PS231G:
Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to examine human rights in the context of national and international politics.
2. The student will be able to analyze domestic problems in such areas as civil rights, racial equality, and
freedom of expression, as well as international problems involving the use of child soldiers, the rights of
domestic workers, and accountability for war criminals.
Required Texts and Materials
- Online subscription to New York Times (free to WC students)
- In addition, there will be relevant excerpts, articles, & videos assigned throughout the course. Students will be given instructions on how to access these at the appropriate times.
WC Mission Statement Excerpt
As an academic community, Wilmington College is rooted in historic Quaker values that include integrity, service, simplicity, equality, peace and social justice, and respect for all persons. These values motivate those who learn and work at Wilmington College to make positive contributions to their professions and their communities.
Through the traditions and distinctive values of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Wilmington College will educate, inspire, and prepare each student for a life of success and service. In keeping with the rich heritage of the liberal arts, the College seeks to educate the whole person – intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually – in ways that foster critical thinking, reflection, the free exchange of ideas, open inquiry, tolerance, and the desire for lifelong learning.
Catalog Course Description
An analysis of human rights in the context of national and international politics. Students will study recent American cases in civil rights and civil liberties, as well as global problems involving genocide, religious freedom, ethnic cleansing, and access to medical care. Students will master skills in logical reasoning and argument and apply these skills to material covered in class.
Global Education Goals
With reference to Wilmington College’s mission, vision, core values, and queries, students will
- develop knowledge of
- the perspectives of cultures other than their own
- global issues, especially as they relate to peace, social justice, and/or ecology;
- reflect upon the interconnectedness of the world and their own roles as engaged members of a global community.
Tentative Schedule of Topics & Assignments:
T 1/14 Introduction – Syllabus & Course Overview; RSVP for Holocaust & Humanities Center
R 1/16 Case study: The Holocaust (1933-45); Nuremberg Tribunal; & Genocide Convention (1951); EXTRA CREDIT: Quaker Lecture: Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Max Carter)
- 1-2:15pm for roundtable discussion in Quaker meetinghouse in Boyd OR 7pm in Quaker meetinghouse in Boyd
T 1/21 Due: NYT 1 & 2 (See Blackboard for sample NYT article log for best practices)
R 1/23
Sun. 1/26 Fieldtrip to the Holocaust & Humanities Center 11am-2pm
T 1/28 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948); Due: NYT 3 & 4
R 1/30
T 2/4 Case studies (1990s): Genocide in the Former Yugoslavia & Rwanda; Ad hoc Tribunals through the United Nations (ICTFY & ICTR); Due: NYT 5 & 6
R 2/6
T 2/11 International Criminal Court; Due: NYT 7 & 8
R 2/13 Contemporary case studies: Israeli-Gaza War & War in Sudan
T 2/18 Due: NYT 9 & 10
R 2/20 NO PS231G CLASS due to Model Arab League event out of town
T 2/25 Due: NYT 11 & 12
R 2/27
T 3/4 Due: NYT 13 & 14
R 3/6
T 3/11 SPRING BREAK – NO WC CLASSES
R 3/13 SPRING BREAK – NO WC CLASSES
T 3/18 “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 1 (from Slavery to Citizens); Due: NYT 15 & 16
R 3/20 “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 2 (Subversion of Black Americans’ Rights)
T 3/25 “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 3 (Civil Rights Movement); Due: NYT 17 & 18
R 3/27 Workers’ rights
T 4/1 “Cesar Chavez” (1hr 42min) Please plan ahead to be in class for an extra 15-20 minutes Due: NYT 19 & 20
R 4/3 NO PS231G CLASS due to Model Arab League event out of town
T 4/8 NO PS231G CLASS; Due: NYT 21 & 22
R 4/10 “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 4 (Women’s Rights)
T 4/15 “RBG” (1hr 38min) Please plan ahead to be in class for an extra 15-20 minutes
Due: NYT 23 & 24
R 4/17 “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 5 (LGBTQ+ Rights; Marriage Equality)
T 4/22 Due: NYT 25 & 26; “Amend: The Fight for America” Episode 6 (Immigrants’ Rights); Pres. Corey’s inauguration (time TBA)
R 4/24 COMMUNITY DAY – NO WC CLASSES
T 4/29 Cincinnati: A City of Immigrants: Struggling toward Acceptance & Equality;
Due: NYT 27 & 28
R 5/1
R 5/8 Final Exam 10:15am-12:15pm
Note that you should expect to do a minimum of 2 hours of coursework for each credit hour/hour of class time.
