1 Course Description POL 469H1S: Ethics and International Relations Winter 2012 Day/Time: Monday 12:00-2:00 Room: LA340 Instructor: Rebecca Sanders Office: TBA Office Hours: Monday 2:30-3:30 Email: rebecca.sanders@utoronto.ca The seminar explores the possibilities for and requirements of ethical action in international affairs. It is common to study international relations in terms of interests and power, but in actual practice, important actors invoke normative language all the time in their international interactions. This has not gone unnoticed, with investigations of ethics in the international arena multiplying in recent years. Drawing on readings from normative international relations theory and political philosophy, the course takes up ethical dilemmas encountered in world affairs in the context of debates about human rights, intervention, development, and international institutions. Students are expected to write a major research paper on an approved topic related to the course. Prerequisites Students must have completed POL 208 and at least one additional course in International Relations or Political Theory. Basic knowledge of IR and political theory, world history, and current affairs is presumed. Course Assignments and Evaluation Further instructions for each assignment will be posted on Blackboard. 15% - Participation: This is a seminar course. Students are expected to carefully read the assigned course material and come to class prepared to engage in informed, critical discussion. Obviously, in order for you to actively participate in class, you must attend class. If you suffer from social anxiety or some other impediment to full participation, you are urged to discuss this with instructor at the beginning of the course. 10% Seminar Presentation: Students will do an oral presentation (10 minutes maximum) on the readings assigned for one session. The presentation should outline the main issues addressed in the readings, highlight themes related to ethics and international relations, assess the validity of the author s positions, and raise questions for further class discussion. Students presenting during the same session should coordinate to avoid too much overlap. Sign up will occur the first week of class.
2 20% - Critical Reading Response: Students will write a brief summary of and a critical response to the readings (4-5 double spaced pages) assigned for the same seminar in which they are doing an oral presentation. The responses must be posted on Blackboard by Sunday evening at 5:00, before the relevant session. Sign up will occur during the first week of class. 15% - Paper Proposal/Annotated Bibliography: The proposal (2-3 double spaced pages) is aimed at ensuring that students are thinking about the essay in advance. It should include a summary of the paper topic, an explanation of why it was chosen, a statement of the research question, a tentative thesis, an overview of main points to be addressed, and an annotated bibliography of at least 5 sources (1 page per source). 40% - Major Research Essay: The research essay assignment (12-15 double spaced pages) can address any topic of interest relating to ethics and IR. Students should come up with a research question and develop a thesis or argument that answers the chosen question consistently throughout the paper. Students must do research and find evidence to support the paper s conclusions. The paper should be analytical, not merely descriptive, and incorporate material from the course and other scholarly literature. Assignment Due Dates and Submission Guidelines Oral Presentation and Critical Reading Response: Rolling basis Paper Proposal and Annotated Bibliography: February 13 (hardcopy due in class) Research Essay: April 5 (submission instructions TBA) You are strongly advised to make electronic and hard copies of your assignments before submitting them as well as keep drafts and rough work until all assignments have been returned. Late Penalties: Assignments submitted late, but on the due date will be subject to a 2% late penalty. Assignments submitted after the due date will be subject to a 3% per day late penalty, including each day of the weekend. Extensions: Students will be granted extensions for legitimate reasons only such as serious illness, bereavement, or religious observance. Documentation is required. Extensions must be requested as soon as possible and will not be granted after a due date has passed. Extensions will not be offered because you are busy doing other things, are going away for the weekend, or just need more time. Course Policies Attendance, Participation, and Reading: Students should attend every session and complete assigned readings in advance. Questions are welcome and encouraged. Shy students are urged to speak up while students that are more outgoing should endeavor not to dominate discussion. While we will be addressing controversial topics, students are expected to engage in mature debate. Comments that are racist, sexist, or otherwise disrespectful or offensive will not be tolerated.
