180166 SE Egalitarianism (2014S)
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Egalitarianism in one form or other has been a major force in thinking about distributive justice over the past 40 years. Prominent figures in moral and political philosophy have contributed to the literature on this subject. So, it is useful for any normative theorist to know a bit about it. We will familiarize ourselves with selected important articles on egalitarianism, including those by Parfit, Dworkin, and Arneson. We will focus on two questions: (i) why, or why not, equality? And: (ii) if equality, equality of what? Our discussion of (ii) provides a segue into a discussion of desert. Egalitarians increasingly include a place for considerations of choice and responsibility in their theories. We will ask whether, in doing so, they are incorporating desert into their theories. This will require some discussion of the nature of desert. At the end of the seminar, participants should have a sense of what some of the major debates about egalitarianism and, to a lesser extent, desert are.
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Sa 15.02.2014 18:00 to Sa 01.03.2014 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Mo 31.03.2014 23:59
Details
max. 45 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
Tuesday
11.03.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
18.03.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
25.03.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
01.04.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
08.04.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
29.04.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
06.05.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
13.05.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
20.05.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
27.05.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
03.06.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
17.06.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Tuesday
24.06.
09:00 - 10:45
Hörsaal 3B NIG 3.Stock
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Egalitarianism in one form or other has been a major force in thinking about distributive justice over the past 40 years. Prominent figures in moral and political philosophy have contributed to the literature on this subject. So, it is useful for any normative theorist to know a bit about it. We will familiarize ourselves with selected important articles on egalitarianism, including those by Parfit, Dworkin, and Arneson. We will focus on two questions: (i) why, or why not, equality? And: (ii) if equality, equality of what? Our discussion of (ii) provides a segue into a discussion of desert. Egalitarians increasingly include a place for considerations of choice and responsibility in their theories. We will ask whether, in doing so, they are incorporating desert into their theories. This will require some discussion of the nature of desert. At the end of the seminar, participants should have a sense of what some of the major debates about egalitarianism and, to a lesser extent, desert are.
Assessment and permitted materials
Your final grade will be a combination of the following three components:1. Attendance and class participation: 10%
Attendance will be kept track of and, together with participation in class, will count towards your final grade.2. Discussion points (10 total): 20%
Ten times during the semester, you are required to turn in a discussion point to me. A discussion point is a paragraph or two (approx. 200 250 words) describing a part of the assigned reading you think we should discuss in class. You should briefly say what the (part of the) reading is about, and then say why you think we should discuss it. Aim for a robust issue. Ideally, raise an objection to the reading which we can examine in class. You can, if you like, raise two points for discussion in your discussion point, but do try to stay within the 200 250 word limit. These are due to me Monday by 5 pm (17:00), though I am very happy to accept them earlier. Each discussion point is worth 2% of your final grade. I will grade them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best grade. I expect everyone to get very high marks on this portion of the course.3. Paper, 15-20 pages: 70%
You are required to turn in a paper between 15 and 20 pages long that deals with the readings and issues we discussed during the semester. Try not to go too far below or above these page requirements. Definitely do not go too far above. There will be a reading week, probably in Week 10 or 11, to enable students to work on their paper; instead of the usual class meeting, I will organize individual meetings to discuss essay topics.
Attendance will be kept track of and, together with participation in class, will count towards your final grade.2. Discussion points (10 total): 20%
Ten times during the semester, you are required to turn in a discussion point to me. A discussion point is a paragraph or two (approx. 200 250 words) describing a part of the assigned reading you think we should discuss in class. You should briefly say what the (part of the) reading is about, and then say why you think we should discuss it. Aim for a robust issue. Ideally, raise an objection to the reading which we can examine in class. You can, if you like, raise two points for discussion in your discussion point, but do try to stay within the 200 250 word limit. These are due to me Monday by 5 pm (17:00), though I am very happy to accept them earlier. Each discussion point is worth 2% of your final grade. I will grade them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best grade. I expect everyone to get very high marks on this portion of the course.3. Paper, 15-20 pages: 70%
You are required to turn in a paper between 15 and 20 pages long that deals with the readings and issues we discussed during the semester. Try not to go too far below or above these page requirements. Definitely do not go too far above. There will be a reading week, probably in Week 10 or 11, to enable students to work on their paper; instead of the usual class meeting, I will organize individual meetings to discuss essay topics.
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
A thorough introduction to the contemporary Anglophone debate in political philosophy about the value of equality. After having completed the seminar, students will be able to better critically analyze (in written and oral discussion) arguments concerning the nature of equality, its relationship to other fundamental moral and political values (e.g., liberty), and the ideas of desert and individual responsibility.
Examination topics
Close reading and discussion of primary literature on the topic. You are expected (i) to have read and studied the assigned readings before class meets and (ii) to actively participate in class discussion. In order to better facilitate these two tasks you are required to turn in discussion points to me. For details on the latter, see section course assessment. A final paper will ask you to engage in a thorough discussion of one of the assigned readings of your choice.
Reading list
Articles marked with an IE in the syllabus (to be distributed to participants soon) come out of the book, The Ideal of Equality, eds. Clayton and Williams (Palgrave, 2002). I recommend that you purchase a copy of this useful anthology. Copies of the articles will be made available to you via Moodle.
Association in the course directory
BA M 13, MA M 2 neu
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:36