Course Syllabus
Human Trafficking in a Global Context 
| Semester & Location: |
Fall 2024 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
International Relations, Human Rights, Legal Studies, Anthropology |
| Faculty Member: |
Campbell Munro, Current students use canvas inbox for contact |
| Time & Place: |
Tuesdays and Fridays - 11:40 - 13:00 Classroom: V23-201
|
Description of Course:
The trafficking of human beings is a complex, global phenomenon with many dimensions, like pieces of a puzzle. For instance, trafficking may be approached as an issue of migration or organized crime that affects state security, but it may also be represented as a threat to the individual's human rights, since trafficking encompasses a spectrum of human rights abuses. Individuals are trafficked for numerous reasons and purposes, including for prostitution, domestic or agricultural labor, or exploitation in any number of commercial activities. The common thread is the reduction of the trafficked human being to a mere commodity, generating profits for his/her trafficker.
Responses to trafficking have been multi-disciplinary and transnational, as a variety of actors are involved in addressing different aspects of the problem. Often, the various actors have different and sometimes conflicting objectives. Since the adoption of the UN Palermo Protocol in December 2000, states have agreed upon a definition of trafficking in human beings and initiated an anti-trafficking regime to prevent and to respond to the problem. This regime is grounded in the criminalization of Human Trafficking across most jurisdictions, but also comprises awareness campaigns, legislative reform, and the development of national action plans and national coordinating bodies to address the issue. Practical co-operation between national bodies, international, and nongovernmental organizations has played an important role, particularly in the area of identification of victims and protection of their fundamental rights. We will look at how the so-called “three P” approach – prevention, prosecution and protection – can be a useful framework for approaching the issue of trafficking.
In this course, you will gain an overview of the issue of trafficking from a global perspective, including its representation, relation to other criminal activities, victims and perpetrators. We'll study the context, causes and consequences of both human trafficking and the anti-trafficking regime. The course will consider the most important developments in the legal and policy frameworks that address trafficking, and evaluate and interrogate the practical and discursive ramifications of such measures – and their impact on trafficked people, and other migrants.
The course is divided into three themed Sections:
Section A (Classes 1-9)
What is Human Trafficking and How is it Represented?
In this opening module students will be introduced to Human Trafficking as a discursive field that is rooted in law, but influenced by politics, media, and culture more broadly. In order to understand the fluid relation between praxis and representation that animates the anti-trafficking regime, we will consider how Human Trafficking is variously represented as concept, cause and crime. We will ask key critical questions, about how Human Trafficking is predominantly represented and how victims of trafficking (VOT) are commonly portrayed. We will trace the emergence and influence of the key actors in the anti-trafficking field and the impact of a shift to a discourse of ‘modern slavery.’ Students will be invited to consider the underlying systemic causes of Human Trafficking, and will be introduced to debates surrounding the statistical representation of Human Trafficking.
Section B (Classes 10-13)
The Anti-Trafficking Regime in Law and Practice
The focus of this second Module is to unpick the workings of the global anti-trafficking regime constructed since the signing of the Palermo Protocol in 2000. Students will be guided through a fine-grained analysis of the definition of Human Trafficking set out in the Palermo Protocol, as well as the broader commitment to ‘Prevent, Prosecute, and Protect’ that underpins the anti-trafficking regime. The central role played by the United States in the global anti-trafficking regime will also be addressed. Students will be introduced to the controversies surrounding the design, implementation, and effectiveness of the anti-trafficking regime, and its key institutional frameworks. The complex interaction between Human Trafficking, people smuggling and immigration control, that informs the anti-trafficking regime will be foregrounded.
Section C ( Classes 14-23)
Problematizing the Anti-Trafficking Regime
Having considered the key institutional and legal elements of the anti-trafficking regime, this final Module prompts students to problematize some central normative claims of that regime, and critically interrogate a number of its foundational aspects. These include the privileging of security, criminalization and immigration control over human rights, the misrepresentation and demonization of ‘people smugglers’, the unresolved debate over the appropriate societal response to prostitution, and the centrality of exploitation and forced labor to global supply chains. Most tellingly, this Module invites student to consider the deep linkages between the anti-trafficking regime and the management of global migration and human mobility.
