WHAT IS JUSTICE? A BIG QUESTIONS COURSE

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Lower-Level

What does a just society look like—and who gets to decide? This course explores how thinkers, writers, philosophers, and activists across cultures and eras have defined justice, who it serves, and how it should be achieved. We will examine how justice intersects with law, equality, race, gender, faith, economics, and global responsibility, drawing from both classical and contemporary sources—from Plato and Antigone to bell hooks, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Pope Leo XIII. By engaging literary, philosophical, political, and theological texts, students will consider whether justice is a universal value or a culturally constructed one, and how ideas of fairness, freedom, and power shift across historical and cultural contexts. The course emphasizes dialogue, reflection, and critical thinking, helping students build not only a richer understanding of justice but also stronger tools for civic engagement, empathy, and ethical argument.