ETHR1015 – International Ethics
This course introduces students to the ethical dimensions of international politics.
Our increasingly interconnected world means that global actors include not only states and international organizations, but also individuals such as ourselves whose choices increasingly impact on the lives of others.
This foundational course aims to introduce students to the complex moral problems resulting from the agency of both individuals and nations: are we responsible to others beyond our borders? How should we make ethical judgments? And can states develop an ethical foreign policy?
The course is based on the idea that understanding the link between morality and politics is crucial if we are to become ‘good’ citizens and if states are to develop a sound foreign policy. Issues of human rights, the ethics of war, international law, intervention and global justice will be considered at the theoretical and practical level.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Decide whether morality and ethics exist at the international level;
- Debate if and how citizens and states make moral judgements;
- Understand the ethical implications of both private and political decisions;
- Critically assess the key theoretical approaches to ethical questions and their value;
- Analyse and evaluate a variety of pressing moral problems in international politics;
- Explore the practical implications for contemporary ethical issues;
- Examine a range of ethical options on what should be done in certain circumstances;
- Understand the ethical dimensions of poverty, human rights, intervention and war;
- Assess the moral and ethical implications of foreign policy decisions.