Race and Sex
Patricia Monture - Flint Woman and Reflecting on Flint Woman
1. What did you learn from Monture's story of her experience at the legal conference she attended? What is the story she tells? What is it a story about? How did you react to her story?
2. What is Monture's critique of the term "disadvantage"?
3. What is the problem in offering to help in the situation Monture describes? How did Monture's reaction to the offer make you feel? Why?
4. What is the focus for Monture's reflections in her second article?
5. What are the four guiding principles that Monture discusses in her reflections article? Are these present in law? Should they be? What might law look like if they were?
6. What is the difference between racism and discrimination? What would human rights look like if we focussed on racism rather discrimination?
Gwen Brodsky-- "Giving with One Hand"
1. What is at issue in this case? What is the federal government's position? What is the author's position? Where do the differences lie?
Shahnaz Khan - The Veil as a Site of Struggle
1. What were your views on the wearing of the hejab before you read this article? What in the article challenged your thinking? Did you change your mind?
2. In what ways does Khan argue that wearing the hejab can be considered oppressive? In what ways empowering?
3. What are the implications of Khan's analysis for human rights issues?
Saadi v. Audmax
1. What is this case about? What was the human rights complaint that was made? What defences were put forward? What evidence was before the tribunal? What did the adjudicator decide?
2. Do you think that the applicant was wise to drop her allegations of disability discrimination?
3. What assumptions/ understandings of racism and sexism underlie this decision?
4. What did the Ontario Superior Court of Justice decide in its review of the tribunal decision? How do the two decisions differ in terms of assumptions and assessment of the evidence?