PL 305 - The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarian Intervention

(3.00 cr.)

The language and idea of "human rights," "the rights of man," and "natural rights" enter into political and moral discourse in the late eighteenth century. In 2005 the United Nations adopted the Responsibility to Protect, intended to protect all populations from human rights abuses. Ethics demand humanitarian intervention. Yet the ethical demand for intervention is confronted with the complexities of real politics. This course invites students to explore the relationship between ethics and politics with regard to humanitarian intervention. Case studies include the genocide in Rwanda, the ongoing crisis of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, the human rights abuses in Chechnya, and the practice of honor killing in Asia and other locations.

Prerequisite: PL 201 .
Sessions Typically Offered: Spring
Years Typically Offered: Annually

Interdisciplinary Studies: GT/IHE/IPJ