PLT3950

International Ethics in A Divided World ( 6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL)

Leader: Roger Spegele

Offered:
Clayton First semester 2006 (Day)

Synopsis: The claim that international relations has something to do with ethics and morality is widely held to be an oxymoron. This unit attempts to show that such a claim does not bear critical scrutiny. In particular, the subject establishes the way in which our understanding of ethics is bound up with a variety of other beliefs about world politics such as whether we are disposed to accept a liberal, realist or emancipatory view as our general conceptual framework.

Objectives: Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate: 1. A better understanding of the way in which politics and ethics are intertwined with one another in a variety of contexts. 2. A greater understanding of why there has been increasing interest in ethics in the discipline of international relations. 3. A better understanding of the different modes of conceiving the relation of ethics and morality. 4. An ability to apply some key theoretical ethical concepts to empirical case studies.

Assessment: Oral presentation of topics (equivalent to 500 words): 10% + Essay (2000 words): 40% + Examination (2 hours): 50% + Compared with second-year students, third-year students will be invited to demonstrate wider reading and a deeper understanding of the unit.

Contact Hours: 2 hours (1 x 1 hour lectures and 1 x 1 hour tutorial) per week

Prerequisites: A first-year sequence in Politics or permission.

Prohibitions: PLT2950