POL 407 Seminar: Theories of Justice in the 21st Century (3 credits)

This political theory seminar examines some of the major theories of justice available to political theorists in the 21st century. We begin with an in-depth reading of the work that has defined justice in the 20th and 21st centuries: John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice. We will also read selections from Rawls’ Political Liberalism and his work on international justice, The Law of Peoples. In order to consider alternative theories of justice and criticisms of Rawls, we will read classic critical commentaries in the form of articles and book chapters from Michael Walzer, Michael Sandel, Alistair MacIntyre, Ronald Dworkin, Susan Okin, Robert Nozick, Brian Barry, Amartya Sen, and James Fishkin. Course goals: 1) provide the student with an in-depth reading of major political theorists of justice; 2) provide students the opportunity to develop a more sophisticated understanding of political justice through the weekly writing of critical, interpretive, and comparative essays; 3) encourage the student, over the course of the semester, to com­ pare and contrast theories; and 4) students obtain a vocabulary of political ideology (liberalism, communitarianism, conservatism, feminism, legalism, utilitarianism, and post- modernism) as well as an understanding of different types of justice (e.g., distributive v. restorative).

Prerequisite: POL 107/117 or permission of instructor. Satisfies the Writing-Intensive overlay requirement.