ARTS 2820

Justice
Assoc. Prof. Geoffrey Brahm Levey

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 Moral Reasoning

1) Consequentialist

morality based on the consequences of an

act
(e.g. Bentham’s utilitarianism)

2) Categorical

morality based on certain rights and duties

(e.g. Kantian categorical imperatives)

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 Kant’s Categorical (Moral) Imperatives

 Universalisability

Treat others not merely as a means but also as

an ends

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 Course Structure
Many topics relevant to justice, but only have
9 weeks…

Introduction: Week 1

 What is Justice? How do we reason about it?

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Justice and Public Policy: Weeks 2-10

 Distributive Justice: How should resources be distributed?

 Historical Injustices: Can historical injustices be repaired?
 Sex & Justice: What’s the matter with pornography?
 Justice for Cultural Minorities: Are they entitled to political
recognition or cultural rights?
 Liberty & Justice: What’s the connection?
 Free Speech: How, if at all, should speech be regulated?
 Animals & Justice: Do they have rights? Entitled to
citizenship?
 Intergenerational Justice: What, if anything, do we owe
future generations?

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 Readings & Videos

Set Text:
 Katherine Smits, Applying Political Theory: Issues and Debates
(Palgrave 2016)
…available from UNSW Bookshop
(Introduction available as download in Moodle)

 Other required readings & videos available through Course site in

Moodle (Leganto)

 Note difference between ‘required’ and ‘further’ readings

 Why videos? - SLA

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 Assessment

 Online Test 1 – Week 5 20%

 Online Test 2 – Week 9 20%

 Research Essay (2,500 words) 60%

Due: Tuesday 19th April 2022 by 7:00 pm
Submit: via Moodle & Turnitin
Essay Questions: posted on Moodle

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Plagiarism

 What is it?

One Rule:
 Don’t do it!

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 Generative AI , e.g. ChatGPT?
School of Social Sciences Policy
 Does not endorse the use of generative AI for assessment purposes because it uses
the words or ideas of others and presents them as one’s own. This is plagiarism
which can take different forms such as deliberate cheating to accidental copying from
a source without acknowledgment.

 Students may use standard editing and referencing software such as Microsoft Office
or Grammarly.
 If students do use generative AI in developing their assessment, they must
acknowledge their use and the extent of their use by providing a transcript of the
output generated by tools such as ChatGPT when they submit their assessment.
 If the use of generative AI such as ChatGPT is detected, without acknowledgement
and/or attribution, it will be regarded as serious academic misconduct and subject to
the standard penalties, which may include 00FL, suspension and exclusion.

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 Lectures… 12:00 - 2:00 pm

Short Break halfway

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Consultation

By appointment…

Office:
Morven Brown, Room 137
Tel: 9385 1376

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Tutorials - begin today!

Note required attendance policy in the course

guide

- Each week’s discussion questions and puzzles can be

found on Moodle (already)
- Please come to each Tute having written a few thoughts
on the questions to yourself so you can contribute to our
collective enterprise
Tute Times:

Tuesday 3-4 pm MAT 230

Tuesday 4-5 pm MAT 230

Wednesday 3-4 pm Online

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