THE JUST SOCIETY

SPRING 2000

PROFESSOR: Chris Latiolais
Humphrey House #202
Phone # 337-7076
latiolai@kzoo.edu
Offices Hours:
     1) Mon. 2:00 - 3:45
     2) Tue. 10:30 - 11:30
     3) By Appointment.
 

REQUIRED TEXTS:

 1.  Held, David: Models of Democracy (Stanford: Stanford University Press 1996)

 2.  Young, Iris: Justice and the Politics of Difference (Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1990).

 3.  Habermas, Juergen: Between Facts and Norms trans. William Rehg (MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts 1996).

  This course examines classical, modern and contemporary models of democracy.  Special emphasis will be placed upon contemporary issues regarding the "politics of difference" and how concerns with marginalized social groups have altered both public and foreign policy in modern, post-industrial mass democracies.  The course also explores contemporary efforts to offer a "discourse theory" of law and democracy.
 

Class Participation Seminar presentations and discussion 20%
Midterm examinations 2 @ 15% each 30%
E-mail Correspondence & Quizzes 4 @ 5% =  20%
Final Paper 10-15 pages 20%
 
 

POLICIES:
          Open, respectful and critical discussion is crucial to this course.  E-mail
     correspondence provides students with lecture materials important for our interpretation and
     criticism of texts, which prepare them for participation in classroom discussion, and quizzes
     allow students to evaluate their comprehension of basic terms, positions and arguments.
     Midterm assignments and the final paper offer students the opportunity to respond in depth
     to a single topic.  The final paper is due on the day scheduled for the final examination.  3
     unexcused absences will result in a full point reduction of the course grade, and later papers
     may be accepted with full point reduction for each day after the deadline.
 

SCHEDULE OF READING (TBA)