War, Law, and Sovereignty

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Why do human beings live in political communities, and why do these communities go to war? What does justice look like on a battlefield? Do members of an international order owe anything to each other? How is politics within countries different from politics between countries? In the absence of a global governing authority, is there such a thing as international law? How did the state system emerge? These questions are core to the study of international politics. In this course, we will explore the principles and debates of international politics, and trace their source to figures like Aristotle, Aquinas, Augustine, Hugo Grotius, Thomas Hobbes, Machiavelli, Edmund Burke, and Hannah Arendt. By seeing these debates emerge in history, we will learn the conceptual stakes that have led to the current practice of international politics — and what it could become in the future. Key topics include international law, just and unjust wars, morality in politics, state sovereignty, humanitarian intervention, human rights, and global justice.