3 Email: Students who wish to communicate via email are welcome to do so. However, the following guidelines apply: Use a utoronto account to ensure receipt of messages Keep your computer anti-virus software up to date Identify the course code in the email title Use full sentences and proper grammar when composing messages Ensure your questions/comments are clear and comprehensible Do not email panicked questions about an assignment the night before it s due Avoid unnecessary questions by first consulting the syllabus I will endeavor to answer emails as soon as I can sometimes right away, sometimes in a couple of days. Longer questions are best dealt with in office hours. Please note that I cannot proof read assignments via email before they are due. Blackboard: The course syllabus and assignment instructions are available on Blackboard. Course readings and links to resources are also available. From time to time, I may also post announcements or other articles or links of interest. Students are responsible for checking Blackboard regularly. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a very serious offense that cheapens students learning experience, wastes instructors time, and will seriously damage your academic career if caught. The first step in avoiding plagiarism is to understand what it is. Ignorance is not an excuse. You are guilty of plagiarism even if you plagiarized by accident, unintentionally, or unknowingly. The following are all examples of academic offenses: Quoting someone verbatim without attribution Paraphrasing someone or borrowing their idea without attribution Manufacturing fake citations or references Passing off someone else s work as your own with or without their consent Resubmitting a paper to different courses or recycling work without permission Purchasing a paper from an essay mill Helping someone else plagiarize All students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the university s plagiarism policy. See How Not To Plagiarize at http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/usingsources/how-not-to-plagiarize. Grade Appeals: Instructors are human and occasionally make grading errors. If you truly believe your grade is unfair, you can submit a written appeal explaining your substantive reasons within two weeks of receiving your grade. Appeals lacking written explanation or substantive rationales will not be considered. Re-graded assignments may end up with a higher, lower, or unchanged grade. Accessibility Needs: The University of Toronto is committed to accessibility. If you require accommodations for a disability, or have any accessibility concerns about the course, the classroom, or course materials, please let me know and/or contact Accessibility Services as soon as possible at disability.services@utoronto.ca or http://studentlife.utoronto.ca/accessibility.
4 Course Readings and Schedule Almost all of the required readings are available electronically as a.pdf or Internet link under course documents on Blackboard. readings are not mandatory, but may be of interest. Students should consider purchasing Terry Nardin and David R. Mapel, eds., Traditions of International Ethics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002) online as a useful background text. You may also choose to order Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, fourth edition (New York: Basic Books, 2006), which we will read towards the end of the course. These books have been placed on reserve at Robarts. January 9: Introduction Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (the Melian Dialogue ). January 16: Realism Edward Hallett Carr, The Twenty Years Crisis, Chapters 4 and 5. Hans Morgenthau, The Twilight of International Morality, Ethics 58, 2 (1948). George Kennan, Morality and Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs (Winter 1985/86). Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters XV-XIX. William Bain, Deconfusing Morgenthau: Moral Inquiry and Classical Realism Reconsidered, Review of International Studies 26 (2000). Sean Molloy, Aristotle, Epicurus, Morgenthau and the Political Ethics of the Lesser Evil, Journal of International Political Theory 5, 1 (2009). Steven Forde, Classical Realism and Jack Donnelly, Twentieth-Century Realism, in Traditions of International Ethics, eds. Terry Nardin and David R. Mapel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). January 23: Liberalism and Cosmopolitanism Immanuel Kant, Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch. Charles R. Beitz, Cosmopolitanism and Global Justice, The Journal of Ethics 9, 1/2 (2005). John Rawls, The Law of Peoples, Critical Inquiry 20, 1 (Autumn, 1993). Michael W. Doyle, Kant, Liberal Legacies and Foreign Affairs, (parts 1 and 2) Philosophy and Public Affairs 12, 3 and 4 (1983). Kwame Anthony Appiah, Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (New York: W. W. Norton, 2006). Thomas Donaldson, Kant s Global Rationalism, David R. Mapel, The Contractarian Tradition and International Ethics, and Michael Joseph Smith, Liberalism and