**The professor reserves the right to change this syllabus in part or in full at any time.
PS231G M1 Course Requirements
Requirements for this course will be divided into several graded assignments:
Worksheets (40% of grade)
Worksheets & other similar assignments corresponding to in-class material will be given for a grade throughout the semester. Students who are absent from in-person class meetings for any reason are required to complete & submit make-up work independently or will receive a zero for that in- worksheet assignment. Make-up assignments will be available through Blackboard & take up to 1.5 hours (the length of our class) to complete. In-class worksheets are to be handed in directly after class in person, & make-up assignments are to be submitted via Blackboard. PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL ASSIGNMENTS!!!!
New York Times Assignment (40% of overall grade): Students must subscribe to the New York Times online this semester (free to WC students) and are required to
- read 2 NYT articles pertaining to civil and human rights issues & court cases in the US & internationally EACH WEEK for a total of 28 articles
- keep a log of the articles, which must include DATE, TITLE, 3-5 NEW TERMS & DEFINITIONS [such as vocabulary words, organizations, names of cities or prominent people, etc.], & 10+ MAIN IDEAS of the article presented in organized bullet points. Number each article log 1-28. Due each TUESDAY by 11am. Activate your complimentary digital subscription to the NYTimes by going to nytimes.com/passes & providing your WC email address.
Fieldtrip (10% of overall grade) Students will be required to attend a fieldtrip to the Holocaust & Humanities Center (HHC) for a presentation by Holocaust survivor Dr. Henry Fenichel & tour of the HHC museum inside Union Terminal, 1301 Western Ave., Suite 2101, Cincinnati, OH 45203 on Sun. 1/26 at 11am-2pm. An alternate assignment, comparable in time & content, will be offered to any student unable to attend the HHC with the group.
Final Exam (10% of grade)
A final exam will be given during the designated exam period for this course. (See schedule below.)
*Please note the attendance component of the grade explained above under “Attendance & Engagement.”
Evaluation: Final grades will be calculated based on the following assignment weights:
New York Times Logs (28) 40%
Worksheets 40%
Fieldtrip to HHC 10%
Final Exam 10%
Grading scale:
No curve will be offered. However, borderline cases will be up to the discretion of the professor & will be based on effort & class participation. In addition, pluses (+) & minuses (-) will be used on final grade reports.
94-100 A 77-79 C+
90-93 A- 74-76 C
87-89 B+ 70-73 C-
84-86 B 67-69 D+
80-83 B- 60-66 D
59-0 F
Effective Communication
Communication with students will sometimes take place via email, & messages will be sent to the students’ Wilmington College email address. It is the student’s responsibility to check emails regularly. Blackboard will be used in support of this course, and students are also responsible for accessing Blackboard on a regular basis. Students may choose to communicate with the professor via email or text messaging (texting between 6am & 10pm only). Contact information is provided at the top of this syllabus.
Instructor Course Policies
Integrity and respect are Wilmington College Core Values, and honesty is our mutual responsibility. Students are responsible for following the Wilmington College’s rules relating to academic integrity & other conduct. Cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized use of AI*, or other academic misconduct will result in a grade of 0% on the work in question, & the professor reserves the right to notify the Office of Academic Affairs. Please see the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, & the process for handling academic misconduct charges. Students are expected to behave with integrity & respect within the classroom & while carrying out any PS231G assignments. This is especially important as this class may host guest speakers from diverse cultures and attend various events outside of the classroom.
Attendance and Engagement
Attendance will be taken in every class & engagement will include the completion of guided, in-class worksheets to help students focus on material being presented. Up to 2 unexcused absences are permitted without penalty. Three or more unexcused absences will result in the lowering of the final grade by an entire letter grade. It is the student’s responsibility to provide documentation for excused absences. Students who are absent from in-person class meetings FOR ANY REASON are required to make up the work independently or will receive a zero for the worksheet grade. Make-up assignments will be available through Blackboard & take up to 1.5 hours (the length of our class) to complete. In-class worksheets are to be handed in directly after class in person, & make-up assignments are to be submitted via Blackboard.
Illness in the Age of COVID: Any student feeling ill during the semester is advised to contact your personal medical provider or the WC Health Center at wchealthcenter@wilmington.edu or 937-481-2217 immediately. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to contact your professors immediately in order to determine how best to maintain engagement with course content and assignments during any absences.
**Please also note that if we are compelled to move to online instruction, some of the scheduled topics, content, and assignments may change, and we will move to an online asynchronous format through Blackboard.
