POLSC402: Global Justice

5.2: Individuals and Justice

• 5.2.1: Gender and Sexuality: Female Genital Mutilation

  • International Family Planning Perspectives: Frances A. Althaus' "Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage Or Violation of Rights?" URL

    Read this article. As you read this article and the following one, pay particular attention to the underlying rationales for the existence and perpetuation of this practice. Also, in what ways do the authors frame their debate into a human rights context? Are there any inherent tensions in applying a human rights approach to this practice?

  • Human Rights Journal: Chi Mgbako et. al.'s "Penetrating the Silence in Sierra Leone: A Blueprint for the Eradication of Female Genital Mutilation" URL

    Read this article, thinking about the questions from the previous article.

• 5.2.2: Gender and Sexuality: Sexual Orientation

  • Human Rights Education Associates: "Study Guide: Sexual Orientation and Human Rights" URL

    Read this article, which explores the linkages between sexual orientation and human rights. In what ways does the individual-collective tension creep into the discourse here?

  • Third World Law Journal: Michael Thomas' "Teetering on the Brink of Equality: Sexual Orientation and International Constitutional Protection" URL

    Read this article, which explores the linkages between sexual orientation and human rights. In what ways does the individual-collective tension creep into the discourse here?

  • United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights: "A Stain on Our Collective Conscience" URL

    Read this article, which explores the linkages between sexual orientation and human rights. In what ways does the individual-collective tension creep into the discourse here?

• 5.2.3: Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity: The Identity Bridge between Individuals and Communities

  • George Mason University: Marlies Galenkam's "Group Identity and Individual Autonomy within Liberal Democracies: In Search of Guidelines" URL

    Read this article, which tackles the complex relationships between individuals and groups as well as between minority groups and the dominant society. Succinctly put, she asks and attempts to answer questions pertaining to the acceptable limitations of tolerance for the norms and practices of minority societies when they are in conflict with those of the dominant society. An underlying theme is the apparent tension between individual and collective human rights: when may the free will of an individual or group be curtailed for purposes of protecting and promoting human rights?