Professor William James Clark SMITH

This course aims to study the relationship between public polices and the values and ethics underlying them. It is the basic contention of this course that the making of public policies cannot be made divorced from moral and political values. These values provide justification for the legitimacy of policies. The course is divided into two parts. The first part introduces some major political theories and theoretical frameworks for students to understand the meaning and importance of values in different moral outlook. Values discussed cover rights and obligation, justice and fair procedure, freedom and democracy, community and citizenship, and the proper relation between personal and social responsibility. The second part focuses on case studies.