Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

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, but 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, examining their contribution to disciplinary thinking.

The mainstream of the discipline of International Relations - a product 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 of the 20th Century and by no means representative for international political theory in a historical perspective, or for critical movements within the discipline in whose writings we 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

These are the topics that are discussed. Literature may change from semester to semester due to updates to familiarise students with most recent academic and political developments.

(1) Introduction: Differences between “Morality” and “Ethics”
(2) Nations as Moral Agents?
(3) Ethics in/and “Classical Realism”
(4) Christian “Ethics” and Visions of International Peace
(5) The ethics of critique
(6) The Ethics of Epistemology - Epistemological Imperialisms
(7) Postmodern Ethics
(8) Ethics and “Otherness”
(9) Forgiveness in International Politics
(10) The morality of human rights
(11) Essay Writing

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

On completion of the module, students will/should be able to:

• Critically examine and assess theories of International Relations according to their political ethics.

• Critically question the traditional labelling of schools in the discipline.

• Critically evaluate the relationship between theories of International Relations and political practice of international politics according to ethical character of disciplinary thinking.

• Understand that theories (of the discipline) of International Relations and political ethics should not be two separate fields, but integral parts of thinking and theorising international world politics.

Intended Skill Outcomes

On completion of the module, students will/should be able to:

• Communicate, in written and oral formats, their advanced knowledge of political ethics and its impact, and the study and conduct of International Relations.

• Plan, organise and structure their thoughts, work and responses to questions surrounding the issues of ethics and International Relations.

• Produce academic work individually as well as in groups.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The teaching methods (structured guided learning; Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities; Guided In-dependent Study) seem best suited under the conditions of the Planning Assumptions 2021/2022 to accomplish the Learning Outcomes. Students will thus be prepared through a mix of synchronous, non-synchronous, and independent learning, together with feedback options (online feedback and consultation hours as well as online equivalents to an “open door policy” in form of non-scheduled, general availability through emails and Zoom that are not listed above under Teaching Activities, but are a major component of feedback) well for their assignment (see below) to achieve the learning outcomes.

The recorded lectures introduce students to the key terms, concepts, and texts in the study of international political thought. Q&A and feedback hours with the module leader as well as seminars provide live, synchronous environments in which students can discuss the main readings of this module and their analytical application.

Structured, guided learning activities in form of annotated readings guide students through the main readings and main questions to be asked. Students can also learn from relating respective texts intertextually and thereby create relations and meaning between respective texts and discourses to accomplish a synotic understanding of the module’s thematic. In addition, the syllabus schedules a separate session on Essay Writing to teach students the essentials of the main assignment, including transparency about their assessment criteria. The essay writing session will be taught by a pre-recorded 2hr lecture by the ML as well as by small group teaching in person).

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.

General Notes

N/A