Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2017 - LBST 330 D300

Selected Topics in Labour Studies (3)

Human Trafficking

Class Number: 6200

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Thu, 8:30–11:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Instructor:

    Laya Behbahani (sessional)
    lbehbaha@sfu.ca
    Office Hours: Thursday 17:00-18:00 or by appointment

  • Prerequisites:

    Strongly recommended: LBST 101 and/or 301.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

The study of issues related to work and/or trade unions not offered in regular courses. Students who have completed special temporary topics course LBST 389 cannot complete this course for further credit when it is offered as "Studying Labour Through Film."

COURSE DETAILS:

This course considers the most severe forms of human trafficking for the purposes of labour and the ways in which a state security versus human security approach is related to the growing numbers of displaced persons, irregular migration trends and more specifically, reported incidences of human trafficking against the backdrop of neoliberal economic and social policies.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

We begin by critically engaging the concept of trafficking in persons, which has consumed much of contemporary international debates across the political spectrum. The impacts of law and policy development are considered in relation to international trade, focusing on contemporary forms of trafficking. We will pay close attention to questions of gender, race, and inequality in the construction and reproduction of international markets, as well as to the role of various agents and social movements in contesting and reinforcing these relations. We will aim to critically reflect on contemporary narratives about the public policy concerning trafficking in persons in order to arrive at a socially nuanced international political economy explanation of labour.

Grading

  • Policy paper 15%
  • Mid-term exam 20%
  • Research paper proposal (with annotated bibliography) 10%
  • Research paper 30%
  • Participation 10%
  • Presentation 10%
  • Peer-review workshop 5%

NOTES:

Where a final exam is scheduled and you do not write the exam or withdraw from the course before the deadline date, you will be assigned an N grade. Unless otherwise specified on the course outline, all other graded assignments in this course must be completed for a final grade other than N to be assigned.

Academic Dishonesty and Misconduct Policy

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology follows SFU policy in relation to grading practices, grade appeals (Policy T 20.01) and academic dishonesty and misconduct procedures (S10.01- S10.04). Unless otherwise informed by your instructor in writing, in graded written assignments you must cite the sources you rely on and include a bibliography/list of references, following an instructor-approved citation style. It is the responsibility of students to inform themselves of the content of SFU policies available on the SFU website: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html.

REQUIREMENTS:

This is a rigorous course emphasizing the close and critical reading of texts and persuasive writing. From week four onwards, the course will run as a student-led, text-based seminar discussion. Written requirements include a short integrative essay and a proposal and longer research paper on a topic of the student’s choice (within the broad theme of human trafficking in the international political economy). Course requirements also include peer-review writing workshops to be held three weeks before the deadline to submit research papers, as well as a group presentation.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Jean Allain (2012) The Legal Understanding of Slavery: From the Historical to the Contemporary. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press.
ISBN: 978-0199660469

Mary C. Burke (2013) Human Trafficking: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. New York: N.Y. Routledge.
ISBN: 978-0415892254

Christen Van Den Anker (2004) The Political Economy of the New Slavery. New York, N.Y.: Palgrave.
ISBN: 978-1403915238

Jean Allain (2012) Slavery in International Law: Of Human Exploitation and Trafficking. Leiden, Boston: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.
ISBN: 978-9004186958

Other readings available online and through SFU Library reserves.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS