Sunday, October 24, 2010

Long-term solitary confinement: a violation of human rights?

Hellhole: The United States holds tends of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture? by Atul Gawande
The New Yorker (March 30, 2009)

  • Gawande shows the negative ramifications of long-term solitary confinement on prisoners, and argues that it is torture to prohibit humans from vital social contacts with other humans.
  • Interesting fact from the piece: In 1890, the Supreme Court of the United States nearly deemed long-term solitary confinement unconstitutional. The heavy reliance on solitary confinement within the U.S. is a product of the last couple decades.
  • This could lead to fascinating human rights research topics on practices within the United States prison system and comparative work between the U.S. system and other countries' prison practices.

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Next Empire

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/05/the-next-empire/8018/

Please read "The Next Empire" by Howard French, which the Atlantic published in May 2010 (click on the blog post title or the above link). As you read, please prepare to discuss the article by doing the following:

1. Note the author's key arguments. Make an outline of his points.
2. Record what you do not understand. It is always good to bring up what you were unclear on in a discussion, as your classmates will be able to help you clarify your thinking.
3. Identify two or three areas of potential disagreement or debate.
4. Develop a critique of the article.