Democracy & Human Rights - Salisbury University



Democracy & Human Rights -- Questions / Issues to consider for Group Discussion:

1. What are some of the basic Human Rights (Individual & Social) & which do you think are most important? (“Universal Declaration of Human Rights” web rdg.) Which do you think are most important? Give examples from readings in which they are violated or upheld.

2. What possible social problems and Human Rights issues are present in this case of Maryland Crab Pickers and Texas Construction Workers? What can be done or suggested to address the problems (Gaudiano & Greenhouse web rdg)? Illustrates Human Agency (vs. Social Structure)?

3. What Human Rights issues are present in Rios text (chs. 10-18) – e.g., how police treat him and homeys (individual rights), social and economic conditions that lead him to join gang, right to work & fair wages and decent standard of living, right to education, cultural rights, right to family? How does he assert his human agency in face of adverse social structural conditions?

4. How does growing private economic power in Corporations affect democracy? How are Rights viewed by corporations? What are the “free market” and “big government” myths? (Reich rdg #44 in Charon & Vigilant)

4A. What is gist of the 2010 Supreme Court Ruling on Corporate Free Speech? How might it affect elections? What is Colbert’s critique of the new Super PACs it allows? (Savage et al. web rdg.) How does all this relate to Reich’s concerns about Corporate political power?

4B. How do some Multinational Corporations (MNC’s) affect Human Rights in developing countries? What is being done to try to improve their accountability? (Corn et al. web rdg.)

5. What are some contradictions between US Ideals of democracy & rights and US Practices in US Foreign Policy – esp. in Middle East & Indonesia (Milbank et al.; Balmeri et al web rdgs.)

• How does working with dictators harm the US? How do the Arab Revolutions illustrate problems with US foreign policy? How do protestors view US?

• What’s wrong with using torture as method of interrogation? Morally, Legally, Pragmatically (does it work)? (McCain et al. web rdg.)

6. In what ways is the US is less free (perhaps even somewhat authoritarian) than our ideals would lead us to believe? What rights have been restricted since Sept. 11, 2001, and why? Is there much oversight of the executive branch of govt.? How does all this compare with other countries? (Carter and Turley web rdg.)

7. What Rights are Arab revolution protestors seeking? Democracy & Citizens’ rights? Role of Human Rights? How did Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions get started? What was role of youth and social media, as well as years of organizing? What are recent developments in summer 201-- democracy, military coup? (Balmeri et al. web rdg.)

How does all of this reflect Human Agency (vs. Social Structure)?

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