This course is a workshop for discussing work-in-progress in moral, political, and legal theory. The central aim is to enable students to engage directly with legal scholars, philosophers, and political theorists working on important normative questions. Another aim is to bring together scholars from different disciplines and perspectives, such as economics, history, sociology, and political science, who have normative interests.

The theme for the Fall 2022 workshop is "Structural Injustice".

The format of the course is as follows: for the sessions with guest presenters, a designated student commentator will lead off with a 15-minute comment on the paper. The presenter will have 5-10 minutes to respond and then we will open up the discussion to the group. The first part of the course will be open to non-enrolled students, faculty, and visitors who wish to participate in the workshop discussion. We’ll stop for a break at 2:00 and those not enrolled in the course will leave. Enrolled students will continue the discussion with the guest until 3:00.

This is a cross-listed/room-shared course with the Philosophy and Political Science Departments. Students may enroll through Law (Law 210.2), Philosophy (Philosophy 290-09), or Political Science (PS 211). The first class will be on Friday, August 26th - 12PM-3PM, and the final class meeting is November 18th .

This semester the workshop is co-taught by Veronique Munoz-Darde and Johann Frick.

August 26 - Introduction - no speaker
September 2 - Sally Haslanger, MIT
September 9 - Kate Manne, Cornell
September 16 - Alex Voorhoeve, LSE
September 23 - Renée Jorgensen, Michigan
September 30 - tbc
October 7 - Lucas Stanczyk, Harvard
October 14 - tbc
October 21 - Wendy Salkin, Stanford
October 28 - David Estlund, Brown
November 4 - Khiara Bridges, Berkeley
November 18 - Debra Satz, Stanford

In this class we will explore the relationship between ethics and politics through a close reading of the political philosophy of ancient Greece and Rome. The readings are drawn from a period when this problem was unsettled, giving rise to vivid and diverse answers. Our central question will be: What does it mean to be good when you cannot choose freely, when circumstance conspires to force a choice between bad options? But we will also consider questions including: Is it possible to act politically and be a good person? Or do we need to act politically in order to be good? Would it be possible to have a politics in which choices between bad options do not arise? Can we reduce the frequency of these choices or mitigate their harm? Or do we need to discover a way of thinking about ourselves that does not tie ourselves to external circumstances? The readings will not answer these questions, but they will help us deepen our understanding of their value and their complexity.

Instructor: Sam Stevens

Class number originally listed as PS116.