Liberal rights and social justice

This course aims to provide students with a critical understanding of liberalism as a political theory, considering both its conception of constitutional rights and its approach to political justice. Students will engage with key philosophical debates on the limits and potential of liberalism when it comes to addressing social justice issues, particularly those concerning liberty, differences, and inequalities. Another objective is to enable students to critically assess liberal theories of justice, examining their internal tensions, the critiques they face, and the extent to which they can respond to different forms of social injustice. The course also seeks to enhance students' ability to apply normative political theories to contemporary debates, as well as their critical reasoning and informed discussion skills.

By the end of the course, students are expected to:

Knowledge and understanding

- Demonstrate a clear understanding of liberalism as a theory of constitutional rights and political justice, as well as its limitations in achieving social justice.
- Demonstrate an understanding of key liberal principles such as the priority of basic liberties, liberty-limiting principles, liberal neutrality, and principles of distributive justice.

Applying knowledge and understanding

- Critically apply liberal theory to assess real-world issues related to basic liberties, economic inequality, sexism and racism, and identity politics.
- Analyse institutional mechanisms, such as judicial review, the rule of law, and judicial guarantees, from a normative perspective.

Making judgements

- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of liberalism when it comes to responding to contemporary demands for social justice.
- Formulate well-argued positions on contested issues such as meritocracy, equal opportunity and structural injustice.

Communication skills

- Present complex theoretical arguments in a clear, structured and persuasive manner.
- Engage constructively in academic debate, demonstrating an openness to alternative viewpoints.

Learning skills

- Demonstrate the ability to read, understand and summarise academic texts on political philosophy and legal theory.
- Reflect critically on the relationship between normative theory and political practice, developing habits of independent and lifelong learning.
- Demonstrate the ability to independently locate relevant philosophical literature using search engines and bibliographic repositories.