AP/HREQ 3962 3.00
Trauma, Social Dislocation, and Human Rights
This course uses a critical human rights approach to examine violence, torture, cruel, inhumane, and degrading treatment understood as settlement issues and as issues in international human rights. It engages with survivors’ experiences in countries of origin and transit countries, the human costs and challenges of the entry process into the host country, and resilience-building practices.
The loss of human rights is the most important social determinant of health in a conflict situation due to exposure to violence, rape, displacement, living in fear, persecution, harassment and genocide. Basic needs such as water, land, food, health care, security, and education which are essential rights are lost during dislocation. Individuals react very differently to the strain of traumatic experience and human rights violations which makes this both a social and an individual issue. Social dislocation produces different social recognition and power dynamics for individuals and groups. This course will discuss how Social and geographic dislocation is not about keeping identities, but of trauma and safety. How host countries strapped for financial resources find a backlash towards refugees and immigrants in the media, and how there is a lack of acceptance by the dominant groups within the host country provides ongoing trauma and a lack of human rights.
Prerequisite: 24 credits.