Justice Now

JUSTICE NOW

PROFESSOR: LARRY JACKSON

Larry Jackson is associate dean of Academic Affairs, director of the Center for the Core Curriculum at Columbia College, where he also teaches Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization. Prior to Columbia, Larry held positions at The New School, New York University and the City University of New York. His writing has appeared in n+1, Diacritics and the Journal of Speculative Philosophy, and he serves on the advisory board of Conversations: The Journal of Cavellian Studies. Originally from Philadelphia, Larry was the first in his family to attend college. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from The New School for Social Research, where he also received two master’s degrees (in Philosophy and Liberal Studies); he received his bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Skidmore College.

COURSE DETAILS

Institute for Comparative Literature and Society
Eric H. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights

Justice Now
CPLSUN3800
Fall 2023
4 credits

Professor: Larry Jackson
Instructional team: Beth Manchester (em2702), Allyson Chavez (alc2245), and Amir Jones (arj2151).
Email: lj2504@columbia.edu
Telephone: (718) 541-0389
Lecture meeting time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:10 – 5:25 p.m.
Recitation meeting times: See page 2 below.
Class location: B100 Komoda Room, Heyman Center.
Course format: Seminar.
Office hours: I am available on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and by appointment. Allyson and
Amir will have drop-in office hours on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon in 202 Hamilton.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This lecture course, accompanied by its weekly recitation, examines the meaning of justice by exploring theoretical questions, ideas, and debates associated with contemporary movements that have shaped political discourse in the United States over the past decade.

The course begins with John Rawls’s seminal work A Theory of Justice and a set of critiques from feminist and communitarian philosophers that direct our attention to specific contexts and identities that are relevant to any attempt to envision a just society. From there, the course turns to a study of social justice in three areas: economics, the environment, and race, with a corresponding focus on such contemporary movements as democratic socialism, environmentalism, and Black Lives Matter. Each of these units offers competing perspectives from liberal, communitarian, and post-Marxist philosophers, as well as critical theorists, which will enable students to consider the philosophical dimensions of these issues, their connections with one another, and the approaches of movements that are now working to address them. A final unit on praxis explores strategies that movements use to build solidarity and effect change, ranging from voting to literature and the arts. Throughout each unit, students will have the opportunity to explore not only philosophical ideas, but also stories, images, sounds, and other cultural works that are being created by activists. The course will include guest speakers from the movements being studied, and will also feature class outings.

Justice Now serves as a bridge from the Columbia Core Curriculum to contemporary social justice issues and the work of the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights. As such, the course builds on the texts and ideas that students encounter in Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization, and will also include some analysis of music and visual art. Prior completion of Core courses
is not necessary, as students will be provided with relevant background material in lectures and recitation meetings.

RECITATIONS: DEMOCRACY EDUCATION LAB

The recitation for this class will not be a typical academic discussion about weekly readings, but will instead take the form of the Democracy Education Lab (DEL), a collaborative, project-based learning experience led by students enrolled in Justice Now. Based on the premise that concepts such as justice must be considered within specific practical contexts rather than as abstract, immutable ideas cut off from reality, the DEL has three aims. First, it strives to foster philosopher John Dewey’s vision of creative, participatory democracy, which he defined as “collective intelligence operating in cooperative action.” Second, it seeks to reimagine and experiment with methods of teaching and learning in higher education by taking philosophy and other disciplines out of the traditional classroom setting. Finally, it addresses one of the major issues confronting higher education today: the failure of colleges and universities to serve surrounding communities and promote the welfare of society as a whole.

To achieve these goals, the DEL will provide opportunities for students to participate actively in organizations and projects that promote the conversation of justice on campus and in the wider community, while also reflecting on their experiences as participants. Students will first work with the Eric H. Holder Initiative for Civil and Political Rights to identify opportunities for active engagement. The class will then collaboratively draft a proposal for a DEL project (or framework for a set of projects) that they will lead this semester. Starting in the third week of the semester, students will devote approximately one hour per week to this work in lieu of a traditional recitation.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
● Identify philosophical themes at work in current ethical and political issues;
● Use literary, philosophical, and cultural resources to understand and analyze contemporary problems; and
● Demonstrate an understanding of how narratives and concepts evolve over time through debate and critique.

In addition, you will be better able to:
● Work collaboratively;
● Analyze and interpret texts;
● Examine the foundations and limitations of ideas;
● Consider competing perspectives and opinions;
● Formulate arguments; and
● State your views in both speech and writing in a way that is clear and precise.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Each lecture has one or more required readings. In addition to these required texts, the syllabus lists relevant background readings from Literature Humanities and Contemporary Civilization. If you have taken these courses already, you are encouraged — but not required — to revisit the passages listed on the syllabus. If you have not yet taken these courses, or you are in the process of doing so now, you may
wish to look at these passages on your own. While I will refer to these background readings in my lectures, I will not assume that you have read them. No prior knowledge of them is required.

Our aim in this class is not to understand the philosophical project of each author that we read, or even to study single works in great depth. We will instead focus on specific ideas and arguments that will help us to understand the theoretical dimensions of contemporary social justice issues and the movements
that are addressing them.

