Module overview
The aim of this module is to familiarise you with several important, but competing, theories of justice. Such theories give guidance on important questions of distributive justice (who ought to get what, when and why?), and provide, to varying degrees, grounds for the condemnation of real-world injustices. It also engages with important methodological debates about how we should theorise about justice, and what status the results of our reflection should be seen as having. On completing the module, you will be expected to have a good understanding of some important recent theories of justice, the various difficulties they face, and the contested methodological territories on which they are staked out.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Assess written arguments
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Produce detailed and considered normative arguments, in written form
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- A range of contemporary views on the nature and demands of justice
Syllabus
The module discusses the contributions contemporary political theory has made to thinking about questions of distributive justice. Indicative issues might include:
- Rawls’s theory of justice
- Cohen’s critique of Rawls
- Nozick and right-libertarianism
- Dworkin and luck egalitarianism
- Left-libertarianism
- Marxism and the critique of exploitation
- Iris Young on oppression
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
2 hours of lectures per week. All will be recorded and posted on Blackboard. Lectures will be delivered either face to face or online only depending upon University and Public Health England Guidance at the time. Total of 24 hours of lectures (2 hours per week X 12 weeks) per module.
Weekly student participation in online discussion boards. 1 hour per week delivered asynchronously. (1 hour X 12 weeks)
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 114 |
| Teaching | 36 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
M. Clayton and A. Williams (Eds.) . Social Justice .
C. Farrelly (2003). An Introduction to Contemporary Political Theory. Sage.
J. Rawls (1971). A Theory of Justice Type . Harvard University Press.
W.Kymlicka. Contemporary Political Philosophy: An Introduction .
Assessment
Summative
Summative assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Research project | 50% |
| Research proposal | 25% |
| Discussion board activity | 25% |
Referral
Referral assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Exam | 100% |
Repeat
Repeat assessment description
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Exam | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External