Students

PHIL3057 – Theories of Justice

2023 – Session 2, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Lecturer and Unit Convenor
Paul-Mikhail Catapang Podosky
paul.podosky@mq.edu.au
Unit Convenor
Jean-Philippe Deranty
jp.deranty@mq.edu.au
Lecturer
John Goris
john.goris@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

What is justice? What is fairness? This unit explores these important questions by examining leading philosophical theories of justice, including John Rawls's influential model, as well as the main political approaches that are associated with them, such as liberalism, libertarianism, republicanism, and socialism. We assess the capacity of these theories and approaches to respond to pressing social justice issues. We focus on issues of inequality and diversity in society by asking: what degree of inequality, if any, can be justified? We also examine broader questions around social and retributive justice, such as: How can we justify punishing those who violate justice? What are the obligations of democratic citizenship? Is our society and its political institutions racist, sexist, or unfairly biased against cultural minorities? What do we owe the poor in other countries? And is our treatment of animals and the environment a matter of justice?

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: understand some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary political philosophy
  • ULO2: analyse arguments in the relevant literature
  • ULO3: evaluate relevant theories and arguments critically
  • ULO4: communicate clearly your own perspective on the views and arguments presented in the unit

General Assessment Information

Detailed assessment information and rubrics

Detailed information about each of the assessments, including rubrics and submission instructions will be available in the Assessment block in  iLearn. Please make sure you read the assessment information carefully, watch the Guide to Assessment video, and post a message in the relevant Assessment forum if you have any questions. 

Special Consideration

Requests for extensions should be submitted via a Special Consideration request, which is available in the http://ask.mq.edu.au portal. Your request should be submitted no later than five days after the due date and should be accompanied by appropriate documentation. Please see the Special Consideration policy in the list of policies at the end of this document for further details.

Read the policy closely as your request may be turned down if you have not followed procedure, or if you have not submitted a request in a timely manner.

Late Submission Penalty

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue. This late penalty will apply to written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Academic Integrity

In Philosophy, academic honesty is taken very seriously, and a range of methods, including but not restricted to the use of Turnitin, are used to detect plagiarism. Misrepresenting someone else's work as your own may be grounds for referral to the Faculty Disciplinary Committee. If you have questions about how to properly cite work or how to credit sources, please ask the convenor for help and see also the  Academic Integrity Policy https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/academic-integrity

Note: All assignments in this unit are individual assignments. Collusion (unauthorised collaboration on individual assignments) is a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy. If in doubt, contact a member of teaching staff. 

A helpful resource if you would like to know more about referencing and avoiding plagiarism is  Macquarie's Academic Integrity Module, available here: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills-development. You will need to complete this Module before accessing the unit content, if you have not already done so. More information is available in iLearn. 

Academic Writing and Study Support

Macquarie University offers a number of services to help with academic writing, referencing and study skills. For details, see: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/skills/assignments

For information about policies related to Assessment, see Policies and Procedures section below.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Philosophical essay 40% No 05/11/23
Quizzes 15% No 20/08 and 15/10
Participation 20% No Ongoing
Reflective tasks 25% No 10/09

Philosophical essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 05/11/23
Weighting: 40%

 

Philosophical essay

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary political philosophy
  • analyse arguments in the relevant literature
  • evaluate relevant theories and arguments critically
  • communicate clearly your own perspective on the views and arguments presented in the unit

Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 20/08 and 15/10
Weighting: 15%

 

Online quizzes

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary political philosophy

Participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%

 

Participate in relevant online forum or in-class tutorial discussions and activities. Students are expected to be well-prepared and make a constructive contribution.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary political philosophy
  • analyse arguments in the relevant literature
  • evaluate relevant theories and arguments critically
  • communicate clearly your own perspective on the views and arguments presented in the unit

Reflective tasks

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 10/09
Weighting: 25%

 

Reflective tasks

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • understand some of the major theories and current debates in contemporary political philosophy
  • analyse arguments in the relevant literature
  • evaluate relevant theories and arguments critically
  • communicate clearly your own perspective on the views and arguments presented in the unit

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Required and recommended texts and/or materials

All weekly readings for the unit will be made available through the Leganto link in iLearn.

Lectures 

There will be a two-hour lecture delivered on campus, recorded and posted on Echo 360 in iLearn. Students enrolled "in person" should attend the live lecture. Online enrolled students should listen to the recording before attending the weekly tutorial (for Online Scheduled students) or participating in forums (for Onlife Flexible students). 

Unit Webpages and E-Resources

Much of this unit (lecture recordings, readings, assessment instructions etc.) is delivered online through iLearn (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au). PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. 

Unit Schedule

Week 1

Lecture 1: Introduction: Equality and Diversity

 

Week 2

Lecture 2 & Tutorial 1: Rawls and Liberalism

Reflective Task assessment handed out in Week 2.

 

Week 3

Lecture 3 and Tutorial 2: Dworkin and Luck Equalitarianism

 

Week 4

Lecture 4 & Tutorial 3: Nozick and Libertarianism

Quiz 1

 

Week 5

Lecture 5 & Tutorial 4: Republicanism

 

Week 6

Lecture 6 & Tutorial 5: Socialism

 

Week 7

Lecture 7 & Tutorial 6: Retributive Justice, Criminality and Punishment

 

 

RECESS

 

Week 8

Lecture 8 & Tutorial 7: Global Justice

Philosophical Essay Assessment questions handed out in week 8

 

Week 9

Lecture 9 & Tutorial 8: Environmental Justice

 

Week 10

Lecture 10 & Tutorial 9: Animal Justice

Quiz 2

 

Week 11

Lecture 11 & Tutorial 10: Feminism

 

Week 12

Lecture 12: Justice and Minorities

No tutorials this week.

 

Week 13

No Lectures or Tutorials this week - Writing Week

Essays due this week.

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

Order of topics slightly altered.

Unit information based on version 2023.02 of the Handbook