GV408 Half Unit
Contemporary Disputes about Justice
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Bruno Leipold
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Human Rights, MSc in Human Rights and Politics and MSc in Political Theory. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
This course is capped at two groups. The deadline for applications is 17:00 on Tuesday 29 September 2020. You will be informed of the outcome by 17:00 on Wednesday 30 September 2020.
Pre-requisites
None, though some previous exposure to normative political theory may be an advantage.
Course content
The course offers a critical analysis of key debates about justice which have followed the publication of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice in 1971. The first part of the course focuses on Rawls’s own theory of justice as fairness and critiques of that theory by liberals, feminists, socialists and critical race theorists. The second part of the course explores a number of alternative accounts of justice, such as Iris Marion Young’s focus on injustice and oppression, and some of the egalitarian alternatives to Rawls’s difference principle, such as Ronald Dworkin’s equality of resources and Elizabeth Anderson’s democratic equality. The final third of the course delves into various ways in which discussions of justice have been extended and applied. This includes discussion of whether principles of domestic justice apply globally; how we should understand historical injustice and what remedies and reparations are justified in light of those injustices; and what sort of economic systems could realise the demands of justice, such as a property-owning democracy and liberal socialism, as well as discussion of specific economic institutions, such as workplace democracy and universal basic income.
Teaching
This course is delivered through a combination of seminars and lectures totalling a minimum of 20 hours in the Lent Term. Some or all of this teaching will be delivered through a combination of online and on-campus lectures and seminars. There will be a reading week in week 6 of the LT for private study and formative/summative assessment preparation.
Formative coursework
All students are expected to submit one formative (non-assessed) essay.
Indicative reading
J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice; Susan Moller Okin, Justice, Gender and the Family; Iris Marion Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference; Elizabeth Anderson ‘What is the Point of Equality?’ Ethics; Ronald Dworkin ‘What is Equality? Part 2: Equality of Resources’, Philosophy and Public Affairs; Charles Beitz, Political Theory and International Relations; Lea Ypi, Global Justice & The Political Avant-Garde; David Miller, National Responsibility & Global Justice; Laura Valentini, Justice in a Globalized World.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 4000 words).
Student performance results
(2016/17 - 2018/19 combined)
| Classification | % of students |
|---|---|
| Distinction | 26.8 |
| Merit | 60.6 |
| Pass | 9.9 |
| Fail | 2.8 |
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: Government
Total students 2019/20: 21
Average class size 2019/20: 11
Controlled access 2019/20: Yes
Value: Half Unit
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills
