience, thereby both favouring and threatening asylum seekers' and refugees' human rights. Recommendations to policymaking and services and associations for advancing the use of MPs for the protection of the rights of migrants have been proposed.

Mancini, T., Sibilla, F., Argiropoulos, D., Rossi, M., & Everri, M. (2019). The opportunities and risks of mobile phones for refugees’ experience: A scoping review. PloS One, 14(12), e0225684. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=shib&custid=natuniv&direct=true&db=mdc&AN=31790471&site=eds-live

U.N. Human Rights Expert on Rise of Racism

U.N. human rights experts discuss their observation of the rise of racism and xenophobia in the United States.

UN Human Rights Expert on Rise of Racism Human rights are often defined as entitlements that human beings possess just by virtue of their inherent dignity. This conceptual link between human rights and inherent dignity is as popular as it is unhelpful. It invites metaphysical disputes about what, exactly, endows human beings with inherent dignity, and distracts from the core function of human rights: placing constraints on powerful actors, especially states. In response to this difficulty, I reconceptualise the relationship between human rights and dignity in a way that maximally serves human rights' purpose. I do so by distinguishing between 'inherent dignity' and 'status dignity', and by linking human rights to the latter, not the former. First, I argue that human rights articulate standards for respecting the status dignity of the subjects of sovereign authority, rather than the inherent dignity of human beings qua humans. Secondly, I suggest that not only individuals but also corporate agents possess status dignity. In particular, states that violate human rights lose their status dignity, thereby becoming liable to interference.

Associated Press. (2017). U.N. human rights expert on rise of racism. [Video]. USA: Associated Press. https://www.voanews.com/a/un-experts-say-charlottesville-exemplifies-rising-racism-in-us/3987859.html

Dignity and Human Rights: A Reconceptualization

The article reviews the concept of human rights and its relationship with human dignity. A key part of the paper is that human rights articulate the standards for human dignity.

Dignity and Human Rights: A Reconceptualization Human rights are often defined as entitlements that human beings possess just by virtue of their inherent dignity. This conceptual link between human rights and inherent dignity is as popular as it is unhelpful. It invites metaphysical disputes about what, exactly, endows human beings with inherent dignity, and distracts from the core function of human rights: placing constraints on powerful actors, especially states. In response to this difficulty, I reconceptualise the relationship between human rights and dignity in a way that maximally serves human rights' purpose. I do so by distinguishing between 'inherent dignity' and 'status dignity', and by linking human rights to the latter, not the former. First, I argue that human rights articulate standards for respecting the status dignity of the subjects of sovereign authority, rather than the inherent dignity of human beings qua humans. Secondly, I suggest that not only individuals but also corporate agents possess status dignity. In particular, states that violate human rights lose their status dignity, thereby becoming liable to interference.

Valentini, L. (2017). Dignity and human rights: A reconceptualization. Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, 37(4), 862-885. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=shib&custid=natuniv&direct=true&db=bth&AN=126524622&site=eds-live

Coronavirus: Race Against the Pandemic

It is time to prepare for this week’s assignment. Part of the human experience and global security is the health of the world population. COVID 19 brought about a great change in our world population. From the toll on first responders to the loss of lives. Even the security of personal well-being is in play with COVID 19. People are social distancing, wearing masks and picking up curbside. Watch the following video to see how COVID 19 has affected the global population.

Coronavirus: Race Against the Pandemic
Coronavirus: Race Against the Pandemic
directed by Maya Dykes, fl. 2020; produced by Maya Dykes, fl. 2020 and Sam Taylor, fl. 2020, Precipice (London, England: TVF International, 2020), 48 mins