Course Objectives:
The course aims to provide students with a definition of trafficking in human beings as distinguished from related phenomena, and a basic understanding of the extent of trafficking in human beings in a global context. You will also be provided with an overview of current responses in legislation, policy and practice. Attention will be paid to trafficking in various forms as a violation of several fundamental rights of the individual and measures to protect the human rights of trafficked persons.
By the end of the course, you should:
- Be familiar with internationally-agreed upon definitions of trafficking in human beings and know how to distinguish trafficking from related phenomena, such as smuggling;
- Be aware of the various ways in which Human Trafficking is represented and the impact of these frameworks on anti-trafficking approaches;
- Understand the principal causes of trafficking, and the complex geopolitical and economic context that gives rise to human trafficking and related phenomena;
- Understand in what sense trafficking in human beings constitutes a violation of fundamental human rights, and be aware of human-rights based critiques of anti-trafficking activities;
- Have an understanding of of the global anti-trafficking regime and the legal and policy framework surrounding trafficking, including international and regional instruments;
- Be familiar with the various representations of trafficking as an issue of migration, crime, human rights, and labor;
- Be able to critically analyze both the various representations of Human Trafficking and some of the fundamental aspects of the anti-trafficking regime.
Faculty:
Campbell Munro
Campbell holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from Lund University, and previously practiced as a barrister in London, specializing in refugee and immigration law. He is currently completing a PhD in International Law at the University of Copenhagen.
Readings:
A list of ‘required readings’ and ‘further readings’ for each class are provided on Canvas. Students are also expected to prepare one of a range of specific ‘short written assignment’ on the required readings. (See ‘assignments’ below) The further readings are provided to enable students to explore their interest and curiosity in a particular topic and to provide relevant research material for the course assignments.
Field Studies:
Students are required to participate in two Field Studies during the course:
Approach to Teaching:
The approach to teaching adopted in this course will be based on a seminar model, in which classroom discussion and engaged participation will be the main method of teaching and learning. Students should consider the course as presenting a series of ‘shared problems’ that we as a group will seek to reflect on together. Our shared project is to gain a better understanding of the human trafficking and the anti-trafficking regime, and to be able to critically analyse the workings of that regime from a legal and political perspective.
Expectations of the Students:
Students are expected to abide by the Academic Regulations and assist in creating an environment that is conducive to learning and that protects the rights of all members of the DIS community. This course is designed to expose students to a variety of different arguments concerning a very topical and controversial topic, and is designed to provide students with tools with which to analyse those arguments and assess them critically from a legal and political perspective. The course is not designed to impart a particular viewpoint to you, but rather to allow you to form your own perspective via an informed process of collective discussion and reflection. Please show respect for the views of your fellow-classmates, whether you agree with them or not. Whereas this course is designed to encourage debate, judgmental or intolerant behaviour will not be tolerated.
Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated on their engaged classroom participation and their assignments. Attendance for all classes and Field Studies is mandatory. Students are required to attend class on time and be prepared to actively participate in class. The starting point for such engaged participation will be the submission of ‘short written assignments’ prior to each class, which will inform class discussion. These assignments form a bridge between the reading students undertake prior to class and their engaged participation in class.
Assignments:
A: Short Written Assignments:
For the initial, remote learning part, of the semester, the Short Written Assignments (SWA) will serve as the primary venue for students to set out their understanding of the material covered in each Module. Students should draft the SWA after having completed the reading assigned for each Module and having considered the other materials provided. Students are expected to submit a concise but fully formed response to the Reading Questions for each Module. As a guideline each SWA should be between 300 and 500 words long.
In order to fulfil each SWA, students are also required to comment on at least one other submission. Comments should be drafted in such a way as to invite responses from other students, in order to foster class discussion. Students will only be able to read and comment on other submissions once they have submitted their own assignment. Having met the minimum requirement of submitting a SWA and commenting on one other, the SWA will be graded as complete.
In order to allow time for students to comment on their peer’s submissions and for a discussion to take place, each SWA must be uploaded to the Discussion Board by 20:00 on the day before the relevant Class.
