SDG Detail

POLITICS 773 : From Dresden to Drones: The Ethics of War

Postgraduate course

Project description

This course will examine the ethical debates about contemporary practices of violence, focusing particular attention on the changing nature of contemporary conflict. Drawing on the work of Judith Butler, Maja Zehfuss and Jacques Derrida, the paper will begin by analyzing how ethics can enable rather than restrain the violence inflicted in battle by constituting certain practices as permissible and certain populations as killable. We will then turn our attention to contemporary ethical quandaries about the growth of autonomous weapons systems, the use of private military contractors and the destruction of the urban environment. Students will have the opportunity to explore a number of recent and historical case-studies as they attempt to make sense of these tensions.

Year 2022

Location New Zealand

Organization University of Auckland

Project aims

Project outcome

By the end of this course, students will be able to: Provide students with an overview of the different theoretical approaches. (Capability 1.1 and 1.3) Enable students to critically assess these approaches and identify their limitations. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1) Introduce students to emerging debates about the ethics of war, from the use of remotely piloted drones to the privatisation of war. (Capability 1.1, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2 and 6.1) Strengthen students� communication skills with a variety of written and oral assessments. (Capability 1.1, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.1)