Important notice
The course guide is provisional.
The PDF version of the course guide may take a few days to become available in the DDD.
Care, Justice and Biopolitics
Code: 45068Credits: 6
| Degree programme | Type | Course |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophies of Care | OB | 1 |
Contact lecturer
- Name :
- Irene Gomez Franco
- Email :
- irene.gomez.franco@uab.cat
Teaching staff (external to UAB)
- Marina Garcés Mascareñas
Group languages
You can consult this information at the end of the document.
Prerequisites
This course has no prerequisites. However, it is recommended that students are able to read texts in English and French.
Objectives
The aim of this course is to provide students with the analytical tools necessary to engage with the contemporary debate on intergenerational justice and biopolitics.
Intergenerational justice raises the question of what duties we have towards people of the future (and the past) as a temporal extension of global justice. At the same time, to construct a broader ethical perspective, abandoning presentism and committing to a long-term, context-sensitive approach, this conception must be accompanied by an ethics of care that emphasizes the care of all forms of life and the planet. In this way, an ethics projected towards the future is built, in which justice goes hand in hand with a sense of intergenerational care.
To this end, the first module will offer an overview of the most significant aspects and issues of the problem, namely: what is intergenerational justice, what it means to have obligations towards past and future generations, multispecies justice, and the ethical-political shift towards care. This analysis will be conducted from paradigmatic Western conceptions of justice, also incorporating perspectives from the so-called Global South and Indigenous peoples. As a practical exercise, we will apply this knowledge to the specific issue of climate justice and our duties in the context of the ecological crisis.
The second part of the course will be dedicated to the shifts in biopolitical capitalism based on the concepts of immunopolitics and necropolitics.
Learning outcomes
- CA07 (Use teamwork to interpret and produce texts related to political aspects of care.) Use teamwork to interpret and produce texts related to political aspects of care.
- CA08 (Include the perspective of the ethics of care of social diversity in a professional field.) Include the perspective of the ethics of care of social diversity in a professional field.
- KA10 (Analyse concepts of the ethics of care in the context of contemporary biopolitics.) Analyse concepts of the ethics of care in the context of contemporary biopolitics.
- KA11 (Explain the inequalities among different generations on social, economic and environmental matters from the standpoint of the philosophy of care.) Explain the inequalities among different generations on social, economic and environmental matters from the standpoint of the philosophy of care.
- KA12 (Identify the main ethical issues of care found in real public policies related to healthcare systems or caregiving.) Identify the main ethical issues of care found in real public policies related to healthcare systems or caregiving.
- SA11 (Apply the key concepts of ethics like wellbeing, justice and care in research into intergenerational and biopolitical ethics.) Apply the key concepts of ethics like wellbeing, justice and care in research into intergenerational and biopolitical ethics.
- SA12 (Use key concepts from intergenerational ethics and biopolitics to explain social, economic and environmental conflicts within the context of the ethics of care.) Use key concepts from intergenerational ethics and biopolitics to explain social, economic and environmental conflicts within the context of the ethics of care.
- SA13 (Design original research on political control over the lives and health of individuals and populations exerted by liberal democratic systems.) Design original research on political control over the lives and health of individuals and populations exerted by liberal democratic systems.
Contents
BLOCK I
1. The Horizon of the Future: An Introduction to Intergenerational Justice and the Problem of Presentism.
2. Dialogues on Care and Justice: Tensions between Western Distributive Justice and Ecofeminist and Global South Ethics of Care.
3. Climate Justice Lab: Workshop on Real-World Cases (Intergenerational Climate Litigation, Rights of Nature, and Environmental Diplomacy).
BLOCK II
1. The Concept of Immunity. Roberto Esposito.
2. Immunity and Community: Reflections and Case Studies (COVID, Ceuta, etc.).
3. The Concept of Necropolitics. Achille Mbembe.
4. Necropolitics and Enmity.
Learning activities and methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written texts, case analysis | 25 | 1 | CA07, CA08, KA10, KA12, SA11, SA12 |
| Critical reading, interpretation, composition and presentation | 82 | 3.28 | CA07, CA08, KA12, SA11, SA12, SA13 |
| Reading and analytical tutorials, debate and commentaries, tutorials | 37 | 1.48 | KA10, KA11, KA12, SA12 |
As the teaching modality is virtual, both the methodology and the evaluation have been adapted accordingly.
Methodologically, the module aims to guide students in developing informed critical thinking through scientific reading, oral presentations, philosophical essay writing, and the exchange of ideas through dialogue.
