Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminars / Tutorials | 10 x 2 hr seminar |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Seminar performance | 10% |
| Semester Assessment | 2,000 word essay | 30% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 60% |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this module, students should be able to:
1. Discuss the historical origins and development of peace theory.
2. Evaluate the role that just war theory plays in early international law.
3. Describe and analyze the main theoretical perspectives of Kant's Perpetual Peace.
4. Demonstrate, through written work and in seminars, an ability to apply these theoretical perspectives to contemporary issues relating to state and interstate theory.
5. Define and evaluate the outlines for peace presented by Kant, Rawls and Habermas.
6. Evaluate the relation between morality and politics.
7. Demonstrate, through written work and in seminar discussions, an awareness and understanding of differing interpretations of writings on peace.
8. Discuss and evaluate moral justifications for the cessation of war.
9. Demonstrate the contemporary relevance of peace theory to international law.
10. Demonstrate the strengths or weaknesses of arguments for peace presented in political theory.
Aims
This module adds to the Departmental provision in the area of International Relations Theory and Political Philosophy. It complements existing provision in this area and allows interested students to gain specialist knowledge of a key international theorist and philosopher.
Content
1. Modern International Law and the question of just war.
2. Practice and the moral perspective - the role of the categorical imperative.
3. What is wrong with secrecy, imperialism, standing armies and spying?
4. Republican constitutions and their contribution to peace. The democratic peace thesis.
5. Pacific federations and international law. Contemporary interpretations, e.g. Habermas & Held
6. What is cosmopolitan justice? - John Rawls's Law of Peoples
7. What are the guarantees of lasting peace and stability: history and progress? The end of history debate.
8. The role of the theorist (philosopher): how peace theory can make a difference.
9. Morality and right: is realist politics self-defeating?
10. International Law and the arguments for peace.
Brief description
This module aims to provide students with an understanding of key arguments for peace in political thought. Particular attention will be paid to the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and its relation to modern international law. The module will involve an in depth study of Kant's Perpetual Peace, one of the key tracts in modern peace theory, and the debates that arise from its reception in contemporary international relations theory, political theory and international relations in general. Three of the contemporary focuses of the module will be democratic peace theory; John Rawls's 'law of peoples'; and Juergen Habermas's arguments for reformed international relations.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | n/a |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas orally and in writing and how to assert themselves to advantage. They will understand the importance of information and clear communication and how to exploit these. They will know how to use the many sources of information available and how to use the most appropriate form of communication to the best advantage. They will learn to be clear and direct in their thinking and to be direct about aims and objectives. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context of assistance from both the convenor and the fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources, compiling reading lists, and deciding (under guidance) the direction of their essay and presentation topics. The need to conduct a seminar presentation and to meet an essay deadline will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time and opportunity resources well. |
| Information Technology | Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format. Also, students will be encouraged to search for sources of information on the web, as well as seeking sources through electronic information sources (such as Web of Science and OCLC). Students will also be expected to make use of the resources that will be available on the Blackboard VLE. They will also be expected to use Powerpoint to present their ideas and work in seminars. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | The discussions in particular will help to develop students' verbal and presentation skills. Learning about the process of planning an essay and a presentation, framing the parameters of the projects, honing and developing the projects and seeing through to completion will contribute towards their portfolio of transferable skills. |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one of the central goals of the module; the submission of an essay will require that the student develops independent research skills as well as problem solving skills. The need to research and prepare seminar presentations will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: adopt differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to the problem; consider extreme cases; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | The submission of an essay will reflect the independent research skills of the student. The need to locate appropriate research resources and write up the results will also facilitate research skills. Research preparation for a seminar presentation will also enable the student to develop independent project skills. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of subject specific skills that help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas on the module. These subject specific skills include: 1. Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the module 2. Ability to evaluate competing perspectives 3. Demonstrate subject specific research techniques 4. Apply a range of methodologies to complex political problems |
| Team work | Seminars will consist in part of small-group discussion where students will be obliged to discuss as a group the core issues related to seminar topics. Such class room debates and discussions are a vital component of the module. Seminars will be run in groups where oral discussion and presentations will form the main medium of teaching and the emphasis throughout the module will be on student participation and communication. Fellow students will be encouraged to question the paper-giver to critique the approach or to suggest areas for the development of the chosen topic; in turn each will discuss the contributions and ideas of the other. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6