Justice and War

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

War is hell—but it is also, sometimes, necessary and even just. This course examines the ethical implications of political violence, asking: When is it just to fight war? What does it look like to fight justly? How do we foster peace and justice in the aftermath of war? Using a historical case study approach, we examine specific wars and military dilemmas, including: preemptive warfare and the Six Day War; casus belli and the American Civil War; international legal norms and World War I and the Iraq War; humanitarian war and Kosovo; proportionality and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima; discrimination and counterinsurgency; and more. Students will be asked to read a significant amount of historical material, participate in class discussion, and take positions and defend them in discussion. The premise of the course is that war is a morally serious act that needs special justification—but also that some circumstances give that justification. When is war just? What does justice require?