Fall/Winter Timetable

POL380H1F L5101

Topics in International Politics

Transitional Justice

Themes

The twentieth century was often referred to as the age of atrocity, as it produced some of the bloodiest and most atrocious massacres in history. This was also the age in which mechanisms to deal with such crimes were systematically developed and implemented. This course seeks to critically examine a number of transitional justice mechanisms and instruments, which can be grouped into three broad categories: first, retributive justice, which encompasses the idea that those who perpetrate atrocities should be held accountable and punished, as criminals are; second, restorative justice, which emphasizes the overriding need to restore the possibility of a just and peaceful future, in the aftermath of conflict and violence; and, third, restitutive justice, which is centered on the idea that the victims of atrocity deserve compensation. The course focuses on the conceptual framework surrounding these approaches, and covers both historical and more contemporary uses of each.

Texts

Course reader

Prerequisites

POL208H1 or POL208Y1 or POL209H5 or POLB80H3