Theories of justice

Description

Last year, the State Board of Education in the State of Jefferson made some changes in the prescribed history curriculum in its public schools. In the “New History Curriculum”, all American history courses must contain coverage of Black history, Native American history, Chinese history, and Feminine history. In Jefferson, 50% of the population is female; 53% is white; 18% is black; 7% is Native American; and 22% is Chinese.

About six months after the Board established the “New History Curriculum”, a referendum was held on a proposed state law that prohibited preferential treatment based on race, gender, and ethnicity. The vote was 52% in favor of the law and 48% against the law. Groups favoring the new law have filed a lawsuit claiming that the Board’s “New History Curriculum” violates the new state law because it mandates preferential treatment. On the other hand, groups favoring the “New History Curriculum” filed a lawsuit claiming that the new law violates the equal protection rights of the minority groups because it forbids equal coverage of minority groups.

1. Choose three of the following perspectives, and for each one thoroughly describe how a judge with that perspective would approach the resolution of the legal dispute.

   1. Natural Law

   2. Legal Positivism

   3. Legal Realism

   4. Critical Legal Theory

2. Discussing both sides of the dispute, explain how the Christian doctrine of Justice, as described in this course, contributes to the resolution of this particular legal dispute, as well as disputes and conflicts in general.

3. The paper must be formatted as follows:
   1. Microsoft Word format
   2. 10-12 pages
   3. Times New Roman font, 12-point type, double-spaced
   4. 1-inch margins

Rationale

The final paper will help students recognize specific theories of justice (which they have learned about in this course) in the context of a factual scenario. This unit will also help them apply the theory to the factual scenario in order to address specific instances of injustice. Finally, it will help them understand the strengths and weaknesses of the theories in order to critique them and suggest improvements.

Grade Weight & Due Date

• The Final Paper is worth 35% of the overall grade.

• The papers must be electronically delivered to the Professor not later than 11:59pm (Pacific Time) on Saturday of Week 7.

Steps

1. Read the Final Paper Assignment

2. Draft the paper