Foundations of Social Justice

Edward P. Antonio
Office Location: BEC 208

E-mail: eantonio@iliff.edu
Tel: 303-765-3163

Consultation is by appointment only.

Time: Tue 1-4:30pm

Room: TBA

Course Description

Social Justice and Ethics is an interdisciplinary course which draws from theology, ethics, philosophy, the social sciences, and from the humanities. The course  introduces students to theories, methods, issues and theologies of  Social Justice and Ethics Studies in relation to a) the social and moral teachings of different religions of the world, and  b) concrete issues such as peace-building, war,  violence, social, political, economic, and criminal justice. Additionally, students will study various forms of oppression, power, ideology, corruption, environmental degradation, racism, sexism, homophobia, as well as aspects of international development, public policy processes, and the role of social change movements.

ADA Statement 

If you have concerns about accommodations as stipulated in the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact your assigned adviser to initiate the process of requesting accommodations.  You can contact your adviser through The Advising Center at advising@iliff.edu or by phone at 303.765.1146.

Use of Laptops

Please make sure that your cell or mobile phones are switched off when in class.  In the past students have tended to check email, play games and shop online while  in class. This is unacceptable.


Course Objectives

  1.  To help students critically engage the substantive proposals of social justice ethics by carefully examining  both their content, tasks, and methods and their relationship to Christian thought in the  contemporary world

  2.  To explore particular issues in the study and practice of social justice and ethics

  3.  To equip students to become effective   professionals in their chosen area of Social Justice and Ethics

 


Required Texts

 Books

  1. Nicholas Wolterstorff, Justice: Rights and Wrongs. Princeton and Oxford: Princeton University, Press, 2008.
  2. Michael Walsh and Brian Davies, (eds.) Proclaiming Justice and Peace: Papal Documents from Rerum Novarum through Centinmus Annus. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2001.
  3. Loretta Capeheart  and  Dragan Milovanovic, Social Justice: Theories, Issues, and Movements. Rutgers University Press, 2007.
  4. Goran Therborn, The Killing Fields of Inequality. Polity Press, 2013.
  5. Danny Dorling, Injustice: Why Social Inequality Still Persists. Revised Edition. Policy Press, 2015.
  6. Donatella Della Porta and Mario Diani, Social Movements: An Introduction (2nd edition). Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.

Articles

Internet Resources

The Policy Project

Care Action

 

 

 

 


Course Requirements


Class Format
Each member of the class will be required to make a presentation to class on a  topic chosen from one of the class readings. I will guide the discussion, answer questions and expound on obscure points or points of concern to students.


Assignments

  1. There are three assignments for this course. The first consists of five page essay  in which you provide a brief analysis of two theories  of justice derived from class readings: one  ‘secular’ and one theological. This assignment is due on October 11, 2016.
  2. The second assignment is  double spaced 5 page essay in which you critically engage a social justice issue covered in the course content but different from the one chosen for your third assignment (see below). The paper is due on Nov 10, 2016.
  3. The third assignment is a class presentation on a public policy issue of your choice. It is best to select the issue at the start of the  course and to reflect on it throughout  the quarter. Class presentations on Public Policy will take place on October 25 and  November 1, 2016. Further instructions will be given in class and will subsequently be posted onto a Public Policy Issues Forum on Canvas.

Grading and Incompletes
This class cannot be taken on a pass/fail basis.
You are reminded that plagiarism is an offense for which you will be severely penalized. It is your responsibility to consult the Masters Student Handbook for a definition of plagiarism and other instances of academic dishonesty.

The grade is structured as follows:

  1. Class Participation  15%
  2. Class Presentation   15%
  3. First Assignment    30
  4. Final Assignment   40%

I will not entertain incompletes except in cases of a demonstrated medical or other emergence. Lack of proper planning on your part does not count as an emergence.


Quality Class Participation Defined

Class Participation is not:

Quality Class Participation is:

Finally, civility in the give and take of a heated discussion is a requirement. Discussion questions in class will be designed to provoke disagreement, and there typically exists more than one viable approach to resolving the problems presented in any context.

These comments are intended to give you a general sense of what I am looking for in class discussions. These comments are not intended to be an exhaustive checklist of the precise and only criteria I will use. I will also post on Canvas additional information about how to participate in class discussion effectively.










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