Undergraduate - UnitATS3639 - Poverty, ecology, and international justice

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered, or view unit timetables.

Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Philosophy
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2014 (Day) Clayton Second semester 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Linda Barclay

Notes

Previously coded INT3910

Synopsis

What does justice demand of rich individuals and/or nations in response to poverty, climate change and natural disasters? What difference does it make if these misfortunes occur inside or outside of our national border? What is the proper role of international organizations in addressing these problems? This unit examines conflicting answers to these questions offered by leading theorists in environmental ethics and international justice. The unit will serve as an introduction to central moral and political dilemmas of the 21st century. No background in philosophy is required, merely an interest in rational debate about world affairs and a passion for the question: what ought we to do?

Outcomes

Students successfully completing this unit will be able to:

critically assess the ethical aspects of proposed measures to alleviate environmental problems, global poverty and inequality
apply theories of justice to problems of practical concern
comprehend and critically assess complex moral and political arguments
effectively communicate theoretical ideas in written assignments
contribute to the developing debate on the justice of current international relations and solutions to international problems.

Assessment

Written work and exercises: 100%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Linda Barclay

Workload requirements

1 one-hour lecture and 1 one-hour tutorial per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Human rights
International relations
International studies
Philosophy
Society, cities and sustainability

Prerequisites

Two gateway units in Human rights, Philosophy, International studies, or Society, cities and sustainability and a cornerstone unit in Philosophy, Human rights, or International studies

Prohibitions

ATS2639