Course Summary

This course studies how different ethical traditions address central moral problems in international affairs. It compares and applies ethical traditions to some of the most pressing issues of our day: approaches to terrorism; the demands and limits of patriotism; the international drug trade; religious conflict; the use of force and humanitarian intervention; nuclear testing; U.S. membership in international organizations; foreign debt and economic development; multinational corporations and global environmental crises.

The ethical traditions considered in this course include: realism; natural law; declaratory international law; cosmopolitanism; utilitarianism; contractarianism; and liberalism. We consider how each of these traditions provides the guidelines and vocabulary for ethical judgment. We also examine feminist and distributive justice critiques of the traditions, and consider the role of religion in ethical traditions.

The case study approach utilized in this course helps students develop their skills in policy analysis while gaining an understanding of the different approaches for debating the morality of international choices and actions. Students from all academic backgrounds are welcome. The course may be of special interest to students of international peace and conflict resolution, foreign policy, international development, international politics, international law, public affairs and philosophy and religion.

The course is highly participatory and diverse points of view are welcome. Students take turns co-facilitating class discussions, and the course grade is based on this facilitation, a term paper, and in-class presentation.

We will take turns bringing breakfast.

Course Goals

This course seeks to encourage:

· practical application of philosophy and ethical theory to contemporary social problems;

· awareness of difficult ethical choices in global affairs and, in particular, consideration of how ethical and moral considerations influence leadership and decision making;

· exploration of the possible grounds for moral and ethical evaluation of the actions of states and of other important international actors (such as multinational corporations, intergovernmental organizations, etc.).

· development of students’ practical skills in policy analysis;

· interdisciplinary inquiry transcending traditional boundaries among academic disciplines and, specifically, providing a solid background in the foundational concepts and issues of both applied ethics as well as normative international relations.

Course Requirements

There are three requirements for this seminar:

1. Ethics Policy Paper: 40% -- Due final class meeting

Each class member will choose a major political address or document pertaining to an international issue to analyze according to the ethical traditions discussed in class. Appropriate choices include: a major presidential address (of any president, from any country), an official statement of a country’s foreign policy, a major UN declaration or an international treaty, or the constitutive documents of an international nongovernmental organization. Consider both the ethical orientations informing the document’s assumptions as well as the normative implications of the announced policy.

You will prepare a paper (approximately 10-15 double-spaced pages, exclusive of notes and bibliography) drawing from the course material and at least six additional sources (four of which cannot be web-based). The paper should NOT summarize the document you are analyzing, but it should attach the document as an appendix and refer to it throughout the analysis. It should include proper footnotes and formatting. You are encouraged to choose a topic at the beginning of the course and to work on it as we move through the various ethical traditions.

2. Seminar Presentation of Problem: 40% -- Part (1) is due the class before your presentation; Part (2) is on the day of your presentation.

You will sign up for one class on which to do the following: (1) Prepare class materials on an ethical problem. In some cases, you will have the option of working with an existing problem; in some cases you must start anew in writing the description of the problem and questions for the class to consider; (2) Lead or co-lead class discussion on the problem. You are encouraged to incorporate an interactive exercise into your presentation and to use hand outs..

3. Applied Ethical Analysis –20%

In addition to the problem that you will present in class (see above), I would like you to keep a “journal” of your analysis of all of the problems except one. Each entry may be brief, but it should demonstrate that you read and thought about the problem both before and after class. I will collect the journals twice during the semester. You may type or handwrite them.

Late papers will be marked down ½ grade for each day late. Papers handed in after the class meeting are considered late. If you are ill or have a family emergency, please try to switch classes with another student and then notify me of your arrangement.

A note on attendance:

Faithful attendance and active, informed participation are required. Please contact me before class if a serious health problem or other emergency will preclude you from attending class (work or internships are not considered an emergency). Three or more unexcused absences will result in a failing grade. On the other hand, superior attendance and participation will boost a borderline grade. Quality of participation counts more than quantity. This class will work best if everyone engages with the material. Diversity of opinion is welcome and respect for each other’s views and experiences is required.

Required Reading

I have requested that all books be placed on reserve. The books used for several class periods are starred.

*Jean-Marc Coicaud and Daniel Warner, Ethics and International Affairs (New York: UN University Press, 2001) .

*Anthony F. Lang and Joel Rosenthal, eds, Just Intervention, Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003.

*Terry Nardin and David Mapel, eds, Traditions of International Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1992.

Martha Nussbaum, et al., For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism. Boston: Beacon Press, 1996.

Fiona Robinson, Globalizing Care: Ethics, Feminist Theory and International Relations. Boulder: Westview, 2000.

Amartya K. Sen, Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor Books, 1999.

*Peter Singer, One World: The Ethics of Globalization. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002.

*Andrew Valls & Virginia Held, eds. Ethics in International Affairs. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2000.

*Karen E. Smith and Margot Light, Ethics and Foreign Policy (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2001).

Class Schedule

Note: This schedule is subject to change. Any changes will be announced in class. Students who do not attend class for any reason still will be responsible for assignments and class notes.

Jan. 12: Course Introduction

**NO CLASS Jan. 19 ***

Jan 26: The Ethical and Moral Dimensions of Intervention

PROBLEM: THE U.S. INTERVENTIONS IN KOSOVO vs. AFGHANISTAN

*Anthony F. Lang and Joel Rosenthal, eds, Just Intervention, Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2003.

