Prithviraj Datta

Prithviraj Datta is a political theorist whose primary research and teaching interests lie at the intersection of democratic theory, constitutional law, and American social and political thought. His research is concerned chiefly with offering an account of the positive role that campaign finance, political parties, and labor unions can play in contemporary democratic politics. In his current book project, Prithvi examines the contributions that these institutions and practices can make to the political empowerment of citizens in countries such as the United States, where popular disenchantment with elected governments is rapidly on the rise. Other fields of interest include the history of political thought, liberalism, and comparative constitutionalism. Prithvi received a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University in 2014. He also holds law degrees from the University of Oxford, which he attended on a Rhodes scholarship, and the National Law School of India. For more details, please visit Prithvi's personal website: www.prithvirajdatta.net

Prithviraj will be teaching in Spring 2016:

Global Justice
This course provides an overview of core ethical problems in international politics, with special emphasis on the question of what demands justice imposes on institutions and agents acting in a global context. The course is divided into three sections. The first investigates the content of global justice, and comprises of readings from contemporary political theorists and philosophers who write within the liberal contractualist, utilitarian, cosmopolitan, and nationalist traditions. The second part of the course looks at the obligations which global justice generates in relation to five issues of international concern – global poverty, climate change, immigration, warfare, and well-being of women. The final section of the course asks whether a democratic international order is necessary for global justice to be realized.
Course satisfies WAYS: Ethical Reasoning (ER)