Registry

Module Specifications

Archived Version 2018 - 2019

Module Title
Module Code
School
Online Module Resources
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

In this module, we explore various meanings of freedom and their relevance to matters of health, justice and wellbeing.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain some varying meanings of freedom by reference to established ethical and political perspectives.
2. Explore the stoic insistence on 'freedom of assent' and how this relates to matters of social influence, emotional wellbeing, anger in everyday/public life, and citizenship.
3. Explain Jean Paul Sartre's ideas to do with 'being before essence', the burden of freedom and responsibility-in-the-world.
4. Discuss John Stuart Mill's account of individual liberty and how this relates to the ethics of health behaviour and health policy.
5. Explore libertarian ideas of freedom and how they relate to health matters.
6. Explain the work of Thaler and Sunstein with particular reference to 'libertarian paternalism', 'nudge theory' and 'choice architecture'.
7. Discuss Pettit's republican conception of 'just freedom' and how this relates to health matters, especially in regard to social status.
8. Explore the principal claims associated with the 'capabilities approach' in relation to freedom, justice, quality of life and health.
9. Deliberate upon what it personally means to live a good life: a life of valued 'beings' and 'doings.'
10. Explore how ideas of freedom link to matters of individual and collective responsibility.
11. Explore ideas to do with 'unfreedom', ideology and 'unhealthy systems'.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full-time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Examining arguments to do with freedom and health.
Assignment Completion	30	Weekly reflective journal work linked to lectures.
Assignment Completion	30	Preparation of an essay.
Independent Study	41	Reading for the module.
Total Workload: 125

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Freedom, health and wellbeing: an introduction
We begin with an introduction to the module, the varied meanings of freedom, philosophy and freedom, and the significance of freedom for health and wellbeing.

Freedom of assent
By reference to stoic philosophy, we consider freedom of assent and the possibility that persons are free to decide on how they view the world and themselves. We explore the extent of this freedom and its significance for ideas about social influence, citizenship, emotional wellbeing, and anger in everyday/public life.

Existentialism and the burden of freedom
We explore Sartre's ideas about "being before essence", the burden of freedom and its inescapable implications for responsibility-in-the-world.

John Stuart Mill and individual liberty
We consider Mill's ideas about the value of individual liberty and a principle of non-interference. Also, we explore the significance of his position for the ethics of health behaviour and policy.

Libertarianism and neoliberalism
We examine libertarian claims about individual freedom, rights and ownership as well as how these claims have linked to neoliberal accounts of the state, economics and health policy.

Libertarian paternalism and a practice of nudging
By reference to the work of Thaler and Sunstein, we explore the standpoint of libertarian paternalism and the ways in which it may be possible to both respect individual freedom and influence healthy living through "nudges" and "choice architecture".

Republicanism, health and status
By reference to the work of Philip Pettit, we examine republican conception of 'just freedom' and how this relates to health matters, especially in regard to social status

The capabilities approach
By reference to the work of Sen and Nussbaum, we explore a positive conception of freedom in terms of persons' actual capabilities to realise "valued functionings". We examine the value of this conception for judgements about justice, quality of life, and health.

"Unfreedom", ideology and unhealthy systems
We explore the radical possibility that claims about individual freedom can mask "unfreedom" and serve ideological functions in the reproduction of unhealthy systems. In this light, we consider relations between freedom and social responsibility.

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	%	Examination Weight	%

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Course Work Breakdown

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
Unavailable

Indicative Reading List

Mill, J.M.: 1988, On Liberty, Penguin, Harmondsworth,
Nussbaum, M.C.: 2011, Creating Capabilities, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Thaler, R.H. & Sunstein, C.R.: 2009, Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth and happiness, Penguin, London,
Baggini, J.: 2015, Freedom Regained: The possibility of free will, Granta, London,
Briggs, D.: 2013, Deviance and Risk on Holiday: An ethnography of British tourists, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke,
Butler, E.: 2011, Milton Friedman: a concise guide to the ideas and influence of the free-market economist, Harriman House, Petersfield,
Deneulin, S. & Shahani, L.: 2009, An Introduction to the Human Development and Capability Approach, Earthscan, London,
Greenfield, K.: 2012, The Myth of Choice: Personal responsibility in a world of limits, Biteback, London,
John, P.: 2013, Nudge, Nudge, Think, Think:Experimenting with ways to change civic behaviour, Bloomsbury, London,
Jones, D.S.: 2012, Masters of the universe: Hayek, Friedman, and the birth of neoliberal politics, Princeton University Press, Princeton,
Kutz, C.: 2000, Complicity: Ethics and law for a collective age, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
Nussbaum, M.C.: 2000, Women and Human Development, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge,
Nussbaum, M.C.: 2009, The Therapy of Desire: Theory and practice in Hellenistic ethics, Princeton University Press, Oxford,
Ruger, J.P.: 2010, Health and Social Justice, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
Sartre, J.P.: 2007, Existentialism and Humanism, 2nd, Methuen, York,
Sen, A.: 1995, Inequality Reexamined, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
Sen, A.: 2001, Development as Freedom, Oxford University Press, Oxford,
Sen, A.: 2010, The Idea of Justice, Penguin, London,
Sen, A.: 2012, Commodities and Capabilities, Oxford University Press, New Delhi,
Urry, J.: 2011, Climate Change and Society, Polity Press, Malden,
Venkatapuram, S.: 2012, Health Justice: An argument from the capabilities approach, Polity, Cambridge,

Other Resources

None

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