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Overview

Course Prescription

Engages critically with philosophical theories of justice and applies them to pressing global challenges. Examines systemic inequality, legacies of colonialism, climate justice, migration, health disparities, gender inequality and digital rights through cross-cultural and political frameworks. Develops advanced analytical skills and global competencies essential for understanding, critiquing and addressing complex injustices in an interconnected world. 

Course Overview

The course introduces varying theories of justice, assessing their merits and limitations as applied to real-world, contemporary global challenges. As part of this, the course identifies how these issues are the product of historically embedded economic, political, social relations which continue to today. This includes a critical interrogation of forces such as as imperialism, colonialism, racism and capitalism, as well as by the affordance of specific rights and citizenship to some, but not all.    Considerations of what might be needed to redressing harms of the past and to prevent their reoccurrence in the future is also explored. Cross-cultural perspectives on how inequality is conceptualised, understood and redressed within both cosmopolitanism vs. nationalist based narratives will also be identified and discussed. As part of this, you will work to assess and evaluate the effectiveness of various movements, approaches, policies and structures towards redressing some of these injustices, considering the end goal of improving the overall well-being of peoples and planet. A key element of this exploration is to identify alternative ways of organising societies that are better attuned to promoting belonging, participation and well-being of all.  

Lectures, course readings and assessment activities are designed to provide students a sense of agency and a space to engage with existing social movements, networks and actions. Ultimately the aim is to prepare students to be critically engaged and active citizens in a range of professions which have a global reach/outlook and/or to understand the transnational connections of the work they are advancing. The aim is to ensure that students can think on a global scale in relation to contemporary challenges, but also ensure they have skills, knowledge and conceptual understanding to actively address them.

Key Topics

The course will explore a range of issues including:

  • Global poverty/inequality
  • Colonialism and structural injustice
  • Racial and gender justice
  • Global governance and accountability systems around justice
  • Climate justice
  • Migration justice
  • Global health justice
  • AI/Digital justice

Course Contacts

In first instance, please contact the course director/coordinator, Dr. Ritesh Shah

The course will also include guest lectures and will be co-taught with Associate Professor Sean Sturm

Workload Expectations

You will be expected to spend about 10 hours per week on course related activities. This includes three hours of time in face to face lectures and tutorials, along with time spent completing assigned readings and assessment tasks.



Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
-

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Campus Experience

  • Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials to complete components of the course.
  • Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including tutorials will [be available/not be available] as recordings.
  • The course will not include live online events.
  • Attendance on campus is required for many of the assessment tasks which will be completed or presented during tutorial time.
  • The activities for the course are scheduled as a [standard weekly timetable/block delivery].

Teaching and Learning Methods

This is a fully face to face course which requires your ongoing attendance and participation in both lectures and tutorials which are all timetabled. In both lectures and tutorials, we will engage in small group discussions and activities. Tutorials will also include a number of in-tutorial assessment tasks that will ask you to reflect on course readings, lecture content and tutorial activities. If you do not attend lectures and tutorials you will not be able to complete these assessments otherwise, which means attendance at both is mandatory.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Additional Information on Academic integrity

In the age of Generative AI, it would be foolish to not expect students to be using this as part of your learning process. But at the same time, it is important that you are able to critically discern how to use (and not abuse) Generative AI. For some of the tasks you complete for this course you will be allowed to judiciously use Generative AI tools. But there will be some tasks where we will seek to assess the learning you've gained independent of the support of Generative AI. This means assessments you complete or demonstrate during tutorial times will be ones where you will need to demonstrate your capacities independent of Generative AI or other assistive digital tools (i.e. translation software).

Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type1

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

This is the first year the course is offered. We will regularly collect formative feedback from you as the course unfolds so we can improve how things are working for everyone in real-time. We look forward to your constructive feedback.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Additonal Information on Special Circumstances

Please reach out as soon as possible with any issues that are precluding your full participation in the class. By bringing this to the attention of the course director early, there are more opportunities for flexibility and affordances to be provided to you.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.