Required Readings: Warburton. (2013): Chapter 4.
Warburton. (2014): Chapters 16, 18, and 32.
Douglas-Gabrielle, D. (2015). A dangerous revolt: People are refusing to pay back student loans
HYPERLINK "https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2015/02/25/a-dangerous-revolt-people-are-refusing-to-pay-back-student-loans/"https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2015/02/25/a-dangerous-revolt-people-are-refusing-to-pay-back-student-loans/
Suggested Learning Activities: (All PowerPoints can be found in the Course Companion Shell: Content - Week 4 - Additional Resources)
Examine the following PowerPoinst: John Stuart Mill, What is Just?, Poverty and Justice, and Two Views on Civil Disobedience.
Listen to Philosophy Bites podcast: Michael Sandel on Justice: HYPERLINK "https://philosophybites.com/sandel" https://philosophybites.com/sandel
Small Group Discussion: In 2014 the federal government denied Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit post-secondary education company, access to federal aid because they falsified graduation records and engaged in deceptive advertising practices. They were forced to shut down or sell most of their colleges and are now the subject of numerous investigations.
The closing and ongoing scandal, however, leaves many students with expensive student loans and poor prospects for employment. In 2015, fifteen former students decided to go on a "loan strike" and are refusing to pay back their student loans. They claim that the school engaged in deceptive practices and are striking to demand the Education Department forgive the debts.
Is this act of civil disobedience a just action? Why/why not?
Student Presentations-
Context: In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to engage a social justice issue of your choosing. You might decide to tackle the problem of wealth inequality, discrimination, the tax code, freedom of speech, government spying, or issues related to punishment. (These are suggestions only).
Whatever issue you choose, you will need to articulate your research question, which yourfacilitator will have to approve(ideally in the third week of class).
Once the question has been approved, you will make a moral claim about your issue and draw on the readings in political philosophy to support your position.
Assignment: Create a PowerPointorPrezi presentation in which do the following:
Introduce the issue of your choosing by providing an overview of the issue;
Offer a solution to theproblem/issue in the form of a moral claim;
Incorporate political philosophers or philosophies to support your claim;
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of your position; and
Choose a Jesuit value (HYPERLINK "https://www.regis.edu/CPS/About-CPS/A-Jesuit-Education-and-Heritage/What-It-Means-To-Be-Jesuit/Jesuit-Values.aspx" \t "_blank"https://www.regis.edu/CPS/About-CPS/A-Jesuit-Education-and-Heritage/What-It-Means-To-Be-Jesuit/Jesuit-Values.aspx) and discuss how this value informs and supports your claim.