5 International Reform, in Traditions of International Ethics, eds. Terry Nardin and David R. Mapel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). January 30: Order, Justice, and Legitimacy in International Organization Rosemary Foot, John Gaddis, and Andrew Hurrell, eds., Order and Justice in International Relations (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003), Chapters 1 (Andrew Hurrell, Order and Justice in International Relations ), 2 (Adam Roberts, Order/Justice Issues at the United Nations ), 3 (Ngaire Woods, Order, Justice, the IMF and the World Bank ), and 4 (John Toye, Order and Justice in the International Trade System ) focus on cases of interest to you. Thomas Nagel, The Problem of Global Justice, Philosophy & Public Affairs 33, 2 (2005). Allen Buchanan and Robert O. Keohane, The Legitimacy of Global Governance Institutions, Ethics and International Affairs 20, 4 (2006). February 6: Poverty and Redistribution Thomas Pogge and critics, Symposium on World Poverty and Human Rights, Ethics & International Affairs 19, 1 (March 2005). Nancy Kokaz, Poverty and Global Justice, Ethics & International Affairs 21, 3 (Fall 2007). Henry Shue, Solidarity Among Strangers and the Right to Food, in World Hunger and Morality, 2nd edition, eds., William Aiken and Hugh LaFollette (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1996). Peter Singer, One World: The Ethics of Globalization (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004), Chapters 1 and 3. Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999). Chris Brown, Marxism and International Ethics, in Traditions of International Ethics, eds. Terry Nardin and David R. Mapel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). February 13: Environment and Sustainability Garrett Hardin, Lifeboat Ethics: The Case Against Helping the Poor, Psychology Today (September 1974). Simon Caney, Cosmopolitan Justice, Responsibility, and Global Climate Change, Leiden Journal of International Law 18, 4 (December 2005). Sujatha Byravan and Sudhir Chella Rajan, The Ethical Implications of Sea-Level Rise Due to Climate Change, Ethics & International Affairs 24, 3 (Fall 2010). Peter Singer, One World: The Ethics of Globalization (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004), Chapter 2.
6 Vandana Shiva, Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace (London: Zed, 2005), Introduction and Chapter 1. Paul Burkett, Marx s Vision of Sustainable Human Development, The Monthly Review 57, 5 (October 2005). February 27: Citizenship, Migration, and Borders Mathias Risse, On the Morality of Immigration, Ethics & International Affairs 22, 1 (Spring 2008). Joseph H. Carens, The Rights of Irregular Migrants, Ethics & International Affairs 22, 2 (Summer 2008). Ayelet Shachar and Ran Hirschl, Citizenship as Inherited Property, Political Theory 35, 3 (June 2007). Ayelet Shachar, The Birthright Lottery: Citizenship and Global Inequality. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2009). David Miller, Reasonable Partiality Towards Compatriots, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 8, 1/2 (2005). James A. Goldston, Holes in the Rights Framework: Racial Discrimination, Citizenship, and the Rights of Noncitizens, Ethics & International Affairs 20, 3 (Fall 2006). Rogers M. Smith, Living in a Promiseland?: Mexican Immigration and American Obligations, Perspectives on Politics 9, 3 (2011). March 5: Feminism and Women s Rights Fiona Robinson, Globalizing Care: Ethics, Feminist Theory and International Relations, Alternatives 22, 1 (1997). Catharine MacKinnon, Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006), Are Women Human?, Rape, Genocide, and Women s Human Rights, and Women s September 11: Rethinking the International Law of Conflict. Alison M. Jaggar, "Saving Amina": Global Justice for Women and Intercultural Dialogue, Ethics & International Affairs 19, 3 (Fall 2005). Kimberley Hutchings, Feminist Perspectives on a Planetary Ethic, in The Globalization of Ethics: Religious and Secular Perspectives, Eds. William M. Sullivan and Will Kymlicka (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007). Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Feminism Without Borders: Decolonizing Theory, Practicing Solidarity (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 2004).
