Susan S. Sibley, "The Invention of Courts" (16:23); A short lecture on legal culture as expressed through Americans' views of and use of the courts.

Exposing The World Of Parental Child Abduction And Kidnapping | Our Life, (45:42); A report on the harrowing issue of child abduction focusing on three distressed kids.

OPTIONAL: COMPARATIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN MOVIES

Movies seek to entertain and inform the audience about a story, incident, or person. Many good movies also hit upon important substantive themes relevant to understanding crime and justice in comparative perspective. Read the movie summary below (and watch the movie if you haven't already) and answer the questions below to make the subject matter connections to comparative criminal justice.

Hotel Rwanda (2005)

Terry George, Director

HOTEL RWANDA (2004) - Official Movie Trailer

Genocide occured in Rwanda during a period of 100 days in 1994, and the world did not take notice. An estimated 1 million members of the Tutsi tribe were massacred by members of the Hutu tribe in a tragic case of ethnic rivalry and hatred. The movie Hotel Rwanda tells the story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of 1,200 people during the genocide. The manager, Paul (Don Cheadle), is a Hutu who is married to a Tutsi, bringing the tension to a personal level.

Rwanda had previously been ruled by Belgium, and during that period, the Tutsis ruled, and the Hutus were oppressed, and many were killed. The Hutus are now in control, and the genocide consisted of armed troops searching for and slaughtering Tutsis. The movie shows how the United Nations and the international community ignored the impending massacre and failed to intervene while it was occurring. A colonel (Nick Nolte) represents the UN as a peacekeeper, and he is portrayed in the film reporting the situation to his superiors and being ignored. Paul also informs his corporate headquarters of what is going on, but his hotel location is not a priority for them. These two men then act on their own to save as many lives as possible.

Rather than being a film about a million deaths, it is a film about how two people responded to tragedy when no one else did. It shows how they used finesse and guile to take on genocide and managed to save many lives in the process, even though the situation was an impossible one. Hotel Rwanda raises important questions about human strength and weakness in the face of persecution.

Questions:

1. Does this movie describe transnational or international crimes?

2. How could such a large massacre happen without outside intervention? Do you think it could happen again?

1. Why is the study of comparative law and justice important?Pick a law or justice-related career and explain how knowledge of the legal and justice systems of other countries might be useful in that career.

1. What does the Sean Goldman case tell youabout the differences between the legal structures and/or legal culture of Brazil and the United States?

1. Give an example of a phenomenon that has become globalized and explain how it demonstrates two of the elements of Ritzer's definition of globalization.

1. Do you thinklegal and justice practices in the United States have been more or less affected by globalizationthan other aspects of social life? Explain.