The module aims to introduce law students to some of the main contemporary theories of justice. It begins by examining some of the leading theories of distributive justice. It goes on to examine justice considered as a distinctively legal virtue and to address the question of the extent to which theories of distributive justice should have any bearing on the practice of the law.
Syllabus
1. Introduction – brief overview of historical conceptions of justice; overview of some of the questions of justice that confront us today
2. Utilitarianism as a theory of justice
3. Rawls' theory of justice.
4. Nozick's entitlement theory of justice.
5. Dworkin's egalitarian theory of justice
6. The Capabilities approach of Sen and Nussbaum
7. Justice as Wealth Maximization
8. Legal justice – the rule of law
9. Corrective and distributive justice
10. Access to legal justice
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of one or more of the theories of justice studied
2. Demonstrate capacity for critical thought
3.Produce an essay-length reasoned argument about a significant ethical or political issue.
Syllabus
1. Introduction – brief overview of historical conceptions of justice; overview of some of the questions of justice that confront us today
2. Utilitarianism as a theory of justice
3. Rawls' theory of justice.
4. Nozick's entitlement theory of justice.
5. Dworkin's egalitarian theory of justice
6. The Capabilities approach of Sen and Nussbaum
7. Justice as Wealth Maximization
8. Legal justice – the rule of law
9. Corrective and distributive justice
10. Access to legal justice
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate familiarity with and understanding of one or more of the theories of justice studied
2. Demonstrate capacity for critical thought
3.Produce an essay-length reasoned argument about a significant ethical or political issue.
- Module Supervisor: Tom Cornford