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Torture
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What is Torture?

Torture sits at the intersection of government policy, ethics, and international law, making it a subject of serious academic inquiry across political science, philosophy, and public policy courses. It raises fundamental questions about state power, human dignity, and the limits of authority. Students are frequently asked to engage with the practice from multiple disciplinary angles, including utilitarian cost-benefit reasoning, deontological frameworks such as those associated with Kant, and human rights law. The work of Alfred W. McCoy, whose book A Question of Torture appears directly in student paper topics, provides a historically grounded examination of how governments have authorized and institutionalized coercive interrogation practices.

The papers written on this topic reflect a range of analytical approaches. Many take a direct argumentative stance, weighing whether torture can ever be justified on security grounds or whether it constitutes an absolute violation of human rights. Others focus on specific case studies, such as the treatment of gay and lesbian individuals in Iraq and the international human rights violations that follow. Policy-oriented essays examine how governments legislate around torture, while philosophy papers apply ethical theories to interrogation scenarios, particularly around the extraction of information under duress.

A strong essay on torture requires a clearly scoped thesis that commits to a position rather than simply surveying both sides. Evidence drawn from legal frameworks, documented cases, and established ethical theory carries the most weight. The most common pitfall is conflating the abstract moral debate with practical policy without acknowledging that these operate under different standards of justification — keeping them analytically distinct strengthens the overall argument.

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Thesis Masters
Evolution of the criminal justice system in the United States
¶ … criminal justice system and the historical foundations of the system. The study has discussed the current criminal justice system and how it has evolved during the years. The various functions of the criminal…
Paper Undergraduate
The British and French empires: comparing decolonization after 1945
European Imperialism and Decolonization: Spectacular in Some Respects, Not Spectacular in Other Respects The term "spectacular" is, in some respects, subjective. The collapse of European empires after 1945 was spectacular in some respects but not in others. The British Empire's decolonization after World War II can be logically called "spectacular" in its scope; however, it was not "spectacularly" surprising or shocking, for the Empire began decolonization decades before World War II. In contrast to the Empire's decolonization, France's decolonization can be logically called "spectacular" in both its scope and turmoil. According to research, these differing experiences of decolonization can be traced to several national and accidental factors. While post-WWII decolonization was breathtaking in its scope, painting all European Empire decolonization with a single "spectacular collapse" brushstroke would be inaccurate. Great Britain's decolonization began decades prior to 1945 and was rapidly accelerated by Great Britain's realistic approach to post-1945 economic and political realities. In addition, Great Britain's national psychology, solid government, friendly relations with the United States and relative luck in dealing with its subjects resulted in a rapid but relatively peaceful decolonization. France's post 1945 decolonization, in sharp contrast to that of Great Britain, more closely resembles a "spectacular collapse" for several reasons. Having made no attempts at decolonization prior to WWII due to its rigid intent on maintaining French rule over all its colonies, post-WWII France faced the economic and political necessity of decolonization at a distinct disadvantage. Saddled with its still-unbending intent to control its colonies, France was also overburdened by a national psychology that took the loss of a colony personally, a fractious and volatile government, an unfriendly relationship with the United States, and relatively terrible luck in dealing with colonists who were determined to be free and uncompromising in their approach to France's imperialism. In sum, Great Britain and France show markedly different approaches and effects of post-WWII decolonization, which can be fairly described as spectacular in some respects but no spectacular in other respects.
Paper Undergraduate
Biological, psychological, and sociological theories of violent criminal behavior
Violent offenders can best be defined as those who commit criminal acts such as homicide, rape, sexual assault, aggravated battery, robbery, and torture. Typology of such offenders begins with very specific…
Research Paper Doctorate
River imagery and symbolism in Harriet Jacobs' slave narrative
¶ … River Runs Through Her: River Imagery and Symbolism in Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl"
Research Paper Doctorate
Leni Riefenstahl's unethical propaganda art and Nazi complicity
¶ … Leni Riefenstahl. The writer explores the topic of Riefenstahl and her unethical art. The writer examines the catastrophic consequences and her lack of integrity that lead to horror for millions.
Thesis Undergraduate
Child soldiers: recruitment practices and global conflict involvement
"The question of children and armed conflict is an integral part of the United Nations' core responsibilities for the maintenance of international peace and security, for the advancement of human rights and for…
Paper Doctorate
Luck and cunning in Primo Levi's Auschwitz survival
In Survival in Auschwitz, Primo Levi's most important observation was that staying alive depended not only on skill and cunning but also a large measure of good luck. In his case, one example of good fortune was being born in Italy, where the Jews were not deported until after the German occupation in 1943. Whatever the faults of the fascist Mussolini regime—and they were many—it refused to cooperate with the deportation of the Jews from any of its territory even though it deprived them of many basic civil rights. Had Levi lived in Germany, Holland, occupied Poland or the Baltic States his chances of survival would have been far lower. He was also fortunate in having a basic knowledge of chemistry that the Germans found useful, since the I.G. Farben Company controlled Auschwitz III (Monowitz) and required chemists and technicians for its laboratories. This allowed him access to extra food, a work environment without beatings and torture, and no heavy physical labor that would have drained his strength. As Levi noted, prisoners who failed to find some niche like this in Auschwitz would only survive for two or three months. At the very end, catching scarlet fever as the camp was being evacuated in 1945 was also a blessing in disguise since he was left behind instead of joining the forced-march back to Germany in winter conditions.
Research Paper Doctorate
UK human rights law and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The United Nations General Assembly proclaims the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations" for teaching and education to promote respect for these…
Paper Doctorate
Ursula Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"
In the story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," author Ursula Le Guin has created a dystopia wherein the majority of the population lives in eternal states of joy and happiness. These people have to encounter no…
Paper Doctorate
Freud's theory of the uncanny in horror film
In this essay, the definition of horror is reexamined to see if and how it has changed. Also, three elements of Freud's The Uncanny are analyzed in relation to film. A brief analysis of White Dog, Cruising, and Candyman is also undertaken, as well as the impact of three true crime cases. In each of these films/cases, Freud's concepts are applied to determine the effectiveness of horror and to explain why some cases are scarier than others.