DWA 331 Ethics, Religion, and International Relations - State Interest vs. Universal Morality?

An inquiry into the field of ethical inquiry in international relations with a particular focus on the increasing recognition of the multiple frames of ethics contributed by the world's religions. It is intended as an introduction for students who already have some background in the field of international relations and are interested in exploring the subject at a deeper level. Ethics has traditionally occupied an unenvious position in mainstream theories of international relations. Either it has been relegated to the margins of the field or placed in opposition to the contingencies of state practice. Denying their own normative foundations (Western) theories of international relations traditionally ignored the relevance of ethics for the conceptualization and practice of world politics. This course reviews alternative approaches to traditional international relations theory by placing ethics at the center of the field. The course focuses on the ethical underpinnings of state practice and analyzes a range of contemporary foreign policy issues in which ethical questions are likely to arise especially the protection of human rights the historical development and contemporary formulations of ethical norms for the use of force and distributive justice in the global economy. Special emphasis will be given to religious influences on national ethics; religion as a matter of conflict; religious communities as transnational agents for justice protection of human rights and peace; and ethical and religious contributions to reconciliation solidarity and peacemaking. The theme to be explored in this course is "State Interest vs. Universal Morality?" - that is we will explore the question of whether or not these two dimensions of international relations are compatible or competitive with each other.