Course syllabus

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Some people think that the first political question is ‘What should be done?' This course addresses that question in terms of justice. Students investigate the development of social justice theory in the late 20th and early 21st century. The course encourages students to develop critical perspectives by attending to questions of justice concerning autonomy, freedom and equality, gender, future generations and species. While much of the course material is philosophical, classroom discussions will emphasize practical implications.

In no particular order, the course should appeal to students whose interests include political thought, politics, philosophy, international relations theory, jurisprudence, & development studies.

Course Outline

This course is designed to help students:

  1. Learn about primary currents in contemporary political theory
  2. Develop critical perspectives on that work
  3. Develop skills in constructing arguments & analytical thinking and writing
  4. Apply these to contemporary politics

Course convenor:

Dr Stephen Winter (Steve)

s.winter@auckland.ac.nz

Office hours: 1100-1130 Tuesdays. But feel free to drop by or email me to set up meetings at other times.

Tutor:

Aitor Jimenez Gonzalez (Aitor)

aitor@auckland.ac.nz

Office hours: 1300-1500 Wednesdays. Office 952, Human Sciences Building.

Class Reps

Krystal Wright

kwri715@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Jared Abel

jabe015@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Facebook Group

The class representatives have set up a Facebook page. This is not part of the course and not monitored or moderated by the University.

Student Support

Life happens. Students who are confronting challenges are welcome to talk to the lecturer or tutor. As course-convenor, Steve has a open-door policy. Email, phone or come and talk if you are having any problems. The University offers a range of services for students who would benefit from support.

Tuākana

The Tuākana Arts programme is part of the University’s commitment to equitable outcomes for our Maori and Pacific students. In addition to the support available to all students, Tuākana provides guidance as you navigate the cultural and academic life of the University. If you want to know more, please get in touch with the Tuākana programme or ask Steve.

Course Structure

This course comprises a series of 24 lectures accompanied by weekly tutorials.

The Course is subdivided into 8 'modules' that are each comprised of 1 or more lectures with accompanying readings. Click on the links below to access these.

1 Module: Introduction

2 Module: The Matter and Scope

3 Module: Rawls

4 Module: Dworkin

5 Module: Different Principles

6 Module: Different Metrics

7 Module: Different Scopes

8 Module: Basic Income and Review

Readings

There is no course textbook. All required and suggested readings are available through the library and its subscriptions, mostly in electronic formats.

The courses uses several 'key texts'. You do not need to purchase any of these.

The first 'key text' is The Oxford Handbook of Distributive Justice, edited by Serena Olsaretti and published by Oxford University Press, 2018. This is an edited volume and all assigned chapters are available through the library as soft copies.

A second 'key text' is Smits, Katherine. Applying political theory: Issues and debates. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2016. (2nd Edition). Oddly, the library only appears to have hard copies. I've asked them to stock an e-copy. No part of Smits is assigned, but it may be useful when researching essays.

A third key text is Rawls, John. Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Edited by Erin Kelly Cambrige, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. A portion of this text will be digitalised by the library. I do not know of a legal full pdf of the book that might be found using Google.

Ronald Dworkin's Sovereign Virtue might be listed as a fourth key text, but nearly all of the chapters we consider are available as stand-alone journal articles.

How to Locate Readings:

Readings are available either through TALIS (click on 'Reading Lists' in the left hand column) and/or the university’s library system. For most journal articles, you can simply search the article's title on the library's webpage.

If you have trouble, the staff at the library will be happy to assist you. Enquiries should be made through the Ask us form, https://www.library.auckland.ac.nz/contact-us/

Lecture recordings

All lectures are recorded and those records will be posted on this website as soon as is feasible, usually within 48 hours. Tutorials are not recorded. Recordings may be edited to ensure privacy, respect copyright and for aesthetic purposes.

Lecture recordings are subject to the relevant University policies. Students are not permitted to use recordings for purposes other than those appropriate to this course.

As anyone who has listened to one knows, lecture recordings are no substitute for attendence. They are not designed as 'stand alone' educational materials and are best used as a study aid by students who attended the lecture. Regular attendence is expected.

Those who are interested might review a recent study that suggests "capture [lecture recording] viewing also fails to compensate for the impact that low attendance has on attainment": Students who rely on recordings in lieu of attendence will tend to get lower marks. See:

Edwards, Martin R., and Michael E. Clinton. "A Study Exploring the Impact of Lecture Capture Availability and Lecture Capture Usage on Student Attendance and Attainment." Higher Education (June 05 2018).

Assignments.

This class has three assignments. These are the five summaries, one short essay and one longer essay.

The value of the five  summaries is 10%

The value of the shorter essay (Essay 1) is 25%. Due: 20 September 2019.

The total value of the longer essay (Essay 2) is 65%. Due 25 October 2019.

Students have two options for completing Essay 2. They can either write one Essay worth 65% or they can submit an Essay Plan worth 10%, followed by an Essay worth 55%.

Plussage DOES NOT apply in this course.

Coursework should conform to the latest version of the Politics Coursework Guide

Essays are to be submitted both in hard copy and through Canvas (Turnintin).

See the file entitled Writing Tips for help in writing essays.

Late Coursework:

We want you to succeed. Students who confront difficulties in completing assignments on time are strongly encouraged to see their tutor/lecturer  to discuss options for completing late coursework.

If a student has not received an extension, the standard tariff of penalities is as follows:

Essays submitted up to two days late will lose 5%

Essays submitted three to five days late will lose 10%

Essays submitted six to ten days late will lose 25%

Essays submitted more than ten days past the due submission date will not be accepted and the student will be given a 0% mark for the essay.

For more information, see the Coursework Guide

Academic misconduct

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework or tests as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting his or her learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the world-wide web.

A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Return of Coursework

We will return marked essays as quickly as possible. These will be returned in the lecture or in the discussion hour. Material that remains uncollected at the end of term will be destroyed.

Summaries will not be returned. As these are past/fail assessments, passing summaries will not have normally have pedagogic comments. However, if the summary does not obtain a pass mark, the student will receive an explanation containing formative feedback.

 

Course summary:

Date Details Due