Should we do more for the poor beyond the borders?



Overview

Explore the ethical issues arising from an unequal world with borders. Information, goods and people are travelling further, faster and in larger quantities than ever before. Are our existing institutions and practices still up to the job? What about our theories of justice? 

According to the cosmopolitan, justice applies on a global basis. Yet our world in which there are different states with vastly different levels of wealth and widespread poverty seems to be a long way from this ideal. Cosmopolitanism implies the need for much more generous actions to help the poorest in the world, which would presumably mean less assistance for the poorer members of wealthy societies. 

The course will consider some of the arguments for a cosmopolitan approach, and the attempts of philosophers to justify the state-based status quo. Does nationalism justify partiality within a state? Or perhaps the importance of sharing the state as an institution can justify the partiality without invoking potentially controversial national ties?

In the second half of the course, we will move on to consider several international important policy issues such as trade, aid and taxation. Should wealthy states do more to assist the poorest people in the world? We will bring in the views of economists and others to consider the difficult trade-offs between different aims such as helping the poorest in the world, effectiveness and formal sovereignty.

Borders also raise questions of territory, migration, migrant rights, and policies of assimilation or multiculturalism. Some political philosophers have argued that it is unfair or unjustifiable to refuse people entry. We will consider the arguments for border liberalism and for maintaining the status quo.  

A final important question is what states owe to migrants once they arrive. Should economic migrants have the same economic rights as citizens? How quickly should they be able to apply for citizenship? Again, economists often take a different view from philosophers on these points and we will consider the arguments. 

Taking account of economic theories and factors, this course considers ethical arguments about these crucial and hotly contested issues.

Programme details

Course begins: 24 April 2025

Week 1:  Introductions, methods and the dilemmas of global justice

Week 2:  Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism. 

Week 3:  Rawls’ Law of Peoples: why are some societies poorer than others? 

Week 4:  Is global poverty caused by International Organisations?  

Week 5:  Do institutions create the ties of justice? 

Week 6:  Trade policy: Is free trade better for all? 

Week 7:  Aid policy: what do rich countries owe poor countries?

Week 8:  Does taxation need to go global? 

Week 9:  The state, territoriality and citizenship: Do states have a right to keep people out? 

Week 10:  What do states owe to immigrants? 

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Doug Bamford

Doug Bamford received his PhD in Political Philosophy at the University of Warwick in 2013. He is author of Rethinking Taxation (Searching Finance, 2014) and several papers (including articles in the Journal of Applied Philosophy and Moral Philosophy and Politics). Several of these works consider questions of international taxation. He blogs at Doug Bamford's Tax Appeal.

Course aims

1. To introduce students to the main contemporary theories of international justice and political economy, and to apply them to live policy issues.

2. To give students good knowledge and understanding of the main positions available on the above issues and some of the key arguments for and against them.

3. To give students practice in the analysis and critical assessment of arguments.

Course Objectives

1. To distinguish empirical and normative premises and their role in arguments about global justice.

2. The ability to critically engage with arguments about global justice.

3. Present and defend their own views on these issues both verbally and in writing.

Teaching methods

Students will be provided with pre-recorded talks each week and will be asked to read one or two relevant selections each week before the weekly live session. Live sessions, at the time advertised, will provide an opportunity to ask questions and for class discussion on the topic.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. have a knowledge and understanding of the political philosophies and how they apply to policy;

2. have learnt how to offer arguments for and against the main positions introduced and have learnt skills in the analysis and critical assessment of arguments;

3. have gained confidence in expressing ideas in open debate.

Assessment methods

Coursework will consist of

either one essay of 1500 words

or two or three smaller essays totalling this amount.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

 

Application

We will close for enrolments 14 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (14 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support