PO3GLJ: Global Justice

Module code: PO3GLJ

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Rufaida Al Hashmi, email: rufaida.alhashmi@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module covers a range of issues relating to global justice. We will explore what justice requires at the global level. Some of the questions we will examine in this module are: Do states have a right to exclude would-be immigrants, or should there be open borders? Are reparations owed for historical injustices such as colonialism, and if so, what form should these reparations take? Who should bear the responsibility for climate change? For example, should countries who have polluted more pay more to alleviate the problem? Are current global economic arrangements, in particular economic globalization, fair or do they harm the global poor? What are the demands of feminism at the global level when it comes to issues such as the import and export of care work? The module explores these various debates, with a focus on the real-world application of the theoretical arguments.   

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. Demonstrate knowledge of key debates about global justice and explain the various positions within these debates. 
2. Reason critically and independently about what people owe to each other as a matter of global justice. 
3. Apply theoretical arguments to analyse issues of global justice.

Module content

Topics will include: 

• The ethics of migration  
• Colonialism and reparations for historical injustice  
• Responsibility for climate change 
• Feminist perspectives on global justice 
• Global economic justice  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught through eleven lectures and eleven seminars. The lectures will introduce a topic to do with global justice. Students will prepare for seminars by doing set readings. Each seminar will begin with a short presentation by one or more students, and this will be followed by a class discussion and small group exercises.  

Study hours

At least 22 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

• Each seminar, one or more students will deliver a short presentation on that week’s topic.  
• Students will be asked to submit introductions so as to receive feedback on their essay plan prior to submission.  

Reassessment

Additional costs