Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

During the last fifty years, global justice and human rights have become major preoccupations of the international world. This module subjects the ideas of global justice and human rights to close analysis and examines the many issues to which they give rise, including the foundation and content of human rights, humanitarianism and global distributive justice, cosmopolitan democracy, and environmental justice.
The aims of this module are:

1. To analyse and examine the concepts of global justice and human rights
2. To analyse and examine the theories and debates that surround these concepts
3. To acquaint students with the most important literature on these subjects
4. To develop students' ability to think cogently, rigorously and critically about the ethical and political questions raised by ideas of global justice and human rights.

Outline Of Syllabus

Week 1 – Introduction to the themes of the course; administration
Week 2 – Universal Human Rights
Week 3 – Human Rights and global diversity
Week 4 – global distributive justice part 1 – poverty
Week 5 – global distributive justice part 2 – equality
Week 6 – climate justice and environmental sustainability
Week 7 - Rights, justice and the use of force 1: Just War
Week 8 - Rights, justice and the use of force 2: Humanitarian intervention
Week 9 - National and cosmopolitan identities
Week 10 – global governance part 1: formal institutions of global justice
Week 11 – global governance 2: part informal just governance

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1.       Students will have gained a good analytical grasp of the concepts of global justice and human rights
2.       They will have gained a good critical understanding of the several theories and debates that surround these issues
3.       They will have become acquainted with most important literature on global justice and human rights

Intended Skill Outcomes

Students will have developed the skill to think cogently, rigorously and critically about concepts and arguments, particularly with reference to global justice and human rights

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

A seminar format will be used so that students can
•       give their own presentations on aspects of each major subject heading
•       engage in critical discussion which is an essential part of this discipline
•       receive instruction, guidance, advice, and help in identifying issues and critical questions from the seminar leader

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

This mode of assessment will test students’ ability
•       to address a major question in the area of global justice and human rights
•       to draw upon and to engage critically with the relevant literature
•       to show analytical rigour in their use of concepts and their examination of theories and arguments

General Notes

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