PHIL 207/POL S 207/VALUES 207

Winter Quarter 2013

Faculty:

Michael Blake, Philosophy and Evans School (miblake@uw.edu)

Jamie Mayerfeld, Political Science (jasonm@uw.edu)

William Talbott (wtalbott@uw.edu)

TAs:

Michael Ball-Blakeley, Philosophy (mbblake1@uw.edu)

Sooen Park, Political Science (spark4@uw.edu)

Patrick Smith, Philosophy (pts@uw.edu)

PHIL 207/POL S 207/VALUES 207: ISSUES OF GLOBAL JUSTICE

SYLLABUS

Disability Resources for Students. If you would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact Disability Resources for Students (DRS), 448 Schmitz, (206) 543-8924 (V/TTY). If you have a letter from DRS indicating you have a disability that requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so we can discuss the accommodations you might need for the class.

Learning Objectives

This course will provide you with the necessary background and help you to develop the necessary skills to:

(1) Understand the range of disciplines within social science and the humanities that have been brought to bear on issues of globalization and global justice, including:

Global poverty and aid:  Do the wealthy nations have an obligation to help the world’s poor?  If so, what should they do?  Should there be special attention to the status of women in developing countries?

Immigration:  Should everyone in the world have a right to move to any place they would like to live?  What kinds of limits on immigration, if any, can be justified? 

Transnational governance:  Should there be a single world democracy?  If not, should there be other transnational institutions—for example, an international criminal court to enforce human rights? 

Climate change:  What obligations, if any, do the nations of the developed world have to prevent or alleviate climate change?  What obligations, if any, do the nations of the less developed world have? 

Cultural relativism:  Are the ideas of justice, human rights, and democracy discussed in this course merely Western ideas, or are they of global applicability?

(2) Become better at the task of arguing and reasoning about these issues, using these disciplines as frameworks.

The course will provide you with readings and assignments that will enable you to achieve these objectives, by becoming engaged with the projects and methods that are at the heart of these disciplinary activities.

Evaluation and grading

Course assignments will gauge student comprehension, encourage active engagement with the course materials, and develop writing skills. Grades will be based on participation in section activities, one 3-page paper, one 5-page paper, and a final exam as follows:

Participation in section 10%

3-page paper 20 %

5-page paper 30 %

Final examination 40 %

Required texts. The course readings will be available on electronic reserve. These readings represent selections from current debates in the theory and practice of global justice. See the separate handout of reading assignments.

Course Web Site. All handouts and the text of transparencies used in class will be posted on the course Web site (URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/wtalbott/phil207/phil207.html). So if you are ever absent, you can check the course Web site to find out what you missed.

Academic Integrity. Whenever you turn in any assignment in this course, the understanding is that what you are turning in is your own original work, except to the extent that you explicitly credit others for their contributions. You have an obligation to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, by always attributing any argument or idea that you have borrowed, even if you have modified it, to its source. The source may be written or oral. For example, if an argument was suggested by a fellow student, include that information in a footnote. If it is determined that there has been cheating that involves one student copying another's work on an assignment or exam, if both students were aware of the copying, both will receive zero credit for the assignment or exam, in addition to any other sanctions that might be imposed.

Extensions of Time. Extensions of time should be requested in advance of the deadline, whenever possible. When requesting an extension, always suggest a new deadline. Unexcused, late work will be penalized. However, it is much better to turn work in late than not to turn it in at all.

UW SafeCampus*

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* Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.

* Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.

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For more information visit the SafeCampus website at www.washington.edu/safecampus.