Justice
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Course certificate
- Intermediate
- 12 weeks
Justice, taught by Michael Sandel, is a critical examination of classical and contemporary theories of justice applied to present-day controversies: affirmative action, income distribution, same-sex marriage, the role of markets, debates about human rights and property rights, arguments for and against equality, and dilemmas of loyalty in public and private life. The principal readings are texts by Aristotle, John Locke, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill and John Rawls, supplemented by contemporary philosophers, court cases and articles about political controversies that raise philosophical questions. The course asks you to subject your own views to the same scrutiny and to get better at articulating and evaluating philosophical arguments.
It is self-paced, twelve weeks long at 3 to 6 hours per week, and rated intermediate. Harvard lists the course as free to audit on edX, with a verified certificate available for $209.
What you’ll learn
- Explain the fundamentals of political philosophy
- Compare theories of justice from Aristotle to Rawls
- Apply those theories to debates such as affirmative action and same-sex marriage
- Articulate and evaluate philosophical arguments
Who it’s for
Anyone who wants to think harder about fairness, rights and markets; expect philosophical reading rather than legal procedure.
Source: Harvard Online (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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