This course will explore the theoretical basis for claims about justice.  Should the
rules and institutions that govern the distribution of social goods be designed to
maximize social utility; or does justice require rules and institutions that can be
justified to the persons who are subject to those rules?  What kind of arguments
might such persons be willing to accept?  The course will focus on the works of John
Rawls, the leading contemporary theorist of justice, and will (i) examine contrasting
views in the works of Robert Nozick and Michael Walzer, and (ii) evaluate practical
implications of these theories.

Part 1.  Introduction and Overview
Overview of major theoretical approaches to justice
Overview of substantive research issues in social justice
Introduction to political justification 
How to conceptualize/formulate valid arguments relating to the justice of institutions
Part 2. Substantive Issues
The Central Issues: Freedom and Equality
The Status of the Market: Optimizing Approaches and Justice
General overview of methods of justification: justifying a theory of justice in a  
pluralist society; the problem of political stability; structuring judgments among
competing claims 
Part 3. Designing Research Questions
Assessing the quality of life: choosing a currency of well-being 
The status of the community’s ethical consensus
The problem of ethical skepticism
The problem of competing rights
Conflicts between fairness and liberty

All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A Culture of Honesty."  
Students are responsible for informing themselves about these standards before 
performing academic work.  The penalties for academic dishonesty are severe and 
ignorance is not an acceptable defense.  Also note that the course syllabus is a 
general plan for the course and that deviations announced to the class by the 
instructor may be necessary.