Fall 2017 - PHIL 121 D100

Global Justice (3)

Class Number: 3449

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 5 – Dec 4, 2017: Tue, Thu, 9:30–10:20 a.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 12, 2017
    Tue, 8:30–11:30 a.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the ethical issues arising from interactions of states, NGOs and other international agents. Topics may include international human rights, terrorism, war, gender justice, climate justice, fairness in international trade, cultural diversity and conflict, the rights of indigenous peoples, collective responsibility and restitution for historical wrongdoing, among others. Students who have received credit for PHIL 220 cannot receive credit for this course. Breadth-Humanities/Social Sciences.

COURSE DETAILS:

Every day, and mostly without thinking about it, we make choices that affect the lives of people around the globe: each of us effectively have dozens of “employees” – many of them children – who work for us under slavery-like conditions to produce the clothes we wear, the coffee we drink, and the cell phones we use to plot our plans for the weekend. While ours is a time of unprecedented possibilities for human progress, war, poverty, and tyrannical government continue to affect the majority of the world’s citizens on a day-to-day basis. This course will introduce you to the study of Global Justice, which is concerned with charting the structural sources of today’s problems and with proposing ways for moving forward. Possible topics of discussion include the morality of international trade, human rights and state sovereignty, gender justice, refugee rights, the challenges of climate change, and the rights of future generations.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

PHIL 121 may be applied towards the Breadth-Humanities Requirement  OR the Breadth-Social Sciences Requirement  (but not both; student can choose which Breadth requirement to satisfy and plan enrollment in other courses accordingly).

Taking this course will help you:
·         Come to a better understanding of some of the most pressing political challenges of our time
·         Develop a conceptual tool kit for analyzing complex moral problems
·         Develop better skills at analyzing and presenting written arguments
·         Learn to respectfully debate deep and controversial questions in a public forum

Grading

  • First paper (900 words) 10%
  • Second paper, plus revision (1200 words) 25%
  • Third paper (1500 words) 30%
  • 3 hour final exam 25%
  • Tutorial participation (also includes short written in-class assignments) 10%

REQUIREMENTS:

Written work for this course will be submitted via Turnitin, a third party service licensed for use by SFU. Turnitin is used for originality checking to help detect plagiarism. Students will be required to create an account with Turnitin, and to submit their work via that account, on the terms stipulated in the agreement between the student and Turnitin. This agreement includes the retention of your submitted work as part of the Turnitin database. Any student with a concern about using the Turnitin service may opt to use an anonymous identity in their interactions with Turnitin. Students who do not intend to use Turnitin in the standard manner must notify the instructor at least two weeks in advance of any submission deadline. In particular, it is the responsibility of any student using the anonymous option (i.e. false name and temporary e-mail address created for the purpose) to inform the instructor such that the instructor can match up the anonymous identity with the student.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All readings will be supplied by the instructor, or be available online.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS