Course Details

This course has 3 aims: 1) To introduce students to contemporary human trafficking as one of the darkest sides of globalization, but also in relation to historical forms of slavery and issues of human rights, international migration and trade/labor flows, and socioeconomic conditions that give rise to the commodification of some people by other people; 2) To build students’ understanding of the scope, scale, and complex dynamics of human trafficking; 3) To equip students to assess the current state of anti-human trafficking efforts with appreciation for the difficulty of such efforts, and to begin strategizing more and better ways to combat human trafficking.

These aims will be accomplished through a) the reading, written analysis, and in-class discussion of relevant texts produced by concerned government bodies and nongovernmental organizations as well as scholars; b) class visits by local experts representing local and/or national law enforcement, providers of services to trafficking victims, and community organizers; and c) written analyses of case studies and a research paper on a particular aspect of the problem of human trafficking and/or efforts to combat it. There will be a few small quizzes on key terms/concepts, but no midterm or final exam.

Students will have the option of satisfying one of the 2 experiential learning projects required by the Honors Program through volunteering with Seattle Against Slavery to: 1) promote and attend a SAS-sponsored event at Elliott Bay Bookstore (3pm on 4/22/17); 2) recruit UW participants for a SAS-sponsored survey on sex-buying and prostitution and assist in the one-to-one administration of that survey on campus; and 3) collaboratively create and/or host a counter-trafficking campaign or event for the UW community during the latter half of the quarter, in cooperation with fellow classmates and members of the UW chapter of SAS. In addition to on-time completion of the Honors experiential learning application and reflection requirements detailed on http://depts.washington.edu/uwhonors/reqs/exp/, students who seek experiential learning credit will be required to document their participation in all three of these activities and submit that documentation along with a brief reflection paper to the instructor by noon on 6/1/18.