Academic Integrity & Respect:
Integrity and respect are Wilmington College Core Values, and honesty is our mutual responsibility. Students are responsible for following the Wilmington College’s rules relating to academic integrity & other conduct. Cheating, plagiarism, or other forms of academic misconduct WILL result in a grade of 0% on the work in question, & the professor reserves the right to notify the Office of Academic Affairs. In the case of serious infractions, the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee may take further action. Please see the current Student Handbook for the college’s Academic Integrity policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, & the process for handling academic misconduct charges. Students are expected to behave with integrity & respect within the classroom & while carrying out any PS231G assignments.
Generative Artificial Intelligence:
You are not permitted to use generative AI tools for any work in this course. This includes the use of popular tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, GitHub Co-Pilot, as well as all other tools built on generative AI technologies. Due to the nature of this course, work can only be fairly and accurately evaluated if student writing has NOT been assisted by generative AI. Use of generative AI for assignments in this course will be considered a violation of the College’s academic integrity policies. Research and writing assignments in this course are designed to develop independent skills and critical thinking. Use of AI undermines that work, its purpose, and ultimately any benefit that it could provide towards students’ learning experience. Therefore, the use of any generative AI to help with any assignments will be considered cheating/plagiarism and will be graded and handled accordingly.
Americans with Disabilities Act: If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, contact Disability Services Director Amber Walters in Robinson Communication Center (RCC) Room 111 or 937-481-2444 or ataccessibility@wilmington.edu. Please feel free to discuss your learning needs with the professor at any time, including during a private meeting during office hours or a time scheduled at your convenience.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. |
Academic Misconduct - Examples [10/24]
ACADEMIC CODE OF CONDUCT
This policy is directly related to the first Testimony, which is part of the Student Code of Conduct. “I will practice personal and academic integrity.” The initial responsibility for dealing with academic misconduct lies with the individual faculty member in whose classroom or course of study the offense occurs. The responsibility includes determination of the consequences for the offense. The goal is for faculty to confront cheating and plagiarism, to teach ethical behavior, and to provide an appropriate consequence based on the nature of the incident. Faculty are encouraged to explicitly address academic misconduct and its consequences in the course syllabus.
EXAMPLES OF ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT
A. Examination offenses include, but are not limited to, the following:
1.Taking unauthorized materials into or out of the examination room.
2.Leaving the examination room without authorization before completing an examination.
3.Talking in the examination room without authorization.
4.Discussing the examination outside the examination room during the course of the examination.
5.Attempting to observe the work of another student.
6.Taking an examination for another person or permitting someone else to do so.
7.Collaborating improperly by discussion, joint research, or joint effort in any way expressly prohibited by the instructor. This includes using a cell phone or other device to access information from another source or another student.
8.Improper knowledge of contents of an examination - No student shall knowingly acquire unauthorized knowledge of an examination or any part of an examination, or solicit, offer, or give information about any part of an examination.
B. Student work offenses include, but are not limited to, the following, which are expressly prohibited in the absence of prior written approval of the instructor or instructors involved:
1.Resubmission of work - Submitting work which has been previously submitted for credit.
2. Plagiarism - Submitting work done wholly or partly by another, including the unattributed copying of all or parts of a published work or internet document. Using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) sources to produce work (when not expressly permitted) is also a form of plagiarism. Some instances of plagiarism are the result of ignorance rather than dishonesty. When plagiarism is encountered, the instructor should be sure that the student knows proper procedures for attributing content.
3.Prohibited sources - Consulting material or persons contrary to the directions of the instructor.
4.Improper collaboration - Engaging in any discussion, joint research, or joint effort of any kind expressly prohibited by the instructor.
5.Deception - Misrepresenting the authenticity of sources, citations, or principles in any written work.
6. Sharing work – Students who share their work with others are responsible for how that work is used. For example, if a student shares a paper with another student to help him or her understand an assignment, and that student submits the work as their own, the author of the paper shares responsibility for the plagiarism committed by the other student.
D. Other misconduct - Engaging in any other improper conduct as specified by the instructor.
E. Lying – deliberately providing false information relevant to academic matters, such as misrepresenting the inability to take an examination because of illness.
F. Disruptive or disrespectful classroom behavior – causing a disturbance in the classroom, interrupting instruction, speaking rudely or threatening students or faculty.
Class Attendance Policy |
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
Students with Disabilities
In accordance with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973), Wilmington College provides access through reasonable accommodations to students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.
Students who wish to access Services need to meet with the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services and provide verification of their disability. To register with Accessibility and Disability Services, students submit an Application for Services. In addition, the student must provide the Disability Verification form accompanied by current disability documentation from a licensed professional. For more information, contact the Director of Accessibility and Disability Services at accessibility@wilmington.edu or 937.481.2444, 114 Robinson Communcation Center.