San Diego State University
Department of Philosophy
Global Justice
PHIL344/ Fall 2013
David Barzilai, Ph.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Email: dbarzilai@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Thursdays, 11-12, and by appointment
Syllabus
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the problem or challenge of global justice in our time – the
era of globalism, cosmopolitanism, and the "information age." Using philosophical
reflections, we will examine the idea of global justice, its historical foundations and
contemporary ramifications and applications.
At the core of our discussion stand the concept of justice and the debate from Plato to Rawls
over the questions of what justice is and what is "the Just Society."
Course Objectives:
This course is designed for advanced undergraduate students and graduate students.
The purpose of this course is to provide the students with an opportunity to study in-depth a
variety of texts about the concept of justice, its roots, its evolution through the concentric
circles expanding from the local to the global, and its contemporary relevancy.
An attentive and critical reading of the texts is paramount, and active participation in class
discussion is strongly recommended. (See guidelines below.)
Course requirements and grading:
1. Three reflective papers on the readings – 30%
2. In-class midterm (October 15) – 30%
3. Final paper (10-12 pages) – 40%
Required Textbooks:
Joseph Losco, and Leonard Williams, eds., Political Theory, St. Martins. Henceforth PT
The following Readings are available online:
Thomas Pogge, “What is Global Justice?” read on line
http://www.yale.edu/macmillan/globaljustice/docs/gjlecture.pdf
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR):
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
Amartya Sen, “Elements of a Theory of Human Rights”
http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/mprg/asenETHR.pdf
Iris Marion Young, “Responsibility and Global Justice: A Social Connection Model”
http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~heyman/readings/young.pdf
Michael Walzer, “Terrorism and Just War”
http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11406-006-9004-1.pdf
Course Topics:
Week I: (August 27-29) Introduction
First assignment: Write a two page reflective essay on the question: What is Global Justice?
You should base your essay on Pogge’s article, “What is Global Justice? Its spheres and
dimensions (On Blackboard or online) Due September 10
Week II -- (September 3, No class on September 5, Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashanah): Classic
Concepts of Justice: The Bible, Pericles and others
http://corematerials.homestead.com/03_Suppliants_Democracy_Despotism.pdf
Hebrew Bible:
II Kings 18:17-37, Rab-shakeh Speech: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt09b18.htm
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0118.htm
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1112.htm
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/funeral.html
Week III – IV (September 10-19): Plato, Republic and Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
http://classics.mit.edu/Plato/republic.2.i.html
http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/2g.htm
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.5.v.html
Week V- VI (September 24 - October 3): Hobbes and Locke
Week VII (October 8-10): Rousseau and Burke
Week VIII Midterm on October 15
Week VIII (October 17): Kant
Week IX-X (October 22-31): Hegel and Marx
Second assignment: Write a two page reflective essay on the question: Global justice, its
breadth, and limitations. You should base your essay on Amartya Sen’s essay, “Elements of
a Theory of Human Rights” (On Blackboard or online.) Due September 10
Week XI- XII (November 5-14): Mill and Smith
Week XIII (November 19-21): Nietzsche and Buber
Third assignment: Write a two-page reflective essay on the question of responsibility with
regard to global justice or injustice. You should base your essay on Iris Marion Young’s
article, “Responsibility and Global Justice: A Social Connection Model” (On Blackboard or
online.) Due November 26
Week XIV- XV (November 26-December 5): Rawls
Week XVI (December 10): Conclusion
Final paper promptly posted on Blackboard on December 3.
Final paper due on Tuesday, December 17, by 7PM, online at
DBARZILAI@mail.sdsu.edu
Guidelines for analytical and critical reading and writing:
1. The argument:
Reading: What is this author arguing?
How does the author defend his/her argument or his/her position?
Writing: In your words, explain the concept, problem, or debate discussed by the author.
State the premises that he/she offers as evidence for his/her view on the matter. Make explicit all
implicit assumptions. You are presenting the author’s position to the reader so you must try to do so in
a fair way. Use citations when appropriate.
2. Contextual criteria:
Which tradition or debate is this author engaging?
What is his/her view on the tradition or position on the debate?
3. Dialogic criteria:
Do you agree or disagree with the author?
Have you studied another perspective on this issue that is more compelling?
4. Pragmatic criteria:
What are the implications or consequences of this position?
Would you be willing to endorse these?
Is there a practical end to this argument? Can we think of practical applications of the argument to
contemporary moral and social problems?
5. Logical Criterion:
What are this argument’s premises?
What are the implicit presuppositions?
Is the argument valid?
6. Substantive criteria:
What other points can be made and examples can be offered in order to strengthen or refute the
argument? Feel free to use the work of another author discussed in class.
1
Based on class handout, Héctor Huyke, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez; originally from Angel
Villarini, Manual para la enseñanza del desarrollo del pensamiento (San Juan, PR: PELL, 1991).