Course Description

601:709. SEXUAL VIOLENCE & SOCIAL CHANGE: BOLIVIA (2)


Brisa deAngula and Parker Palmer, Adjunct Professors


Offered Spring 2015. This course includes a travel component to Bolivia in August, 2015.



There will be five classes, meeting once a week over the last five weeks of the spring semester, before students travel to Bolivia. Students will travel to Bolivia for 11 days from August 4st to August 15th. The class will also meet four times, 2 hours/class, in Bolivia, in addition to other activities.



The course will begin with a general discussion of sexual violence as a social occurrence, with readings on the dynamics, magnitude, and consequences of sexual violence. From here, students will move to the intersection of sexual violence and international law, giving particular attention to women’s ability to access justice in Bolivia and other developing countries. Students will also generally discuss the intersection of sexual violence and domestic law, focusing on the management of sex crimes in PA, NJ, and Bolivia. In this regard, students will look at the big picture of the criminal process and compare U.S. systems with that of Bolivia. Finally, students will discuss the role of the attorney in sexual violence cases, and how that role is influenced by cultural understandings of sexual violence. Students will also travel to Bolivia, where they will explore the interplay between the law and grassroots social movements. While in Bolivia, students will visit local courts, engage in discussions with expert attorneys from Bolivia’s only specialized center for child victims of sexual violence, engage in discussions with human rights advocates who have changed Bolivia’s constitution and legal structure, and help organize and participate in the August 9th National March Against Sexual Violence. Students will travel to Bolivia for 11 days from August 4st to August 15th (dates may vary slightly depending on flight availability).