7 March 12: Just War Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, fourth edition (New York: Basic Books, 2006), Parts One ( The Moral Reality of War) and Three ( The War Convention ). David C. Hendrickson, In Defense of Realism: A Commentary on Just and Unjust Wars, Ethics & International Affairs 11 (1997). Larry May, Killing Naked Soldiers: Distinguishing between Combatants and Noncombatants, Ethics & International Affairs 19, 3 (December 2005). See http://www.justwartheory.com for a compilation of useful sources. Thomas Hurka, Proportionality in the Morality of War, Philosophy & Public Affairs 33, 1 (2005). John Kelsay, Just War, Jihad, and the Study of Comparative Ethics, Ethics & International Affairs 24, 3 (Fall 2010). Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth (New York: Grove Press, 2004), Chapter 1 ( On Violence ). Albert Camus, Neither Victim Nor Executioner, Two Answers, Saving Our Skins, and Towards Sociability. March 19: Humanitarian Intervention The Responsibility to Protect Report of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty, http://www.iciss.ca/report-en.asp (skim). Edward C. Luck, The Responsibility to Protect: Growing Pains or Early Promise? Ethics & International Affairs 24, 4 (Winter 2010). Jennifer Welsh, Civilian Protection in Libya: Putting Coercion and Controversy Back into RtoP, Ethics & International Affairs 25, 3 (Fall 2011). Jennifer Welsh, ed., Humanitarian Intervention (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004). Michael Barnett, Humanitarianism Transformed, Perspectives on Politics 3, 4 (December 2005). Alex J. Bellamy, Responsibility to Protect or Trojan Horse? The Crisis in Darfur and Humanitarian Intervention after Iraq, Ethics & International Affairs 19, 2 (2005). John Williams, Space, Scale, and Just War: Meeting the Challenge of Humanitarian Intervention and Trans-National Terrorism, Review of International Studies 34 (2008). Ian Hurd, Is Humanitarian Intervention Legal? The Rule of Law in an Incoherent World, Ethics & International Affairs 25, 3 (2011). James Pattinson, The Ethics of Humanitarian Intervention in Libya, Ethics & International Affairs 25, 3 (2011).
8 March 26: The War on Terror Alex Bellamy, Dirty Hands and Lesser Evils in the War on Terrorism, BJPIR 9 (2007). David Luban, Liberalism, Torture, and the Ticking Bomb, Virginia Law Review 91, 6 (2005). Adrian Hyde-Pierce, Realist Ethics and the War on Terror, Globalizations 6, 1 (2009). Neta Crawford, Just War Theory and U.S. Counterterror War, Perspectives on Politics 1, 1 (March 2003). Fiala, Andrew, Terrorism and the Philosophy of History: Liberalism, Realism, and the Supreme Emergency Exemption, Essays in Philosophy 3, 3, Article 2 (2002). Daniel Brunstetter and Megan Braun, The Implications of Drones on the Just War Tradition, Ethics & International Affairs 25, 3 (2011). David Cole, Enemy Aliens, Stanford Law Review 54, 5 (May, 2002). Derek Gregory, The Black Flag: Guantánamo Bay and the Space of Exception, Geogr. Ann. 88 B (4), (2006). Judith Butler, Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? (London: Verso, 2010), Chapters 1 and 2. Date TBA: Responsibility and Accountability (This session will be rescheduled at a time of mutual convenience to the class) Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, fourth edition (New York: Basic Books, 2006), Part Five ( The Question of Responsibility ). Henry Kissinger, The Pitfalls of Universal Jurisdiction, Foreign Affairs 80, 4 (July/August 2005) and Kenneth Roth, The Case for Universal Jurisdiction, Foreign Affairs 80, 5 (September/October 2005). David Rodin and Henry Shue, eds., Just and Unjust Warriors: The Moral and Legal Status of Soldiers (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). Gary Jonathan Bass, Stay the Hand of Vengeance: The Politics of War Crimes Tribunals (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001). Priscilla B. Hayner, Unspeakable Truths: Confronting State Terror and Atrocity (New York: Routledge, 2002). Adeno Addis, Imagining the International Community: The Constitutive Dimension of Universal Jurisdiction, Human Rights Quarterly 31, 1 (February 2009). Catherine Lu, Colonialism as Structural Injustice: Historical Responsibility and Contemporary Redress, The Journal of Political Philosophy 19, 3 (September 2011).