Doing Good Better: Ethical Challenges in Humanitarian Work

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

The humanitarian enterprise has grown into a complex global practice involving government aid agencies, multilateral agencies, NGOs, religious organizations, and a wide range of global professionals and individual and institutional donors. As humanitarians seek to respond to contemporary crises around the globe, they face a number of ethical challenges. Do ethical principles designed for twentieth century warfare apply to twenty-first century conflicts? How should humanitarian initiatives prioritize needs, as government funding grows increasingly politicized? And what ethical standards should guide humanitarians in using social media for fundraising or program initiatives? This course will provide tools to navigate these and other ethical challenges in the contemporary context. After exploring the history of the humanitarian enterprise and the humanitarian principles, the course will examine attempts by the humanitarian community to articulate and revise ethical principles and practices in light of current political, cultural, and fiscal realities. The course will draw on scholarly literature, publications by humanitarian practitioners, and case studies of humanitarian action.