All of the required readings will be available as PDFs on our CourseWorks site. You will not be required to print these readings for class if you prefer to use digital files during discussions, though I would encourage you to do so. (I will require that you print them if the use of electronic devices causes distractions in class.) If you wish to purchase the texts from which our excerpts are taken, most will be available in bookstores. In addition, digital and print copies of books can be borrowed from Butler Library using the online library catalog.

Students who identify as first-generation, low-income students may also use the Columbia FLI Partnership Library, a collection of textbooks and other course materials available to low-income and/or first-generation students from Columbia University's undergraduate schools. Students may register to borrow materials from the collection for extended loan periods by filling out the FLI Partnership Libraries
Access Form. The purpose of this form is to create a confidential channel for requesting access to the FLI library, while ensuring that the collection serves its primary audience of FLI undergraduates. Columbia's FLI Partnership library is located in Butler Library. Barnard also maintains its own FLI Partnership Library in Barnard Library, and qualified Columbia undergraduates may similarly borrow from that collection.

Students may access the collection by searching by location for "Columbia FLI Partnership Library" or "Barnard FLI Partnership Library” within CLIO. Additionally, they may browse both collections by searching just for "FLI Partnership Library." Students may check out books from our FLI Partnership collections by using the Libraries' pick-up options. If you are having difficulty obtaining the required texts for any reason, please contact me.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

This course is divided into five units. Each unit will require at least one assignment. Assignments are due on the following dates:

Monday, September 11: Artificial Justice group project.
Monday, September 18: Philosophical Autobiography.
Friday, September 29: Democracy Education Lab proposal.
Wednesday, October 11: First choice assignment.
Wednesday, October 18: First journal entry.
Monday, October 30: Second choice assignment.
Wednesday, November 8: Second journal entry.
Monday, November 20: Third choice assignment.
Monday, December 11: Final paper.

I will allow one 72-hour extension on any assignment for any reason. If you have an illness or medical condition, family emergency, or other serious situation that requires additional time, I will grant further extensions. Otherwise, late assignments will result in a lower grade.

Detailed instructions, learning outcomes, and assessment criteria for all assignments will be posted on CourseWorks and reviewed in class. Here is a brief overview of each assignment:

Artificial Justice group project: In this assignment, students will use ChatGPT to generate the principles of justice for a society, and collaboratively reflect on their limitations. Is it possible — or desirable — to construct these principles behind “the veil of ignorance,” without regard for our personal attributes, as John Rawl suggests in A Theory of Justice? What can we learn about our society and its biases by using
generative AI to produce principles of justice? More detailed instructions can be found here. Group assignments are listed here.

Philosophical autobiography: A paper of 750 to 1,000 words reflecting on the relationship between some aspect of your identity (broadly understood) and the question of justice as discussed in one of the readings in unit one. More detailed instructions can be found here.

Democracy Education Lab proposal: After speaking with Beth Manchester from the Eric H. Holder Jr. Initiative for Civil and Political Rights, students will collectively draft a proposal for a DEL project (or projects) this semester. More detailed instructions can be found here.

Journal entry: A brief reflection on your DEL work and its relation to a reading from the course. You may be asked to reflect on a specific prompt or passage from one of our assigned texts.

Choice assignments: There are three choice assignments, one for each movement that we are studying. You can choose the order in which you submit them, but you must do one of each. The three assignments are:

Case study: An analysis of a current social justice movement addressing an issue from the relevant course unit. Your analysis should provide some basic facts necessary to understand the movement and the issues that it is addressing, but should focus more on philosophical issues and draw on one of the texts from the current unit. Your case study should be 750 to 1,000 words.

Cultural critique: An analysis of a cultural artifact (e.g., a song, a visual art work, a performance) that addresses an issue or responds to a movement from the relevant course unit. Your analysis should consider how the aesthetic elements of this cultural work connect with a text from the current course unit. Your cultural critique should be 750 to 1,000 words.

Dialogue: An imagined exchange between two interlocutors taking different positions on an issue from the relevant course unit. Each position must be informed by a text that we have read in that unit. Your dialogue should be 750 to 1,000 words.

Final paper: Your final paper will focus on a social justice issue and movement that is not addressed in class, and will relate them to one of the texts on the syllabus. Your final paper should be around 2,000 words.

FINAL GRADE CALCULATION AND SCALE

This course uses the following standard grade scale:

A Word on Grading
There is extensive evidence that grades hinder learning and reduce students’ interest in what they are studying. For this reason, I try to use other forms of feedback as often as possible, and will engage you as a partner in assessing your own work. For several assignments, you will receive completion credits — meaning you will receive full credit for the assignment if you submit original work on time that shows that you have made an effort (i.e., the work is not full of sloppy grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, or indications that you have not read the text). If, for some reason, you do not receive full credit for one of these assignments, I will let you know (this is rare). Midway through the semester, you will receive a letter grade for your overall performance in class. If I have any concerns about your grade before that time, I will let you know. If you have any concerns about your grade, you should reach out to me. You can use the grade calculation table at any time, of course, but you can also contact me with questions. Your goal should not be to attain a high grade, but rather to learn by doing the best work that you can.