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What is Justice?

Overview

  • Credit value: 30 credits at Level 5
  • Convenor: Professor Tanya Serisier
  • Assessment: a 1000-word learning portfolio (20%), oral debate and 1500-word written argument (40%) and two-hour in-class test (40%)

Module description

In this module we explore different understandings of justice, focusing particularly on the distinction between criminal justice and more expansive ideas of social and racial justice. We examine the range of understandings of justice before turning to think about how we achieve justice under conditions of inequality. We ask about the role of the law and the state and of civil society in movements for justice, as well as linking the question of justice to wider issues of social change.

Indicative syllabus

Introduction: Visions of justice: Justice for whom? Justice for what?

Part 1: Criminal justice

  • Justice as retribution/punishment
  • Justice as deterrence
  • Justice as incapacitation
  • Justice as rehabilitation

Part 2: Restorative and transformative justice

  • Justice as mediation conflict resolution and civil remedies
  • Justice as restoration, healing and repair/Victim-centred approaches
  • Justice as accountability
  • Justice as transformation

Part 3: Is justice possible in conditions of inequality?

  • Socio-economic and racial justice
  • Gender, sexuality and disability justice
  • Post-colonial justice
  • Environmental justice/climate justice

Part 4: State violence and international justice

  • Justice as truth and reconciliation
  • Justice for war, military occupation and genocide
  • People’s tribunals

Part 5: Strategies for justice and social change

  • What is the role of law in social change?
  • What is the role of the state in social change?
  • What is the role of civil society and social movements in justice and social change?

Module overview: assessing strategies for justice

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • understand, evaluate and compare different models and conceptions of justice.
  • identify, define and assess barriers to justice, including social inequalities
  • evaluate theories of justice in relation to real-world outcomes and effects
  • critically approach a range of academic and popular texts on justice
  • compare different approaches to social change and evaluate how these relate to the pursuit of justice
  • deploy critical argumentation and debating skills in oral and written form.