Humanitarian Action

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

War, armed conflict, political crisis, and forced migration have direct consequences on the livelihood of people. Humanitarian action, as a philosophy and practice, has emerged as a new moral imperative to respond to such crises in a timely manner to alleviate suffering. But what does help and helping others mean? How does our understanding of humanity and our relationships in what we consider a community affect the notion of help and care? Is aiding others a responsibility, a duty, or an act of charity? What are the challenges and ethics of this practice and action? This course begins with the history and emergence of humanitarian action, exploring legal frameworks and key ethical and policy debates from multidisciplinary perspectives. We explore the network of local, national, and international aid actors in this field. Using multiple case studies, including current issues such as emergency relief, intervention, responses to famine, poverty alleviation, forced migration, education, and health crisis, we broaden our scope and understanding as well as the challenges of humanitarian action.