PLT2120

Justice, rights and difference

Robyn Eckersley

8 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives Upon successful completion of this subject, students are expected to be familiar with the major perspectives on justice in 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 Essay (3000 words): 50%
* Examination (3 hours): 50%

Prescribed texts

Rawls J A theory of justice OUP, 1972
Young I M Justice and the politics of difference Princeton U P, 1990