Global Arc

Are science and democracy mutually supporting communities of inquiry, or are they antithetical in their rival commitments to expertise and equality respectively? This question illustrates the questions to be pursued, about the fundamental principles and models of science and democracy; the relations between them; and the roles and responsibilities of scientists, policymakers, and citizens. This is a course in political theory and normative reasoning that will integrate perspectives from the philosophy of science, science and technology studies, and case studies, accessible to students with backgrounds both inside and outside natural science.

Migration places into sharp relief the question of how to balance the rights of sovereign states and their citizens against the claims of (often-needy) foreigners. Should self-governing peoples be free to set their own migration policies and control their territorial borders without interference? Or ought they instead to be constrained by a "human right to immigrate?" This course will attempt to answer these questions, in part by theorizing foundational issues of self-determination, boundaries, national culture, and membership. We will also take up contemporary debates about guestworkers, irregular migrants, refugees, and brain drain.

Investigation of a major theme in political theory. Reading and intensive discussion of selected issues in the literature. One three-hour seminar.

Investigation of a major theme in political theory. Reading and intensive discussion of selected issues in the literature. One three-hour seminar.

Investigation of a major theme in political theory. Reading and intensive discussion of selected issues in the literature. One three-hour seminar.

Investigation of a major theme in political theory. Reading and intensive discussion of selected issues in the literature. One three-hour seminar.

This course examines different forms of protest and resistance, with a special emphasis on the concept of civil disobedience. Our perspective is primarily that of normative political theory, but we will also draw on recent empirical work examining the effectiveness of different forms of protest and occasionally venture into legal theory. The main focus is on the US, but there will also be a ranger of international comparisons.

The distinction between public and private spheres of life is both foundational to modern liberal democratic politics and also fraught with controversy. This course examines such conflicts in the context of political theory, ethics, law, and public policy. Including the tense interface between public values and religious conscience and practice, and the scope of freedom with respect to marriage, family, and sexual relations. How broad are the claims of private liberty and what is the nature and extent of legitimate public authority when it comes to activities claimed to be private? Can paternalist and perfectionist policies ever be justified?

In many colonial countries, indigenous peoples were displaced as part of the settlement process. Their descendants remain part of our society, reduced in number and often economically and culturally vulnerable. What is the proper way for settler societies like the US to respond to this history? Does it owe indigenous peoples special rights, reparations, or a symbolic apology? In considering the answers to these questions, we will examine some important topics in political philosophy, including rights over property and territory, the importance of preserving indigenous cultures, and claims to self-determination and self-government.

The seminar explores the political theory of international human rights. We will ask some philosophical questions about these rights. For example: Are human rights really a kind of right? How are human rights related to the "natural rights" of the Western political tradition? What is the moral basis of human rights? Are human rights best understood as points of agreement among the world's moral cultures? How should we decide which rights are properly considered human rights? We will try to answer these questions through critical discussions of contributions to the philosophical literature about human rights of the last few decades.