Contemporary Just War Theory 2751-IP-S2-1-CJWT
1. The Basics of Just War Theory – part I
a. Ius ad bellum and ius in bello
b. Definition of military aggression
c. The Principle of the Non-Combatant Immunity
2. The Basics of Just War Theory – part II
a. Rights and Duties of Combatants
b. Pre-emptive Wars
c. Guerilla Warfare and Civil Wars
3. Historical Development of Just War Theory
a. Thomas Aquinas
b. Paulus Vladimiri
c. Hugo Grotius
4. Moral Dilemmas of Contemporary Warfare Introduction
a. AI on the Battlefield – the Question of Responsibility
b. The Morality of Unconventional Weapons in War
c. Application of Classical Principles – Limitations and Challenges
5. Moral Dilemmas of Contemporary Warfare – Cases part I
a. The NATO Intervention in the Kosovo Crisis
b. Use of Non-lethal Gas in Vietnam
c. Legitimate Anticipation – The Six-Day War
6. Moral Dilemmas of Contemporary Warfare – Cases part II
a. Drones: Targeted Killing
b. Israeli Raid on Lebanon (1968)
c. Russia vs. Ukraine – The Structure of the Conflict
7. The Future of War and its Moral Dimension
a. Morality of Remote War
b. Means of Fighting Against Terrorism and Individual Rights
c. Escalation Ladder of Nuclear Weapon
Total student workload
Learning outcomes - knowledge
Learning outcomes - skills
Learning outcomes - social competencies
Expository teaching methods
- problem-based lecture
- description
- narration
- programmed material
- participatory lecture
Exploratory teaching methods
- seminar
- brainstorming
- case study
- classic problem-solving
- practical
- round table
- panel
- expert panels
- SWOT
- presentation of a paper
Online teaching methods
- methods developing reflexive thinking
- content-presentation-oriented methods
- cooperation-based methods
Type of course
Course coordinators
Assessment criteria
A student’s grade depends on the active participation in discussions about the problems and the literature proposed in the syllabus. By the concept of active participation the instructor understands taking part in discussions (particularly, the instructor expects students to ask him questions concerning proposed problems) or giving an oral presentation on a given topic – K1, S1, SC1, SC2.
Oral presentation should take a stance on the topic, pose questions and propose solutions. Each presentation should take approximately 10-15 min – K1, S1, SC1, SC2
Practical placement
Not applicable
Bibliography
Main book:
Walzer, M. (1977), Just and Unjust Wars. New York: Basic Books.
Additional literature:
• Bellamy, A. (2006), Just Wars: from Cicero to Iraq. Cambridge: Polity Press.
• Coady, C. A. J. (2004), ‘Terrorism and innocence’, Journal of Ethics 8, 37–58.
• Fabre, C. (2009), ‘Guns, food, and liability to attack in war’, Ethics 120, No. 1, 36–63.
• Frowe H., The Ethics of War and Peace: An Introduction, Routledge, 2016.
• Ginbar, Y. (2008), Why Not Torture Terrorists?: Moral, Practical and Legal Aspects of the ‘Ticking Bomb’ Justification for Torture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Lazar, S. (2010), ‘The responsibility dilemma for killing in war: a review essay’, Philosophy and Public Affairs 38, No. 2, 180–213.
• Nathanson, S. (2010), Terrorism and the Ethics of War. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: