Assignment:
Human Rights Violations in the United States
Introduction
When asked to think about places where human rights violations occur, the United States may not be the first place to come to mind. Given that the United States is considered to be a free society, it may be difficult to conceive that human rights violations could occur and be tolerated. Think for a moment about the history of the United States. Can you pinpoint moments in U.S. history when human rights were violated on U.S. soil? Think of a few U.S. historical events where human rights were violated. How do you think the United States was perceived by the world during those events? While you are considering human rights violations in the United States, take the time to reflect on how human rights violations might be linked to your concentration. Reflecting on this connection might help you as you develop an outline and annotated bibliography for your Capstone Project.
This week, you will consider human rights violations in the United States and how they might impact the global perception of the United States. You also will compose an outline and an annotated bibliography for your Capstone Project.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you should be able to:
Explain how human rights violations might affect the global perception of the United States
Compose an outline for the Capstone Project
Compose an annotated bibliography for the Capstone Project using APA style
Resources
Access Resources
Learning Resources
Please read and view (where applicable) the following Learning Resources before you complete this week's assignments.
Readings
Course Text: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Chapter, "Works Credited in the Text"
Chapter, "Reference List"
Course Text: Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice
Chapter, "A Brief History of Human Rights"
Chapter, "The West and Economic and Social Rights"
Article: Amnesty International USA. (2008). USA: Investigation, prosecution, remedy, accountability for human rights violations in the 'war on terror.'
Article: Amnesty International USA. (n.d.). Human rights in the United States.
Article: Walden University Writing Center. (2009). APA style.
Document
Writing an Annotated Bibliography Click for more options
Optional Resources
Article: Cox, L. (2008). A movement for human rights in the United States: Reasons for hope. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 40(1), 135-147.
Article: Labelle, D. (2008). Bringing human rights home to the world of detention. Columbia Human Rights Law Review, 40(1), 79-133.
Discussion
U.S. Human Rights Violations
The idea that human rights are a Western conception is a topic of contemporary debate. Given the democratic ideals of human rights, it seems plausible that the concept of human rights did in fact originate in the West. The United States for example, prides itself on the fundamental principle that individual rights and freedoms of all people are to be respected and protected. Thus, it might be difficult for some Americans to think of the United States as a place where human rights violations occur. Historically, the United States has experienced periods when human rights violations occurred. These violations seemed to occur mostly as a result of minority groups being excluded. For example, think of the imprisonment of Japanese Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Given the U.S. principles of equality and due process, the international community may have perceived the United States as contradicting its founding principles.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review your course text, Universal Human Rights in Theory and Practice and consider Western (U.S) and non-Western conceptions of human rights.
Review the article "USA: Investigation, Prosecution, Remedy, Accountability for Human Rights Violations in the 'War on Terror'" and focus on the issues of human rights and the rule of law.
Review the article "Human Rights in the United States" on the Amnesty International website. Take note of the various examples of U.S. human rights violations cited.
Select one human rights violation in the United States to use for this Discussion.
Think of one way in which the violation you selected might affect the global perception of the United States.
With these thoughts in mind:
Post a brief description of the human rights violation you selected. Then explain one way in which the human rights violation might affect the global perception of the United States. Be specific.