Justice, rights and difference
Proposed to be offered next in 1998
Robyn Eckersley
8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Clayton
Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should be familiar with the major perspectives on justice of contemporary political theory (ie liberal, communitarian, socialist, feminist, postmodern, environmental); be capable of identifying the general points of agreement and disagreement between each perspective; demonstrate a familiarity with the work of some of the key political theorists on the subject of justice; be able to relate arguments about rights to different theories of justice; be able to think critically and present a reasoned argument when evaluating different approaches to justice and rights; and be able to relate the theoretical debates about justice and rights to practical political problems.
Synopsis This subject provides a critical examination of contemporary debates about ideas of justice, rights and the politics of difference. The subject critically explores both the major liberal theories of justice as well as critiques of liberal approaches by Marxist, communitarian, feminist, ecological and postmodern theorists. The `mainstream' liberal approaches, along with the various alternative analyses arising from the respective critiques of liberalism, are critically examined in terms of the meaning, scope (ie who is included/excluded), and practical application of justice in a culturally, politically and economically fragmented world. The theoretical arguments about justice and rights are analysed and applied in relation to a range of contemporary political problems concerning class, race (including the Mabo debate), ethnicity and multiculturalism, gender (including anti-discrimination and affirmative action law), the economy, the environment and globalisation.
Assessment second year Essay (3000 words): 50%
* Examination (3
hours): 50%
Assessment third year Essay (3000 words): 50%
* Examination (3
hours): 50%
* Third-year students will be required to complete at least one
question in the examination which is particularly conceptual in nature
requiring sophistication not normally expected of second-year students.
Prescribed texts
Ryan A (ed.) Justice OUP, 1993
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