Honors Seminar: Justice and the Common Good

Instructor Information

• Instructor: Prof. Rebecca Stroud (Professor of Political Science)
• Email: rstroud@university.alkimi.ai
• Office: Lovell Hall 260
• Office Hours:
  • Monday & Wednesday: 1:30–3:00 p.m. (In person, Lovell Hall 260)
  • Tuesday: 3:00–4:00 p.m. (Virtual via Zoom; link posted in Canvas)
  • Also available by appointment.

Course Description

Philosophical, historical, and institutional investigations into concepts of justice, equality, civic obligation, and the public good across diverse cultural traditions and democratic societies. HON 301 is an advanced interdisciplinary honors seminar investigating the fundamental concepts of justice, political equality, civic obligation, and the public good. Drawing on political philosophy, constitutional jurisprudence, and contemporary democratic theory, we explore how diverse societies resolve tensions between individual liberty and collective welfare. Seminar discussions interrogate foundational paradigms from classical antiquity through modern deliberative democracy, examining distributive justice, human rights, structural injustice, and democratic institutional design. Honors scholars will rigorously assess primary texts, articulate nuanced written arguments, and debate the moral duties of citizenship in divided polities.

Prerequisites

Admission to the University Honors Program.

Measurable Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of HON 301, students will be able to:

1. Analyze Theories of Justice: Compare classical, utilitarian, libertarian, egalitarian, and communitarian frameworks of justice and the public good.
2. Interrogate Constitutional and Legal Principles: Examine how supreme court jurisprudence, civil rights statutes, and constitutional conventions negotiate individual liberties and common interests.
3. Deliberate Public Controversies: Engage in principled, evidence-based seminar debate addressing real-world policy dilemmas involving distributive equity, affirmative action, and environmental justice.
4. Produce Advanced Analytical Scholarship: Write sophisticated, thesis-driven papers that reconstruct complex political arguments, formulate objections, and defend normative positions.
5. Evaluate Civic Responsibility: Assess the duties, ethical dilemmas, and institutional mechanisms of democratic citizenship and public leadership in pluralistic societies.

Required Course Materials & Approximate Costs

1. Michael J. Sandel. Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. Approx. $16 print purchase.
2. John Rawls. Justice as Fairness: A Restatement. Ed. Erin Kelly. Harvard University Press, 2001. Approx. $22 print purchase.
3. Michael Walzer. Spheres of Justice: A Defense of Pluralism and Equality. Basic Books, 1983. Approx. $20 print purchase.
4. Alkimi Honors Reader in Jurisprudence and Political Ethics: Aristotle, Kant, Nozick, Young, and Landmark Supreme Court Opinions. Free digital course reader provided via Canvas.
5. Total estimated cost: $40 to $58.

Generative AI Policy (AI Level 1: AI Not Permitted for Graded Work)

In accordance with Alkimi University Academic Policies (Student Handbook §5.8), HON 301 operates under AI Level 1.

• What is permitted: You may consult generative AI tools for contextual historical timelines (such as the drafting dates of constitutional amendments) or to verify standard bibliographic citation formats.
• What is prohibited: You may not use generative AI to synthesize philosophical arguments, write seminar reaction papers, generate drafts of policy analyses, or formulate essay thesis statements.
• Disclosure: All submitted papers must conclude with an explicit signed affirmation certifying that the work represents your own independent analytical prose and philosophical argumentation.

Grading Components and Weights

• Analytical Essay 1: Distributive Justice & Individual Rights: 20% (Due Thursday, October 1 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Constitutional Deliberation & Policy Brief: 15% (Due Thursday, October 29 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Major Capstone Essay 2: Pluralism and the Common Good: 25% (Due Thursday, November 19 at 11:59 p.m.)
• Weekly Reading Critiques & Discussion Hypotheses: 15% (Canvas reading critiques (400–500 words) evaluating the author's central claim submitted Tuesdays by 9:00 a.m.)
• Seminar Colloquy & Deliberative Citizenship: 10% (Regular, rigorous, and civil oral engagement in seminar debates, textual examinations, and peer critiques)
• Comprehensive Seminar Final Examination: 15% (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 1:30–3:30 p.m.)

Grading Scale (Alkimi University Standard)

• A: 93–100% | A-: 90–92%
• B+: 87–89% | B: 83–86% | B-: 80–82%
• C+: 77–79% | C: 73–76% | C-: 70–72%
• D+: 67–69% | D: 60–66% | F: Below 60%
• Extra credit: None is offered.

Course Schedule (Fall 2026)

Course Policies

Attendance Policy

As an upper-division Honors Seminar, HON 301 is organized as an active intellectual laboratory and forum for democratic deliberation. Regular, prepared, and prompt attendance is mandatory. You are permitted up to two excused absences for health or university obligations with timely notice. Each subsequent unexcused absence lowers your final grade by one-third of a letter grade. Missing more than four seminar meetings will result in a failing grade for the course. Students who miss the first two class meetings without notifying the instructor may be dropped. Students may miss class for religious observance without penalty if they notify the instructor in writing within the first two weeks of the semester (by Wednesday, September 9, 2026). Absences for university-sponsored activities (athletics, performances, conferences) are excused with a letter from the sponsoring office at least one week in advance.

Late Work Policy

Essays and policy briefs lose one-third of a letter grade for each calendar day they are submitted past the deadline. No work will be accepted after three days past the deadline without prior documented authorization. Weekly reading critiques must be posted on time to inform classroom seminar discussion; no late critiques are accepted, but your lowest score is dropped automatically.

Final Exam Policy

The final examination (Wednesday, December 16, 2026, 1:30–3:30 p.m.) is scheduled by the University Registrar and can't be moved without the Dean's written approval (Faculty Handbook §5.5). A student with three or more final exams on the same calendar day may reschedule one of them. Requests go to the instructor of the middle exam by the last day of classes. For this term, send the request by Wednesday, December 9, 2026 (Student Handbook §6.4).