The Humanitarian Imperative
Prompt
Warning: Difficulty level = high
For this post I ask you to define, discuss, and critique the ‘humanitarian imperative’, making a special effort to do so through the lens of race, class, gender, and other sources of privilege and marginalization.
Some questions to consider might include
- What is the ‘humanitarian imperative’?
- To what extent is the ‘humanitarian imperative’ solely a Western concept?
- How is our natural human empathy-and the impulse to act on same- expressed in various contexts and cultures?
- How is our empathy connected with the concept of the humanitarian imperative?
- Historically, to what degree is the articulation by the aid sector of the humanitarian imperative inherently biased by race, class, gender, and other sources of privilege and marginalization?
- At the present, to what degree is the articulation by the aid sector of the humanitarian imperative inherently biased by race, class, gender, and other sources of privilege and marginalization?
- As evidenced in their mission statement and/or by their actions, how is the ‘humanitarian imperative’ articulated in the various organizations that you belong to at Elon or elsewhere?
Please make use of at least some of the following in your response:
- Two ideas to retire
- The White-Savior Industrial Complex
- The Crisis Caravan
- Voluntourism in Amman?
- A Memory of Solferino
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- This source may be very valuable and we will use it in class in several ways.
- Any of the blog posts we talked about this week and any others you read on blogs.elon.edu/aidworkervoices
Rubric:
Please note rubric changes and additions
- Due by midnight Sunday, Feb.17th.
- Late posts will be downgraded at least one letter grade.
- Comments to at least three colleague’s posts by Feb. 18th by 10:00PM EST.
- At least four citations: at least one from text and/or other assigned reading, at least two from outside academic sources, and one citation of class lecture/discussion. Note: you are to read/watch/listen to all of the material in the hyperlinks in the parent post above; your contact with the material should be apparent in your post. Reference class lecture/discussion is this form (SOC371:3-27) i.e., course number and date.
- List references at the bottom of the page (MLA format).
- At least one photo and/or video link appropriate to and enhancing the content of your post.
- Minimum 0f 700 words (excluding references).
- Grade will be based on quality and quantity of response to the post prompt including adherence to the above benchmarks.
- Keep in mind that you are writing for a broad audience that is educated and interested in this topic; infuse your post with the sociology you are learning/have learned in a non-jargonistic manner
As a shorthand for the longer, more detailed grading rubric above this SOC summary may be useful.
- S = demonstration of understanding and application of sociological concepts, theories, etc. germane to the topic, especially those taking about in the text and in class
- O = organization and structure overall; flow of ideas, appropriate and contextualized use of images and videos, proper documentation of sources
- C = analytical creativity; going beyond obvious restatement or simple examples and pushing boundaries of thought and perspective; finding outside academic sources beyond the obvious
Please check Assignments/Assignment 3 before you Publish.