The methodological objective is for students to be able to critically position themselves on current problems involving life and bodies, our relationships and duties as human beings, and our relationship with other forms of life. This will expand their perspective both spatially and temporally.
Assessment
Continuous assessment activities
| Title | Weight | Hours | ECTS | Learning outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Essay | 40% | 2 | 0.08 | CA08, KA10, KA11, KA12, SA11, SA12, SA13 |
| Cross-text commentary | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | CA07, CA08, KA10, KA12, SA11, SA12, SA13 |
| Committee of experts in the defense of future generations - Mock litigation forum (amicus curiae) | 30% | 2 | 0.08 | CA07, CA08, KA11, SA11, SA12, SA13 |
With the aim of encompassing the diverse skills and knowledge students have acquired throughout the course, as well as their various abilities, three assessment activities will be conducted.
BLOCK I
- Mock Litigation Forum (Amicus Curiae) - Committee of Experts in the Defense of Future Generations (30% of the final grade)
- Drafting the Opinion (15%)
- Teacher Interpellation / Asynchronous “Oral” Hearing (10%)
- Negotiation Table – Cross-Rebuttal (5%)
BLOCK II
- Cross-Text Commentary (30% of the final grade): An articulated text commentary that provides an analysis of the texts, their relevance to our present (through practical cases), and a personal and critical reflection on their contributions. Length: 5 pages of 2,500 characters.
COURSE SYNTHESIS ACTIVITY
- Final Essay (40%): a written essay demonstrating the knowledge acquired in the course.
Continuous assessment consists of completing all the assigned PECS (Continuous Assessment Activities).
* If you complete the exercise in the first section and are unable to continue, you must notify the professors beforehand. This may result in a "No Submission" grade.
* After completing the first two PECS, the final grade for the course will be the average of all exercises, including those not submitted, based on their weighting in the final grade.
* The submission schedule is outlined in the course syllabus.
This subject does not allow a single assessment.
Use of AI
This course allows the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies exclusively for tasks such as bibliographic research, text correction, and translations. Other situations may be considered, always with the instructor's approval. Students must (i) identify the parts generated using AI; (ii) specify the tools used; and (iii) include a critical reflection on how these tools influenced the process and the final result of the activity. Lack of transparency regarding the use of AI in this assessable activity will be considered academic dishonesty and will result in a grade of 0, which cannot be retaken, or more severe penalties in serious cases.
NOTE: If a student commits any irregularity that could lead to a significant change in the grade for an assessment, that assessment will be graded as 0, regardless of any disciplinary action that may result. If multiple irregularities are found in the assessments for the same course, the final grade for that course will be 0.
Bibliography
An extended, subject-specific bibliography will be provided at the beginning of the course.
BLOCK I
GARDINER, Stephen M., A Perfect Moral Storm: The Ethical Tragedy of Climate Change, New York, Oxford University Press, 2011.
GOMEZ FRANCO, Irene. Deudas pendientes. La justicia entre generaciones, Madrid, CSIC-Plaza y Valdés, 2020.
GOSSERIES, Axel. Institutions for Future Generations, con Iñigo Gónzalez-Ricoy (eds.), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2016.
_Intergenerational Justice, Lukas Meyer (eds.), Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009.
JONAS, Hans. The Imperative of Responsibility, University of Chicago Press, 1984.
PARFIT, Derek. Reasons and Persons, Oxford University Press, 1987.
RAWLS, John. A Theory of Justice, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press, 1971 (rev. ed. 1999).
_ Political Liberalism, New York, Columbia University Press, 1993.
_The Law of Peoples, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press, 1999.
_ Justice as Fairness: A Restatement, Cambridge, MA., Harvard University Press, 2001.
ROSER, Dominic. Climate Justice, Routledge, 2017.
TRONTO, Joan. Caring Democracy. Markets, Equality, and Justice, New York University Press, 2012.
BLOCK II
Esposito, R., “Inmunidad, comunidad, necropolítica”, Papeles del CEIC, vol.2018/1 [papel 182]
Mbembe, A., Necropolítica, Melusina, p.17-76
Software
None
Course groups and languages
The information provided is provisional until November 30. After this date, you will be able to consult the language of each group through this link. To access the information, you will need to enter the course CODE
| Type of teaching | Group | Language | Semester | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (VIRT2022m) Classes virtuals (màster) | 70 | Spanish | first semester | morning-mixed |