PSYC 408-01, The Psychology of Justice, Fall 2005

Abstract

Questions about the nature of justice, fairness, morality, etc. are certainly not new to human consciousness; however, the psychological literature on justice has really just boomed in that past 20 years or so. This course will focus primarily on the current literature although we will certainly discuss differing philosophical perspectives as we delve into this literature. This is a graduate-style seminar; and, as a result, this is a reading and speaking intensive course. In this class we will try to develop our own answers to a number of questions dealing with justice and fairness. What is justice? What social, emotional, and cognitive factors lead to decisions about fairness, injustice, and behavior reactions to unfair outcomes? How does affect/emotionality impact our justice considerations? Furthermore, what are the most appropriate ways to deal with unjust outcomes (and who decides what is appropriate)? Finally, are the mechanisms that we (as Westerners) use to restore fairness universal? We will deal with these and many other questions as we explore the available literature.