Admission requirements
This course is only available to students of the Honours College GGA.
English level C1 or greater. The maximum number of students is 25.
Description
This course explores contemporary debates and controversies regarding global justice. The focus is on the following question: how to define, understand, and uphold justice in a global and globalizing world?
From a human rights-centric approach, the course will proceed with an analysis of the political theories of justice along with an examination of applied and distributive justice focusing on selected issues that have arisen in contemporary global dynamics: participatory rights and social/labour standards, gender/sexuality, genocide and armed conflicts, environmental concerns. The course will specifically examine the role of global governance and international organisations in the quest for a universal approach to (global) justice.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of different theories and positions within the political and philosophical discussion about global justice;
demonstrate an ability to, both orally and in written form, present arguments and positions relevant to issues of global justice;
understand and critically assess the interplay between various global governance structures and actors therein;
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of select contemporary human rights concerns and of the institutional structure and constraints of global governance structures that address these concerns.
Skills
Research – Analyse - Problem Solving – Project Work –– Cooperation – Communicate verbal – communicate in writing – presenting – social conscientiousness – reflection – resilience.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the studyguide you will find links to the website and timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
The programme will be structured as follows:
Introduction: the philosophical, ethical, and normative tenets of global justice
A human rights context for global justice
Global governance and the role of international organisations
Business and human rights in the post-COVID19 world: How to protect vulnerable workers? (‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’, the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles)
Environmental and climate justice: the applicability of human rights norms to the environment
Transitional justice and reparation rights for victims of conflict
Excursions and guest lecture at Hague-based organisations focusing on selected justice issues (organisations to be announced)
Workshops to discuss negotiation positions
Negotiation simulation exercise
This course is worth 5 ECTS, which means the total course load equals 140 hours.
Contact hours: 21
Self-study and assignments: 119
Seminars: 6 seminars of 2.5 hours (participation is mandatory)
Excursions: 2 excursions of 3 hours
Self-study hours: Literature reading, Practical work, assignments & final essay
Assessment method
The assessment methods will look as follows:
20% Participation assessed continually through participation in seminars
20% (10% each) Two reaction papers to a session’s reading(s) of 1000 words
20% Presentation during a negotiation simulation
40% A final case-application paper toward negotiation position within simulation exercise (group work) of 3000 words
☒ Option 1: Students could only pass this course after successful completion of all partial exams. ☐ Option 2: It is not required to successfully complete all partial exams in order to pass this course. Students are allowed to compensate a ‘fail’ (grades up to and including 5.0).
The assessment methods will be further explained in the first session of the Class.
Reading list
Excerpts from the following publications will be prescribed as course literature:
- Göran Collste: Globalisation and global justice – A thematic introduction, De Ethica. A Journal of Philosophical, Theological and Applied Ethics Vol. 3:1 (2016), pp. 5-17, available at: http://www.de-ethica.com/archive/articles/v3/i1/a03/de_ethica_16v3i1a03.pdf
Statistics concerning SDG16 published by Eurostat https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/SDG_16_-Peace,_justice_and_strong_institutions(statistical_annex)
UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: https://www.ohchr.org/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf
Business and human rights, A Handbook for practitioners, Council of Europe (2019) https://rm.coe.int/business-and-human-rights-a-handbook-of-legal-practitioners/168092323f
Darrell Moellendorf, Climate change and global justice, WIREs Clim Change (2012) 3:131–143, https://www.fb03.uni-frankfurt.de/58976152/Climate-change-and-global-justice.pdf
Jaya Namji-Nogales, Bespoke transitional justice at the International Criminal Court, In The Politics and Practice of International Criminal Court Interventions (2015)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/contested-justice/bespoke-transitional-justice-at-the-international-criminal-court/A7E1BDC71305D230E51F0ADDE18895E5/core-reader
Other possible literature will be announced in class or via Brightspace.
Registration
The Honours coordinator/administration will take care of enrollment.
Please note: students are not required to register through uSis for this class. Your registration will be done centrally after successful completion of the Class.
Contact
HC coordinator: a.j.e.righolt@fgga.leidenuniv.nl
Dr. Tamara Takács tamaratakacs@gmail.com
Remarks
Labels:
Global justice
UN sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Business and human rights, vulnerable workers, corporate responsibility for human rights violations
climate and environmental justice,
transitional justice, reparations, victims of armed conflicts