"Justice - What's The Right Thing To Do?"

Michael J. Sandel is the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University where he has taught since 1980. Sandel's "Justice" course is very popular -- so popular in fact that it has had to be moved to a larger venue to accommodate students and guests who want to attend the lectures. Personally, I think this course should be a requirement for students in high school, too, as I believe discussing many of the topics this course covers would prepare our young people for entering the "real world" more than many other required courses.

Topics include affirmative action, same-sex marriage, physician-assisted suicide, abortion, national service, patriotism and dissent, and more. When my book club decided to discuss this book, we were told that we had the option of reading the book, watching the DVD's, and/or going on-line to view it. My spouse and I checked out both the book and the DVD's from the library but I found watching the DVD's the most effective for me although I supplemented that with reading some passages from the book.

Why do I like the DVD's so well? They really show Sandel's teaching style and his total grasp of the philosophies that the class is based on. He's an amazing instructor and he is able to draw his students into classroom debates encouraging them to stand up and share their beliefs on a topic -- and why they believe that way. Other students can then promote their opposing viewpoint. I can certainly see a lot of excellent attorneys in the making watching these classroom debates. I would also hope this class might also graduate some future politicians who have the ability to really think through all sides of an issue. Sandel also does an excellent job of summarizing what has been debated in the classroom and how it relates to the current philosophy being discussed.

Readers of the book are encouraged to go online to discuss and share thoughts with other readers at www.justiceharvard.org. It's one of the most thought provoking books I've read and my book club decided one session was not enough to do it "justice" so we continued the discussion into a second monthly meeting. I cannot think of anyone this book would not be appropriate for except maybe individuals who are not open to exploring options or opposing viewpoints.

pazt