Caney, "Humanitarian Intervention and State Sovereignty" pp. 117-134 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

Mervyn Frost, “The Ethics of Humanitarian Intervention,” pp. 33-54 in Ethics, Interests and Foreign Policy

Feb. 2: The Ethical Traditions: Part 1: Realism

PROBLEM: CONFRONTING REVOLUTION IN NICARAGUA: U.S. AND CANADIAN RESPONSES (Carnegie Council)

Nardin, “Ethical Traditions in International Affairs,” pp. 1-22 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Donnelly, “Twentieth Century Realism,” pp. 85-111 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Welch, “Morality and the National Interest,” pp. 3-14 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

Fotion, “Reactions to War: Pacifism, Realism, and Just War Theory,” pp. 49-64 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

Feb. 9: The Ethical Traditions: Part 2: The Tradition of International Law; Declaratory International Law; Natural Law

PROBLEM: NUCLEAR TESTING IN SOUTH ASIA AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO INTERNATIONAL TREATIES (Carnegie Council)

Peter Singer, “One Law,” Chapter 4 in One World

Forseyth, “The Tradition of International Law,” pp. 23-41in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Jones, “The Declaratory Tradition in Modern International Law,” pp. 42-61 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Boyle, “Natural Law and International Ethics,” pp. 112-135 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Spyros Economides, “The International Criminal Court,” pp. 112-128 in Ethics and Foreign Policy

Feb. 16: The Ethical Traditions: Part 3: The Idea of Rights in International Ethics

PROBLEM: THE DEATH PENALTY

Vincent, “The Idea of Rights in International Ethics,” pp. 250-269 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Margo Picken, “Ethical Foreign Policies and Human Rights: Dilemmas for Non-Governmenal Organizations,” pp. 93-111 in Ethics and Foreign Policy .

Julie Mertus, “The Crisis of Legitimacy in Human Rights,” International Studies Perspectives (Nov. 2003).

Feb. 23: The Ethical Traditions: Part 4: Liberalism

PROBLEM: THE WAR ON DRUGS IN LATIN AMERICA (Carnegie Council)

Smith, “Liberalism and International Relations,” pp. 201-224 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Chris Brown, “Ethics, Interests and Foreign Policy,” pp. 15-32 in Ethics and Foreign Policy.

Chris Coker, “The United States and the Ethics of Post-Modern War,” pp. 147-166 in Ethics and Foreign Policy ..

March 1: Feminist Critiques of the Ethical Traditions: The Ethic of Care and Women’s Agency

PROBLEM: ASSISTANCE TO WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN

Fiona Robinson, Globalizing Care: Ethics, Feminist Theory and International Relations, Chapters 1-6.

Sen, Development as Freedom, Chapter 8.

Ansary, Tamim. 2001. “Leaping to Conclusions [Well-meaning observers are
making dangerous assumptions about Afghan women and their goals for the
future]” Salon. http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/12/17/role_of_women/index.html?x

NO CLASS Mar. 8 -- Spring Break

Mar. 15: Catch Up Class

March 22: The Ethical Traditions: Utilitarianism and Contractarianism

PROBLEM: THE US WITHDRAWAL FROM UNESCO AND RE-ENTRY (Carnegie Council)

(Ellis, “Utilitarianism and International Ethics,” pp. 158-179 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Mapel, “The Contractarian Tradition and International Ethics,” pp. 180-200 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Mar. 24: The Ethical Traditions: Part 6: Pragmatism

-- Multinational Corporations and Global Environmental Crises

PROBLEM: SHELL IN NIGERIA: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE OGONI CRISIS (Carnegie Council)

Molly Cochran, “A Pragmatist Perspective on Ethical Foreign Policy,” pp. 55-72 in Ethics and Foreign Policy

Margot Light, “Exporting Democracy,” pp. 75-92 in Ethics and Foreign Policy

Elfstrom, “The Ethical Responsibilities of Multinational Corporations: The Case of the North American Aluminum Companies in Jamaica," pp. 185-200 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

Oran Young, “Environmental Ethics and International Society,” pp. 161-183 in Jean-Marc Coicaud and Daniel Warner, Ethics and International Affairs (New York: UN University Press, 2001) .

Apr. 5: Distributive Justice Critiques

PROBLEM: BRAZILIAN FOREIGN DEBT AND THE LIMITS OF FOREIGN OBLIGATIONS (Carnegie Council)

Sen, Development as Freedom, Chapters 1-5, 8 and 13.

Jones, "Global Distributive Justice," pp. 169-184 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

Cason, “What Ever Happened to the New International Economic Order?” pp. 201-214 in Valls, Ethics in International Affairs.

United Nations Development Program, Human Development Report 1999: Globalization with a Human Face, "Overview," available online at: http://www.undp.org/hdro/overview.pdf

James D. Wolfensohn, "Building an Equitable World: Address to the Board of Governors [of the World Bank and IMF], Prague, Czech Republic, September 26, 2000, available online at:

http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/am00/jdwsp/jdwsp-en.htm
http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/am00/jdwsp/jdwsp-en.htm

April 12: The Ethical Traditions: Part 7: Internationalism/Cosmopolitanism -- Patriotism

PROBLEM: DRUG COSTS AND HIV/AIDS

Chris Brown, “Cosmopolitanism, World Citizenship and Global Civil Society,” pp. 7-26 in Human Rights and Global Diversity (Essex: Frank Cass, 2001)(Simony Caney and Peter Jones, eds.)

Donaldson, “Kant’s Global Rationalism,” pp. 136-157 in Nardin and Maple, Traditions of International Ethics.

Martha Nussbaum, et al., For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism, essays by Nussbaum, Appiah, S. Bok, Butler, Falk, Gutmann, Himmelfarb, McConnell, Scarry, Sen, Taylor, Wallerstein and Walzer, with reply by Nussbaum.

April 19: The Ethics of Globalization

PROBLEM: PROTESTS AGAINST THE WTO

Peter Singer, One World, Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 5

April 26: Wrap-Up and Synthesis

FINAL PAPER DUE