(ODFRL) Understanding Perspectives on Freedom and Justice with DFRL Peer Tutor Japji Singh

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL) peer tutor Japji Singh. We hope that this article will help current and future Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL) students in their academic journey!

When did you take Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL), and who was your instructor?

I took it my junior year (2019-2020), and my instructor was Dr. Rees.

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL)?

I would say that it varied depending on the density and length of the readings, but on balance I would estimate around 2-3 hours a week during non-paper weeks and around 5-6 hours during weeks when papers were due.

What did you enjoy about Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL)?

Coming into the class, I already knew I would enjoy most of the content because I have a really big interest in political philosophy. That being said, what I enjoyed most was probably the discussion sections. Each section was something totally different, and I really loved the opportunity to have discourse and often disagreement on the course material. Even if we strayed off topic a little, it was great to have everyone share their opinions and argue their position, which led to some pretty fun class moments.

What was your favorite topic covered in Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL)?

This is probably a largely unpopular opinion, but my favorite reading was probably the Benhabib reading on borders and citizenship in the fall semester; I just think that it was so uniquely relevant to the modern world. More generally, my favorite topic was probably the unit on freedom and justice in the spring semester, where we read Rawls and his various critics (Nozick, Sandel, Nussbaum)

What challenged you the most in Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL)? How did you overcome those challenges?

My biggest challenge was probably understanding the writings. Some of the authors (like Hobbes) wrote in confusing and dense language, which made it hard to understand what the main thesis of the writing was. My advice for this is just to read it slowly, and multiple times if needed! It helped to break down the argument into sections or write out what I thought was being said.

What are the major assignments for this class? How would you recommend approaching these assignments?

The major assignments were most definitely the papers in this class. My recommendation for these papers would be to develop an argument in a super clear and logical way. It can be easy to get caught up in the argument you’re making, but make sure it’s written with clarity so that a reader can follow each step. Also, don’t be afraid to share your opinion or pass a judgement on a philosopher you read, even if you totally disagree with the philosopher! Just make sure to back up your claim with solid evidence and/or reasoning.

How do you recommend reading and taking notes of reading and lectures? Do you recommend that students type or write notes?

My method was to read through the assigned homework once, and then read through it again, the second time marking and annotating what I identified to be the most significant points the author was making. For the writers who I felt were especially confusing or dense, I tried to map out their argument in my own words in the notes I wrote, creating premises and conclusions.

If you have taken core at the OHS before, How does Democracy, Freedom, and the Rule of Law (ODFRL) compare to other courses in the core sequence?

I have a bias towards the humanities, so I enjoyed DFRL more than the both MSB and HSC. DFRL and HSC are probably more similar to each other than MSB. I would say the biggest difference between DFRL and HSC is that the expectation in DFRL is to develop your own arguments and opinions rather than just understanding and comparing philosophers/scientists like we did in HSC. To that end, all the DFRL papers ask you to make your own argument and objections or to create objections to the writers’ arguments.

Japji Singh is a peer tutor for Democracy, Freedom, and Rule of Law and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

#DRFl #ODFRL