B: Letter to the Editor:
Both our perceptions of and public discourse about ’human trafficking’ and ‘modern slavery’ are linked to the images and messages presented to us via various media. The media representation of ’human trafficking’ and ‘modern slavery’ prompts our outrage, frames our arguments, and suggests possible solutions. The range of exploitative situations that fall within ‘human trafficking’ or ‘modern slavery’ is vast; some are given massive media attention while others go largely unnoticed.
This assignment is an opportunity for each of you to engage with a particular instance of exploitation that you are passionate about or merely curious to find out more about. For this assignment each of you will be required to select a case study of human trafficking or modern slavery that has been covered by a media story or an academic article. In response to your selected text, you will draft a ‘letter to the editor’ that sets out a fully researched response to the media story or academic article. The ‘letter to the editor’ should either agree with or argue against the argument, position or framing adopted in the selected text. Drawing on your research into the case study and reflecting on the themes addressed in the course, you should set out a structured response to the media story or academic article. Rather than an academic research paper in which you might set out the opposing positions on an issue, the ‘letter to the editor’ is designed to encourage you to advocate for a particular position, either in support of or in opposition to the position set out in the selected text. You might choose to focus on how the case study is represented or framed, what implicit or explicit assumptions about ‘human trafficking’ and ‘modern slavery’ are made in the story, or what sort of solutions are suggested.
Students should submit both a copy or link to their selected media story or academic article and a ‘letter to the editor’ in a Word document. The required word count is between 1750 and 2000.
C: Final Group Project: Mapping the Field of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery
The field of Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery is marked by numerous contentious issues and fractious debates. From questions of definition through arguments over numbers and statistics to the impact of philanthrocapitalism and the appropriation of discourses of slavery, to the focus on criminalization and ‘raid and rescue’ over human rights.
Amongst these many issues, four of the most salient are addressed in this assignment: (1) ‘The Boundaries of Forced Labour and Exploitation'; (2) ‘Sex Slaves or Sex Work’; (3) ‘Anti-Trafficking as Immigration Control’; (4) 'The Figure of the Trafficker - People Smuggling or Assisted Migration.'
For this assignment you will be divided into four groups and each group will be assigned one of the topics. Each group will be expected to work together to research, design, construct and present an interactive presentation of their assigned topic. Each of the topics centers around a set of contentious issues that the group is expected to analyse and ‘debate’ as part of the presentation. For example, how should we understand the issue of exploitation under global capitalism? Where are the boundaries between exploitation and poor working conditions? What is the appropriate social response to the selling of sex? How should we understand the political relationship between the discourse of human trafficking and immigration control? What are some of the effects of the ‘modern slavery’ discourse? What political work is going on when the history of slavery is appropriated in this way?
The entire 80 minutes of the class will be set aside for the presentation of each group project and active class discussion. Each presentation should be between 30 - 40 minutes in order for each of the group members to contribute to the presentation. During the presentation the rest of the class will be expected to prepare questions about the presentation that will form the basis for an active class discussion.
Grading
To be eligible for a passing grade for this course every student must complete all of the assigned work. The grading breakdown for the class is as follows:
|
Assignment |
Percent |
|
Engaged classroom participation |
25% |
|
Short written assignments |
20% |
|
Letter to the Editor |
25% |
|
Final Group Project |
30% |
Classroom Policies:
Plagiarism/Cheating:
Plagiarism and cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Any assignment which shows evidence of either will receive an immediate fail. It is essential that you attribute all the ideas and arguments that you rely on. All students should familiarize themselves with the DIS Academic Honor Code.
Lateness:
Minor and infrequent lateness is occasionally unavoidable, but please enter the classroom quietly and with as little disruption as possible. Repeated or disruptive lateness will affect your participation grade.
Mobile phones and laptop computers:
Any and every use of mobile phones and laptops during class is strictly prohibited. If you use an electronic device during class your participation grade will suffer. The reason for this rule is simple, research has consistently shown that students who use laptops during class to take notes contribute less to class discussion and leave class having learnt less!
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
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