GV408 Half Unit
Contemporary Disputes about Justice
This information is for the 2025/26 session.
Course Convenor
Dr Vincent Harting
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in Political Theory. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process.
How to apply: to apply for a place on this course, please write a short statement of 200 words (max) outlining the specific reasons for applying and how the course will benefit your academic/career goals. Priority will be given to MSc in Political
Theory students, and then students on the other programmes listed in the ‘availability’ section of the course guide. You should check that you meet any pre-requisites in the course guide before applying (where applicable). Places on capped courses cannot be guaranteed.
Deadline for application: The deadline for applications is 12:00 noon on Friday 26 September 2025. You can expect to be informed of the outcome of your application by 12:00 noon on Monday 29 September 2025. Any places remaining after this date will be allocated based on priority and written statement - up until course selection closes.
For queries contact: gov.msc@lse.ac.uk
This course has a limited number of places (it is controlled access and is capped at two groups) and demand is typically very high. Priority is given to students on the MSc in Political Theory; students from outside this programme may not get a place.
Requisites
Additional requisites:
None, though some previous exposure to normative political theory may be an advantage.
Course content
The course offers a critical analysis of key debates about justice which have followed the publication of John Rawls's A Theory of Justice in 1971. The first part of the course focuses on Rawls’s own theory of justice as fairness and critiques of that theory by liberals, feminists, socialists and critical race theorists. The second part of the course explores a number of alternative accounts of justice. The final third of the course delves into various ways in which discussions of justice have been extended and applied.
Teaching
20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.
This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.
Formative assessment
Essay
All students are expected to submit one formative (non-assessed) essay.
Indicative reading
J. Rawls, A Theory of Justice; Susan Moller Okin, Justice, Gender and the Family; Iris Marion Young, Justice and the Politics of Difference; Elizabeth Anderson ‘What is the Point of Equality?’ Ethics; Ronald Dworkin ‘What is Equality? Part 2: Equality of Resources’, Philosophy and Public Affairs; Charles Beitz, Political Theory and International Relations; Lea Ypi, Global Justice & The Political Avant-Garde; David Miller, National Responsibility & Global Justice; Laura Valentini, Justice in a Globalized World.
Assessment
Essay (100%, 4000 words) in Spring Term Week 1
Key facts
Department: Government
Course Study Period: Winter Term
Unit value: Half unit
FHEQ Level: Level 7
CEFR Level: Null
Keywords: Theory of Justice, Political Theory
Total students 2024/25: 13
Average class size 2024/25: 13
Controlled access 2024/25: YesCourse selection videos
Some departments have produced short videos to introduce their courses. Please refer to the course selection videos index page for further information.
Personal development skills
- Leadership
- Self-management
- Team working
- Problem solving
- Application of information skills