This seminar will examine theories of justice and their applications in particular areas of public policy. Students (as individuals or in small groups) will choose policy areas or problems to focus on and will share their expertise with the class through short papers and class presentations. We will begin with some general readings on distributive justice (e.g., Michael Sandel’s Justice, Amartya Sen’s The Idea of Justice, John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice, and utilitarianism and justice) and move on to more specific perspectives on justice and the policy problems that illustrate them. This list might include (and it will be tailored somewhat to reflect student interests) environmental justice, transitional justice, retributive justice, international justice, feminism and justice, intergenerational justice, policy analysis and justice, non-western perspectives, and maybe even poetic justice.
