Topic: Accountability, moral dilemmas and forced migration
Description:
Lecture: International Development Studies
Refugees and Forced Migration, Rights and responsibilities
Key themes/questions guiding to this topic:
• The concept of a moral dilemma
• Accountability of humanitarian agencies: Dilemmas surrounding the withdrawal of aid
• Accountability for the creation of refugees: Dilemmas surrounding the restitution of refugees’property
Choose one seminar class and write a discussion paper on the theme of each class, drawing on the required readings for the chosen class.
Discussion paper should be max. 4 pages long, typed in 12-point, Times New Roman font,doubled-spaced with standard margins.
For classes in which there are numerous assigned readings, discussion papers should engage at least three of the readings. Short assigned readings (e.g. articles of less than 5 pages) do not count towards this total.
The discussion papers should succinctly summarize and critically engage with the main arguments advanced in each reading.
Do the authors successfully defend their arguments?
What questions do the readings raise?
Are there important issues related to the seminar theme that the readings do not address?
If so, students may use the discussion papers as an opportunity to begin formulating their own ideas and questions on these issues.
(NB: Summaries of the readings should be no longer than 1 short paragraph.)
Students may draw on the optional reading or other sources in the discussion papers, but are not required to do so.
Break-down of marks:
Effective communication of ideas
• Clear and logical organization of ideas/structure
• Clear explanations of key concepts
• Style, grammar and spelling
Understanding of topic, insightful and critical engagement with readings
• Brief, accurate expression of key concepts and arguments in each reading
• Insightful reflections on the authors’ arguments and approaches (strengths and weaknesses, etc.)
• Identification of insightful questions raised by the readings
Required Readings for this topic:
1. Brookings Institution and ICTJ (2012) Transitional Justice and Displacement: Challenges and Recommendations,
https://ictj.org/sites/default/files/ICTJ%20and%20Brookings-LSE%20Transitional%20Justice%20and%20Displacement%20Report.pdf
2.Slim, H. (1997) “Doing the Right Thing: Relief Agencies, Moral Dilemmas and Moral Responsibility in Political Emergencies and War”.Disasters 21(3).
3. Terry, F. (2002) Condemned to Repeat: The Paradox of Humanitarian Action. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, pp.1-16.
4. Leckie, S. (2006) “New housing, land and property restitution rights”.
Forced Migration Review 25. See
https://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR25/FMR2530.pdf
(this article only has 2 pages and does not count to the totals, please put more effort on analyzing the other three articles, thank you)
There is another required reading below but I could not find an online version, if you would find it please analyze this one instead of the
2 pages article, thank you.
Anderson, M. (1998) “‘You save my life today, but for what tomorrow?’ Some moral dilemmas of humanitarian aid,”in Moore, J. (ed.) Hard choices: Moral dilemmas in humanitarian intervention