Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Paul Formosa
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp or admission to GDipArts
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Liberal democratic societies confront a range of social justice issues relating to inequalities of power, economic distribution, and social status. Are such inequalities inherently unjust and if so, how should they be redressed? If such inequalities are not inherently unjust, what degree of inequality can be justified? Specific issues of justice also arise from the position of ethnic minorities and Indigenous peoples in a multicultural society. What responsibilities do liberal democratic states have to such groups and what rights can they legitimately claim against the state? The global and international environment presents further issues of justice. What are the responsibilities of affluent nations and global institutions in dealing with global poverty, corruption and political violence? In this unit we discuss some of the major contemporary philosophical theories of justice, including John Rawls's influential theory of justice, and assess the capacity of these theories to respond to these specific problems of justice.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
All assessment is to be submitted on-line through iLearn.
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Participation | 15% | On-going |
Quiz | 15% | On-going |
Comparative Analysis | 30% | 27/4/2014 |
Essay | 40% | 4/06/2015 |
Due: On-going
Weighting: 15%
Internal students must attend at least 7 tutorials to be eligible for the participation mark. If you do not attend at least 7 tutorials you will receive 0 marks for participation. External students must participate in at least 7 different weekly tutorial discussion forums within 10 days of the relevant lecture (i.e. you should contribute something to the discussion forum on Rawls within 10 days of the lecture on Rawls). If you meet the relevant minimum requirement, then your mark will be awarded on the basis of the quality of your participation in the tutorials/forums. It is your responsibility to ensure that your work and/or study commitments do not clash with your tutorial and lecture commitments for this unit of study.
Due: On-going
Weighting: 15%
There will be 10 weekly on-line quizzes worth a total of 15% (or a maximum of 1.5% for each of the 10 quizzes). Quizzes start in Week 3 (Rawls) and run until Week 12 (Global justice).
Due: 27/4/2014
Weighting: 30%
The aim of the comparative analysis (1750 words) is to consolidate your understanding of the theories
and issues discussed in the first half of the unit. You are required to critically analyse in comparative terms the central points of difference between two of the theories we discuss. The questions will be handed out in Week 5 (Thursday 26 March).
Due: 4/06/2015
Weighting: 40%
The essay (2500 words) is designed to extend your understanding of a specific topic and to test your ability to engage with that topic in depth. Essay writing tests your ability to synthesise material from a range of readings and to express, analyse and structure key ideas and arguments clearly, logically and systematically. It also tests your ability to develop your own view, and to argue for that view in a cogent and sustained way. You will be expected to read and incorporate into your essay extra secondary sources beyond the required readings. The questions will be handed out in Week 8 (Thursday 30 April).
Required Readings Textbook: Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction. (2nd edition) Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2002.
Unit Reader: Further required readings for each week are included in the unit reader, available from the bookshop.
Extra readings: As well as the required reading, recommended additional readings for each topic are listed on iLearn. Kymlicka also provides suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter and offers useful comments about what each text contains.
All of the readings in the unit reader and many of the extra readings are also available on-line through the library (search for PHL357).
You must read the essential readings BEFORE the lecture and tutorial.
Section 1: Equality and Inequality
Week 1 (Thursday 26 February)
Lecture 1: Introduction: Equality and Diversity
No tutorial
No required reading
Week 2 (Thursday 5 March)
Lecture 2: Utilitarianism
Tutorial 1
1. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 2
Week 3 (Thursday 12 March)
Lecture 3: Rawls
Tutorial 2
1. John Rawls, A Theory of Justice (Harvard University Press, 1971), Ch. 1, Sections 1-6, Ch. 2, Sections 11-12, Ch. 3, Sections 24-26.
2. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 3, Sections 1-3 only.
Week 4 (Thursday March 19)
Lecture 4: Dworkin
Tutorial 3
1. Ronald Dworkin, ‘What is Equality? Part 2: Equality of Resources’, Philosophy & Public Affairs, 10:4, 1981, 283-345, esp. Section I-IV & VII.
2. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 3, Sections 4-5.
Week 5 (Thursday March 26)
Lecture 5: Nozick
Tutorial 4
1. Robert Nozick, ‘Distributive Justice’ (selections), Ch. 7 of Anarchy, State and Utopia, (New York: Basic Books, 1974)
2. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 4
Week 6 (Thursday 2 April)
Lecture 6: Analytical Marxism
Tutorial 5
1. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 5
Holidays
Week 7 (Thursday 23 April)
Lecture 7: The Capabilities Approach
No tutorial
1. Amartya Sen, ‘Capability and Well-being’, in Martha Nussbaum & Amartya Sen (eds.), The Quality of Life, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993)
2. Martha Nussbaum, Women and Human Development: The Capabilities Approach, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), Introduction, Section IV; Chapter. 1, Sections IV-VI).
Section 2: Diversity, Citizenship AND Justice
Week 8 (Thursday 30 April)
Lecture 8: Communitarianism
Tutorial 6
1. Michael Sandel, Liberalism and the Limits of Justice, (New York: Cambridge University Press), Ch. 4
2. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch 6.
Week 9 (Thursday 7 May)
Lecture 9: Feminism
Tutorial 7
1. Susan Moller Okin, ‘Justice as Fairness: For Whom?’ Ch. 5 of Justice, Gender and the Family, (New York: Basic Books, 1989)
2. Eva Feder Kittay, ‘Human Dependency and Rawlsian Equality’, in Diana Meyers (ed.) Feminists Rethink the Self (Boulder: Westview Press, 1997)
Week 10 (Thursday 14 May)
Lecture 10: Citizenship
Tutorial 8
1. Joshua Cohen, ‘Deliberation and Democratic Legitimacy’ in James Bohman & William Rehg (eds) Deliberative Democracy: Essays on Reason and Politics, (MIT Press, 1997)
2. Anne Phillips, ‘Dealing with Difference: A Politics of Ideas or a Politics of Presence?’ in Goodin & Pettit (eds) Contemporary Political Philosophy
Week 11 (Thursday 21 May)
Lecture 11: Multiculturalism
Tutorial 9
1. Kymlicka, CPP, Ch. 8
2. Will Kymlicka, Multicultural Citizenship, (Oxford: Clarendon, 1995), Ch. 5
Week 12 (Thursday 28 May)
Lecture 12: Global Justice
Tutorial 10
1. Brian Barry, ‘Humanity and Justice in Global Perspective’ in Goodin and Pettit (eds.), Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Anthology
2. John Rawls, The Law of Peoples (Harvard, 1999), Part III, Sections 15 & 16.
3. Thomas Pogge, ‘Moral Universalism and Global Economic Justice, Ch.4. of Pogge World Poverty and Human Rights, (Oxford: Blackwell, 2002)
Week 13
No lecture
No tutorial
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Extensions and Penalties
All work must be submitted on time unless an extension has been granted. Requests for extensions must be made in writing BEFORE the due date and will only be considered on serious grounds. Extensions will not be given unless good reasons and appropriate evidence (e.g., medical certificates, counsellor letters) are presented at the earliest opportunity. Please note that work due concurrently in other units is NOT an exceptional circumstance and does not constitute a legitimate reason for an extension. If the assessment is submitted after the due date and an extension has not been granted then the assessment will have 5% deducted from the grade for each day the assessment is late. For example, if work was graded as 70/100 and was handed in 2 days late, the work would receive a mark of 60/100. Weekends, but not public holidays, count in the calculation of late penalties.
To obtain an extension of less than 3 days, you should email the unit convenor. To obtain an extension of 3 days or more, you must submit a special consideration application.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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