Description

What do we owe to each other? Why should we obey the law? How ought the primary goods of society be distributed? Why is punishment justified? Do we owe more to our fellow citizens than to people on the other side of the world? Is there such a thing as a just war? This course examines these and other important question of justice from a range of different perspectives. We will consider historical, modern and contemporary conceptions of justice and apply them to some of the most pressing issues of our time.

Skills

The majority of this course consists in abstract reasoning. Even when we apply these ideas to practical situations you will be challenged to consider them in the context of different theories of interpretion, different definitions of law and different principles of morality. It is not assumed that you have had any prior training in philosophical reasoning. However, it is assumed that you are comfortable thinking analytically and conceptually. The latter is particularly important. Philosophy concerns itself with the meaning of things. In many respects it is a matter of establishing definitions. You will not find the answer to these definitions in any dictionary or encyclopedia. In this course you will learn to parse ideas, look for internal contradictions in definitions, make analogies between different concepts and apply them all to existing problems in law and society. By the end of the course you should:

* Understand what a philosophical statement is and how to construct a philosophical argument.

* be familiar with the concept of justice and different conceptions of justice.

* be familiar with different moral justifications for law and the limits of legal obligations.

* be able to apply these ideas to practical issues in law, politics and society.

All students are expected to attend class regularly and to be prepared to discuss the reading. Students may be called upon to participate in class and no passing is permitted. Each student will be allowed one unexcused absence. Any additional un-excused absence will reduce your final grade by one whole grade per absence (e.g. B+ to B). Study the class calendar carefully to make sure you don't have any prior commitments that would preclude you from meeting these requirements.

Standards: Grading standards are in part subjective and excellence in one area may compensate for deficiencies in another. No curve will be used to calculate the grades in this class. Hence, it is theoretically possible for every student to receive an A if he or she meets the standards for that grade. My primary goals are for each student to develop the critical thinking skills and to understand the ideas covered in this course by the time it is completed. If later exams and papers illustrate this proficiency, earlier grades which do not will be discounted. The following will give you a general guide to the typical performance associated with each letter grade.

While displaying an understanding of the course materials is very important, the quality of your writing is a central part of my evaluation of your work. At a minimum, you must make sure that the grammar and syntax of your essays are correct. Papers that are disorganized or poorly written will be graded downwards. Do not hand in the first draft of your work. Apart from the presentation of your work, the following criteria will be used:

A: all course requirements met, work shows full understanding of course material and an original perspective on the subject

B: all course requirements met, work shows full understanding of course material (or satisfactory understanding of course material and an original perspective on the subject)

C: all course requirements met, work shows satisfactory understanding of course material.

D: work fails to meet minimum course requirements, either in full and timely completion of requirements or in satisfactory understanding of course material.

F: work falls far below minimum course requirements either in full and timely completion of requirements or in satisfactory understanding of course material.

University

The American University's "Academic Integrity Code" governing standards for academic conduct apply. Students may discuss the subject matter of their essays with anyone. All students, however, must compose their own essays and may not show or read their essays to any other persons, except for proofreading or typing assistance by a person not enrolled or previously enrolled in the course. The use of another person's words or ideas without proper attribution constitutes plagiarism or false authorship. Both are serious academic offenses. By turning in an essay, a student is certifying that the essay is entirely his/her own work. If there are any questions about this matter, consult the Academic Integrity code or see the instructor.

Classroom

Freedom of expression is at the root of academic discourse and the advancement of knowledge. This course will deal with a wide range of topics, some of which may challenge a student’s deeply held beliefs and perhaps even cause offense. While no topic will be censored simply because it has this effect, students are expected to treat the differing views of others with respect. While tolerance toward the opinions of others does not preclude expressions of disagreement, which are, indeed, encouraged, it does require that these expressions be based on the content of the ideas expressed and not on personal traits or values of the speaker. All class participants will be expected to tolerate the expression of opposing views and to engage in reasoned discourse about them. While hate speech will not be tolerated, discussion of hate sppech is part of the course. This entails recounting, discussing and analyzing incidents of hatefulness that have occured and continue to occur in American Society. This is a sometimes painful but necessary step in understanding the society we live in and the law that governs us.

I will endeavour to ensure that the classroom is free of any conduct that has the purpose or effect of creating an intimidating or hostile environment. But hearing another point of view about an idea, however distasteful, must be tolerated in an academic setting in order to learning to occur. I will attempt to give each student an opportunity to express his or her own views and to treat them with respect. But to paraphrase Milton in the Areopagitica  one can't know the value of one's idea without first testing it against all other ideas. Part of my role is to help you test your ideas against others. Any student who believes that he or she has not been given adequate opportunity to contribute to class discussions is encouraged to bring this to my attention.

Extremely Important: If you experience difficulty in this course for any reason, please don’t hesitate to consult with me. In addition to the resources of the department, a wide range of services is available to support you in your efforts to meet the course requirements.

 Academic Support Centre (x3360, MGC 243) offers study skills workshops, individual instruction, tutor referrals, and services for students with learning disabilities. Writing support is available in the ASC Writing Lab or in the Writing Centre, Battelle 228.

 Counselling Centre (x3500, MGC 214) offers counselling and consultations regarding personal concerns, self-help information, and connections to off-campus mental health resources.

 Disability Support Services (x3315, MGC 206) offers technical and practical support and assistance with accommodations for students with physical, medical, or psychological disabilities. If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please notify me in a timely manner with a letter from the Academic Support Centre or Disability Support Services so that we can make arrangements to address your needs.