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ETHICS AND MODERN WAR

Dr. Joseph C. Kunkel                                                                             PHL31701
Office: Humanities 469                                                                            TTH 12:00-1:15
Phone: 229-1471 (Home: 293-0222)                                                      Humanities 240
Office Hours: Thurs 11:00-11:45 and TTH 1:30-4:00                              Fall 2005
          (Other hours are available by appointment)
email: <joseph.kunkel@notes.udayton.edu>
homepage: <http://homepages.udayton.edu/~kunkel/>

Course Objectives

Students will learn the ramifications of pursuing power politics as a nationalistic foreign policy.
Students will learn the metaethical foundations for more than one system of ethics, and how ethical principles, which treat human beings equally, contrast with a political ideology of domination.
Students will learn how to apply several ethical systems of principles to recent internat'l conflicts.
Students will be encouraged to develop their own ethical approach to power, domination, and warmaking with applications from among the various ethical systems discussed in class.

Course Text

Michael Walzer, Arguing about War (Yale University Press)
Bart Gruzalski, On Gandhi (Wadsworth)

Course Requirements

Two Tests (midterm and final) @ 40 points.
Two One-Page Paper @ 20 points.
One Four-Page Papers @ 50 points.
A grade for participation @ 30 points. (This requirement allows up to 12 points of extra credit. There will be ten participation email/WebCT dates, each worth 2-5 points with 42 points as maximum for this assignment.)

(These requirement points total 200. An A grade is 184 pts. or better; A- is 180; B+ is 176; B is 164; B- is 160; C+ is 156; C is 144; C- is 140; and D is 120 points. Points needed for each letter grade will remain constant throughout the course; so keep track of your accumulated totals as we go along.)

Course Methodology

See the course syllabus for each day's assignment and for the due dates for all course requirements. This syllabus will be updated as needed during the term.
Most classes will begin with introductory lectures by the professor. Ample time will be given to students questions, especially on Tuesdays after participation sheets are submitted. Tests will be based upon material covered in classes.
The professor will make a determined effort to learn each student's name.
From time to time the professor will send reminder email messages to all students enrolled. Be sure that the email address in the university databank is the exact address you are using.