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This course focuses on moral issues raised by war. When, if ever, can war be morally justified? Are rules of war globally applicable, or are they affected by local religious and cultural frameworks? Are colonized nations bound by the same rules of war as their colonizer states? Are states ever obligated to intervene to stop massacres or genocides in other states?

Learning Objectives

Students who complete the course will be able to explain:

• What traditional just war theory (TJWT) is;

• Some of the major challenges to TJWT from within the tradition;

• How to apply the ideas of TJWT to US foreign policy and US foreign engagements - both historical and current (WWII, the Vietnam War, 21st Century conflicts in the Middle East, etc.);

• How to apply the ideas of TJWT to other global conflicts (examples: Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, tensions between mainland China/Taiwan/and the US; Iran & the US)

• How modern weapons of war (drones, AI-assisted targeting, etc.) have impacted how wars are waged and how they are morally assessed.

• Alternative approaches to war - with a focus on the tradition of practical nonviolent resistance

In this course, you will

ÌýÌý Engage regularly with your peers in online discussion boards aimed at generating strong critical reflection and lively back-and-forth exchanges about the morality of specific aspects of war and peaceful resistance alternatives;

ÌýÌýLearn from current experts in the field about cutting-edge warfare technologies (AI weapons integration, drone warfare and its recent evolution, etc.) and consider their moral implications in community with your peers;

ÌýÌýHave extra-credit & alternative assignment opportunities:Ìý

• War & morality in the news bonus discussion board assignments: apply course materials to current events to sharpen your understanding and prepare you to engage deeply & knowledgably about events now shaping our world
• Community engagement experiential learning project— final project in-lieu of a final exam option: Skip the final exam by completing an interview with a person of your choice (from a generation other than your own, to encourage a diversity of ideas) about their views on course-related topicsÌý

Meet Your InstructorÌý

Sandra Skene

ÌýÌýSandra.Skene@colorado.eduÌý

I earned my BA from CU Denver, then traveled to Nashville, TN for my PhD studies at Vanderbilt University, which included expert training in the Ethics of War with Dr. Larry May. I began teaching at Vanderbilt, first as a graduate student, then (following PhD completion), a lecturer. I quite happily fell in love with teaching there, and it stuck. From Nashville, I moved on to Morgan State University (a wonderful HBCU in Baltimore, MD), and taught there until the Pandemic shook everything up, prompting a return home to colorful Colorado! I’m glad to be back to hiking and biking in the Rockies, reconnecting with family and friends, and teaching at our state’s flagship.Ìý