PHIL2065 Politics and Rights
Later Year Course
| Offered By | School of Philosophy |
|---|---|
| Academic Career | Undergraduate |
| Course Subject | Philosophy |
| Offered in | Second Semester, 2010 |
| Unit Value | 6 units |
| Course Description |
This course will be concerned with a range of philosophical issues relating to rights. It will include: (a) discussion in the history of philosophy about the origins and early character of ideas concerning rights, including ideas about rights and their relation to natural law; (b) discussion of a range of arguments about the existence and status of rights, including attempts to 'justify' them; (c) discussion about what the character of rights and correlative obligations should be, and who should be the bearers of these obligations; (d) discussion of current controversies about rights - such as aboriginal land rights, or rights and 'Asian values'. Our prime concern will be with philosophical consideration of normative issues - i.e. about what rights should be - and issues about rights and customary or positive law (national or international) will be discussed in that context. |
| Learning Outcomes | The course aims to give students a broad introduction to issues concerning rights, so as: (i) to develop students' knowledge of and abilities to critically evaluate arguments about rights; (ii) to understand why ideas about rights are more problematic than is sometimes thought; (iii) to provide intellectual background that will be of use to students taking other courses which discuss rights, and when they encounter issues about rights in contemporary debates about social policy |
| Indicative Assessment |
Short exercise (10%), 2 x 1,500 word essays (80%) and tutorial performance (10%). |
| Workload | 20 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials |
| Areas of Interest | Philosophy and Political Sciences |
| Requisite Statement |
One Philosophy, Law or Political Science course or permission of the Coordinator. |
| Preliminary Reading |
* Cranston, M, What are the Human Rights?, Bodley Head, 1973 |
| Majors/Specialisations | Philosophy and Political Science |
| Academic Contact | Dr Jeremy Shearmur |
The information published on the Study at ANU 2010 website applies to the 2010 academic year only. All information provided on this website replaces the information contained in the Study at ANU 2009 website.
