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HUM 3304 VALUES IN CONFLICT
Professor Rogerson
Fall '02

EQUALITY

Course Description:

Virtually everyone today would agree that a fair and just society would be one that treated all of its members equally.  The idea of equal treatment is bedrock in a liberal, democratic society such as ours.  However, while there is widespread agreement on the idea of equal treatment there is considerable disagreement concerning how equality should be understood.  What is it to treat people equally?  How and when should we apply the principle of equal treatment?  What should we do if people have been treated unequally?  As we shall see, these are some of the most important political questions that currently confront us.
 

Required Text:

Pojman and Westmoreland, Equality
 
 

CALENDAR

Part I: CLASSICAL READINGS

8/29 Intro. (1-14), Vonnegut (pgs. 315-318)
9/3-9/5 Aristotle (17-26) / Hobbes (26-36)
9/10-9/12 Rousseau (36-46) / Hume (46-49)

Part III:  GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE IDEAL OF EQUALITY

9/17-9/19 Williams (91-102) / Nozick (102-104)
9/24-9/26 Lucas (104-112) / Benn (112-120)
10/1-10/3 Vlastos (120-133) / EXAM 10/3

Part IV:  EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

10/8-10-10 Schaar (137-148) / Fishkin (148-158)
10/15-10-17 Westen (158-167) / Nozick (167-170)
10/22-10/24 Galston (170-179) / Rawls (183-191)

 Part V:  THE CONTEMPORARY DEBATE ON THE NATURE AND VALUE OF EQUALITY

10/29-10/31 Matson (191-204) / Nielson (204-218)
11/5-11/7  Hare (218-229) / Arneson (229-242)
11/12-11/14 Rakowski (242-250) / Nagel (250-261)
11/19-11/21 PAPER DUE (11/19) Frankfurt (261-274) / Rakowski (274-282)
11/26 Pojman (282-299)
12/3-12/5 Walzer (299-311)

Final exam:
  Tues. 9:30-10:45

Grades, Exams and Notes:
 

• The graded work for the course will consist in two in class essay exams (one at mid-term and one as a final) and one 6-8 page essay (produced on a computer) on a topic to be assigned. Each piece of work will be equally graded.
• Students are expected to attend regularly and to be prepared by reading the assignments in advance.
• Arrangements will be made for late papers and exam make-ups only on the basis of a weighty excuse (typically medical). Students should request special arrangements before the deadlines whenever possible.

 

Grading Scale:

92-100 A
89-91 A-
86-88 B+
82-85 B
79-81 B-
76-78 C+
72-75 C
69-71 C-
66-68 D+
62-65 D
59-61 D-
0-58 F