Newcastle University

Aims

The general aim of this module is to investigate the question of political ethics as an integral part of theories in the discipline of International Relations: does political ethics play a role and, if yes, what kind of role, and how, in disciplinary thinking? This module is hence not an account of bringing political ethics and International Relations together as two presumably separate fields of knowledge, rather a critical examination of the ethical dimension of disciplinary thinking on International Relations from a sociology of knowledge perspective. The module will avoid the labelling of movements in the discipline as schools, and instead aim at 'going back' to individual readings and examine their contribution to disciplinary thinking.

Original Summary:
The mainstream of the discipline of International Relations - a producy of the 20th Century - has promoted a picture according to which there is no room for ethics in international politics. International politics has been largely described as a realm of anarchy, politics of power and national interest, and hence international politics and ethics as two essentially separate fields of knowledge and practice. This, however, is a narrative typical for the 20th Century and by no means representative for international political theory in a historical perspective, and/or critical movements within the discipline in whose writings we either find ethics and international politics as integral parts of social and political theorising or a demand for (re)integrating ethics into disciplinary thinking. The module will examine those writings and thereby pursue a genuinely critical investigation of the discipline of International Relations.

Outline Of Syllabus

1 Introduction
2 The Triumph of Particularism in 20th Century International Relations: National Moralities Instead of Ethics
3 Moral Man and Immoral Society: A Study in Ethics and Politics
4 The Relations Between Morality and International Politics
5 This Endangered Planet: Prospects and Proposals for Human Survival
6 Duties Beyond Borders
7 Ethics and the Humanism of the Other
8 The Humanistic Moment in International Studies
9 Searching for Responsibility/Community in International Relations
10 The Tragic Vision of Politics: Ethics, Interests and Orders
11 The Ethics of Encounter: Unreading, Unmapping the Imperium
12 Conclusion

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

A seminar format will be used so that students can:

• Give their own presentations on aspects of each major subject heading.

• Engage critically in discussions which are essential to the discipline.

• Receive instruction, guidance, advice and help during the semester in identifying issues and questions from the seminar leader.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

A 4,000 word research paper seems the intellectually most appropriate form of assessment demanding students to work critically on topics that arise from seminar discussions, and to deepen their knowledge on that topic and its problematic. Ideally, the topic for the research paper would combine two or more of the seminar topics into a comparative perspective on a general problem/issue/concern of political ethics in International Relations.