The last hundred years have seen brutal wars, murderous totalitarian regimes, genocide, and nuclear weapons. But we have also witnessed - to a certain extent because of the facts just mentioned - an unprecedented development of international law, a resurgence of interest in international ethics and the ethics of war, humanitarian initiatives on a large scale, and the founding of international organizations such as the United Nations, designed to foster peace and international cooperation. The ethical appraisal of war has a long history in Western political thought, and encompasses several different approaches, including the traditions known as realism, pacifism, and just war. Examining the most representative writings on the ethics of war, by a range of authors (Plato, Augustine, Aquinas, Vitoria, Rousseau, Kant, Walzer, and others) in these different traditions and with application to contemporary issues (terrorism, humanitarian intervention, preventive war, etc.), is the principal aim of this course.

5,000 - 6,000 words of written assessment, comprising essays, seminar papers, class participation, and an examination, as deemed appropriate by the lecturer.

9 hours per week: three for seminar attendance, and six for reading and writing. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.

Delivery Mode

ANU Winter session 2010. The classes are run from mid August to mid December at Björknes College in Oslo, Norway.