Law 693: Feminist Legal Studies Workshop I
(Winter term, 2011), 1 credit
Course description:
The Feminist Legal Studies Workshop is designed to enable students to work closely with faculty in analyzing and discussing with leading feminist theorists and scholars visiting Queen's Faculty the topics of the speakers' papers.
The Feminist Legal Studies Workshop course is offered for one course credit per term. In the fall term of 2010, it is designated as Law 692; in the winter term of 2011, it is designated as Law 693. Students may enroll for one credit in the fall term, or for one credit in the winter term, or for a total of two credits in both terms combined. This course can also be combined with an ISP for students who may wish to carry out in-depth independent supervised work in relation to one or more of the areas discussed in this workshop.
Scheduling details:
The workshop speakers will be scheduled for the regular visitor slots on Mondays and Fridays, which run from 1 to 2:30 pm, and one or two additional meetings per term will be scheduled around everyone's class and other commitments. Speaker dates and locations are listed below.
Nature, mode, and content of evaluation of student participation:
Students will attend all the speakers events (4/term or all 7-8), will prepare advance reading for the first session of each term and two advance questions for the rest of the speakers in that term, plus 1-2 pages of briefing notes after each session (60% of course credit), will participate in the discussion at the speakers visit (10% of course credit), and will prepare a short term paper of approximately 10-15 pages on a topic that relates to any one of the speakers events (30% of course credit). To be taught by Profs. Amani and Lahey.
Winter term speakers (2010-2011):
Jan. 17, 2011, 1pm, Macdonald Hall Room 201:
Yola Grant
Grant and Bernhardt, Toronto, and former Tribunal, Ontario Human Rights Commission
'Women, Race, Labour and Employment Law, and Equality'
Based on the speaker's extensive experience as a crown prosecutor in workplace violations, sitting as a Tribunal in human rights violations, private practice, and acting on behalf of LEAF in equality cases, this labour expert will discuss how gender issues are defined in this area of law.
Yola Grant Biography
Yola Grant - Human Rights: What Does Fairness Have to Do with It?
Yola Grant - APPLICABLE EEE POLICY & LAW
Jan. 24, 2011, 1pm, Macdonald Hall Room 201:
Nicole LaViolette
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law
`International Legal Responses to the Trafficking of Women and Children'
This speaker will present current international and regional legal frameworks that regulate trafficking in women and children and critically examine the direction adopted in international law to assess the extent to which the rights of women and children have been protected effectively.
Trafficking and Prostitution Reconsidered edited by Kamala Kempadoo
Prostitution et traite des etres humains by Melanie Claude, Nicol LaViolette, Richard Poulin
Feb. 7, 2011, 1pm, Macdonald Hall Room 001:
Pamela Cross is an accomplished feminist lawyer who has dedicated her life's work to improving women's access to justice. She is widely respected both in legal reform circles and among isolated women experiencing violence. She is particularly known for her expertise on family law policy issues as they relate to violence against women. She is currently consulting with the National Association of Women and the Law and Luke's Place Support and Resource Centre for Abused Women and Children, is the former Director, METRAC and the Women's Justice Network, and was influential in the drafting of Ontario's religious arbitration legislation as it affects women's family law interests.
'Custody, Access and Women's Inequality'
Women's inequality remains entrenched in the custody and access provisions of the federal Divorce Act. This paper examine the realities of women's lives in families in Canada, the issue of violence against women both before and after separation, the role of the fathers' rights movement in influencing public opinion and policy makers, and what law reform would be appropriate if a gender-based analysis were applied to these issues.
Not in the Best Interests of Women and Children by Pamela Cross
March 4, 2011, 1pm, Macdonald Hall Room 201:
Elahe Amani
Co-Chair, Women's Intercultural Network (WIN), former chair of the Coalition of Women from Asia and the Middle East, currently Director, Women Studies Program, California State University (Fullerton and Long Beach) Technology Services for Student Affairs
'Women and Democracy in Struggling Polities'
This seminar will focus on issues of social justice, peace activism, feminism, and comparative perspectives of religious and secular governance for human rights with particular reference to the plight of Iranian and Afghan women. She will also discuss the importance of activist passion in advocacy for democratic change in struggling polities.