PHIL/POLI/PWAD 272.001 – The Ethics of Peace, War, and Defense

Instructor: Sara Copic. This course meets TR 3:30-4:45 p.m. in GS G010.

This course will focus primarily on just war theory, the branch of ethics that deals with the questions such as these: Under what circumstances is war morally justified? What are the moral rules that apply in the context of war? Is torture ever morally justified and, if so, when? We may also discuss some popular contemporary issues about the ethics of war such as the ethics of drone strikes, what constitutes terrorism, and what obligations states have to intervene in foreign conflicts. In this course, you will learn how to extrapolate philosophical arguments from written work, how to assess the arguments critically, and how to build your own arguments for ethical positions.

Have registration questions? Our PPE Administrators can help! Please email them at ppeprogram@unc.edu for assistance.