This course offers a rich grounding in moral, social, and political philosophy with a focus on questions concerning social justice. Students will engage in a critical analysis of contemporary theories of social justice. Such theories advance principles for the moral assessment of social institutions in light of how they affect people. These institutions include laws and other social rules governing what kinds of goods can be owned by whom and how they are distributed, how markets and production systems are structured, what prospects various groups have, and, in general, how people pursue the good in their lives. The course will explore questions of institutional design and public policy in the context of real-world social injustices including social and material inequality; racial, gender, and sexuality-based oppression; and climate change. The course will also look at practical questions related to advancing social justice including civil disobedience, duties to assist victims of injustice and to fight for structural social change, the role of democracy in furthering social justice.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- identify issues in social justice;
- evaluate ideas and also critical responses to them in the literature related to social justice;
- discuss and analyse current issues in ethics and politics relating to social institutions;
- better understand the argumentative structures underlying many of the important papers written in the area of social justice; and,
- engage in philosophical discussion and debate, verbalising their interpretations and criticisms of the various ideas discussed throughout the course.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial participation and weekly peer feedback (10) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Three short reading response essays, 300 words each (15) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Research essay, 2300 words (45) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Take-home examination, 1700 words (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from: a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures, and 12 hours of tutorials; and, b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Weekly reading to support the tutorials and lectures will be made available electronically via the Wattle site.
Majors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3120 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $4800 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7711 | 27 Jul 2020 | 03 Aug 2020 | 31 Aug 2020 | 30 Oct 2020 | In Person | View |