Programs & Courses
Degree Programs
Osgoode Hall Law School/York Philosophy
McMaster University
Legal Philosophy Courses offered in 2017-2018
McMaster University
PHILOS 4C03/ 6C03: On the Authority and Interpretation of Constitutions (Fall, 2017)
W. Waluchow
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The focus of this course will be Joseph Raz’s theories of authority and interpretation. Following an examination of his general views on these matters, we will turn to an exploration of the implications of Raz’s views for the authority and interpretation of constitutions.
PHILOS 4B03/6B03: Theory of Value Term 1 (Fall 2017)
E. Gedge
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course, we will explore Margaret Urban Walker’s ‘expressive-collaborative’ approach to naturalized ethics, with particular attention to her treatment of moral repair. In Moral Understandings, Walker construes morality as a set of practices of responsibility, whose participants are accountable to one another. Nonetheless, inequalities among participants in moral relationships jeopardize standing, authority, voice and wellbeing. Practices of moral repair, such as reparative justice, aim to rectify such damage, and to create, restore and stabilize moral relationships. We will critically assess Walker’s approach by bringing it into dialogue with the recommendations made in Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future, the Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.