/ Violent conflict remains one of the most serious problems in the world today. Hundreds of thousands of people die every year as a result of war, and millions of refugees are displaced and suffering. The interdisciplinary academic field of peace studies attempts to understand the causes of such conflict and contribute to sustainable strategies that will lead not just to the absence of war, but to genuine human flourishing. This course introduces that field of study with a particular emphasis on conflict transformation, peace-building and the rights of marginalized persons. These emphases reflect our Norbertine heritage and the ordering themes of the peace and justice minor at St. Norbert College.
A critical examination of the ethical, political, and religious foundations of human rights. We will trace the development of the idea of human rights historically and globally while asking a number of central questions, including: do we discover human rights or do we invent them? How are human rights distinct from civil rights? Does our responsibility to respect human rights supersede any obligations we might otherwise have to respect national borders? Are critics right to worry that the idea of human rights can itself be misused to promote injustice?
This is a 2-credit course on migration, refugees, and citizenship. We will study these issues through a critical examination of recent literature, as well as through working directly with the affected populations. SNC students will engage in meaningful service by providing mentorship and tutoring for refugees and immigrants as they prepare to take their citizenship exam. This learning environment will encourage SNC students to recognize their personal and social responsibilities by raising their awareness of the experience of immigrants and refugees, as well as their own capacity to address these needs in an impactful way. Note: This is part one of a two-part course (301 & 302). Students can take either or both parts (and in any order). Part one focuses on foundational ethical questions regarding immigration, refugees, and citizenship. Part two will focus on important contemporary discussions of these topics that arise in philosophy, political science, law, sociology, history, and literature. Spring, annually.
This is a 2-credit course on migration, refugees, and citizenship. We will study these issues through a critical examination of recent literature, as well as through working directly with the affected populations. SNC students will engage in meaningful service by providing mentorship and tutoring for refugees and immigrants as they prepare to take their citizenship exam. This learning environment will encourage SNC students to recognize their personal and social responsibilities by raising their awareness of the experience of immigrants and refugees, as well as their own capacity to address these needs in an impactful way. Note: This is part two of a two-part course (301 & 302). Students can take either or both parts (and in any order). Part one focuses on foundational ethical questions regarding immigration, refugees, and citizenship. Part two will focus on important contemporary discussions of these topics that arise in philosophy, political science, law, sociology, history, and literature. Fall, annually.
This course critically reviews and analyzes the meaning, definitions, history and development of human rights in world politics. It approaches the subject matter both from a political-science and law perspective, which see human rights as ascribed rights that come from birth, and from a sociological perspective, which takes into account the power relationships that are built into the understandings and differential usage of the concept of human rights. While the legal and political theory has a lot of explanatory power in terms of tracing the evolutionary trajectory of international human rights laws after World War II, sociology accounts for the cultural, societal and historical context in which the discussion of human rights arises. In this framework, the course looks at alternative views regarding the definitions, history and development of human rights in the Western and non-Western contexts.
This course offers senior theology and religious studies majors and minors the opportunity to engage in a research project on a special topic, theme or theologian. Spring semester.
