ID:
504331
Durata (ore):
40
CFU:
6
SSD:
FILOSOFIA POLITICA
Anno:
2024
Dati Generali
Periodo di attività
Primo Semestre (30/09/2024 - 13/12/2024)
Syllabus
Obiettivi Formativi
The course aims to provide students with:
- knowledge of the main dilemmas and arguments that have featured in contemporary ethical debates around global justice, territorial rights, migration, war, terrorism and humanitarian intervention;
- understanding of the philosophical theories behind those dilemmas and arguments;
- an improved ability to make clear and informed ethical assessments of the political and legal scenarios and decisions studied in other, more empirically oriented courses in world politics and international relations;
- an improved ability to engage in debates with efficacy and argumentative rigor.
- knowledge of the main dilemmas and arguments that have featured in contemporary ethical debates around global justice, territorial rights, migration, war, terrorism and humanitarian intervention;
- understanding of the philosophical theories behind those dilemmas and arguments;
- an improved ability to make clear and informed ethical assessments of the political and legal scenarios and decisions studied in other, more empirically oriented courses in world politics and international relations;
- an improved ability to engage in debates with efficacy and argumentative rigor.
Prerequisiti
The course assumes only a basic acquantance with the classic questions of political philosophy, together with an awareness of the complexity of the dilemmas arising in international relations. Above all, it presupposes a willingess and ability to question one's own ethical beliefs and to subject them to scrutiny in a logically rigorous way.
Students with no previous experience of political philosophy should consult an introductory text such as Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press), Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction (Oxford University Press) chs 1-4, or Colin Bird, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Cambridge University Press).
The WPIR student guidelines cite the following open-source podcasts and documents. These are all strongly recommended as preparatory sources.
15-20 minute podcasts from "philosophy bites":
- Peter Singer on consequentialism: https://philosophybites.com/2022/05/peter-singer-on-
consequentialism.html
- Michael Sandel on justice: https://philosophybites.com/2011/01/michael-sandel-on-
justice.html
- Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls’s theory of justice:
https://philosophybites.com/2010/02/jonathan-wolff-on-john-rawls-a-theory-of-
justice.html
- Jeff McMahan on killing in war: https://philosophybites.com/2009/11/jeff-mcmahan-on-
killing-in-war.html
Encyclopedia entries:
David Miller, “Justice”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice/
Gillian Brock, “Global Justice”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-global/
Leif Wenar, “Rights”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights/
Students with no previous experience of political philosophy should consult an introductory text such as Jonathan Wolff, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Oxford University Press), Will Kymlicka, Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction (Oxford University Press) chs 1-4, or Colin Bird, An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Cambridge University Press).
The WPIR student guidelines cite the following open-source podcasts and documents. These are all strongly recommended as preparatory sources.
15-20 minute podcasts from "philosophy bites":
- Peter Singer on consequentialism: https://philosophybites.com/2022/05/peter-singer-on-
consequentialism.html
- Michael Sandel on justice: https://philosophybites.com/2011/01/michael-sandel-on-
justice.html
- Jonathan Wolff on John Rawls’s theory of justice:
https://philosophybites.com/2010/02/jonathan-wolff-on-john-rawls-a-theory-of-
justice.html
- Jeff McMahan on killing in war: https://philosophybites.com/2009/11/jeff-mcmahan-on-
killing-in-war.html
Encyclopedia entries:
David Miller, “Justice”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice/
Gillian Brock, “Global Justice”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/justice-global/
Leif Wenar, “Rights”, in Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights/
Metodi didattici
The course is divided more or less equally into lectures and seminars. The seminars consist in discussions and applications of set texts. Students are expected to read the texts before each seminar, to engage actively in debates, both formally and informally, and to write an essay at the end of the course.
Verifica Apprendimento
The final mark depends on (1) participation in class; (2) an essay engaging with one of the debates held in class; (3) an oral exam based on the seminar readidngs.
Students' participation in class will be assessed on the basis of evidence of reading, criticisms or applications of the authors' arguments, the ability and willingness to interact effectively in discussions, and the rigour with which arguments are presented and defended.
Essays will be assessed in terms of the clarity and efficacy with which they argue for a particular position in a specific debate.
Performance in the subsequent oral exam will be assessed in
terms of clarity, depth and completeness in expounding authors’ ideas, together with
autonomy of judgement and argumentative critical engagement with those ideas
Full details, including those of the non-attender exam, are supplied in the full course syllabus posted on KIRO.
Students' participation in class will be assessed on the basis of evidence of reading, criticisms or applications of the authors' arguments, the ability and willingness to interact effectively in discussions, and the rigour with which arguments are presented and defended.
Essays will be assessed in terms of the clarity and efficacy with which they argue for a particular position in a specific debate.
Performance in the subsequent oral exam will be assessed in
terms of clarity, depth and completeness in expounding authors’ ideas, together with
autonomy of judgement and argumentative critical engagement with those ideas
Full details, including those of the non-attender exam, are supplied in the full course syllabus posted on KIRO.
Testi
An extensive reading list is supplied during the course. For details, enrolled students should consult the course page in KIRO.
Readings discussed in class include the following:
Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1 (1972), pp. 229-43.
Anna Stilz, “Why Do States Have Territorial Rights?”, International Theory, 1 (2009), pp. 185-213.
Christopher H. Wellman, “A Defense of Secession and Political Self-Determination”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 24 (1995), pp. 142-71.
Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977).
Jeff McMahan, “The Ethics of Killing in War”, Ethics, 114 (2004), Sections I – III, pp. 693-702; Sections VI – IX, pp. 718-33.
Igor Primoratz, “What is Terrorism?”, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 7 (1990), pp. 129-38.
Students with little or no experience of political philosophy are strongly advised to do some preparation prior to the beginning of the course. For suggestions, see the above section on prerequisites.
Readings discussed in class include the following:
Peter Singer, “Famine, Affluence, and Morality”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 1 (1972), pp. 229-43.
Anna Stilz, “Why Do States Have Territorial Rights?”, International Theory, 1 (2009), pp. 185-213.
Christopher H. Wellman, “A Defense of Secession and Political Self-Determination”, Philosophy and Public Affairs, 24 (1995), pp. 142-71.
Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars (New York: Basic Books, 1977).
Jeff McMahan, “The Ethics of Killing in War”, Ethics, 114 (2004), Sections I – III, pp. 693-702; Sections VI – IX, pp. 718-33.
Igor Primoratz, “What is Terrorism?”, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 7 (1990), pp. 129-38.
Students with little or no experience of political philosophy are strongly advised to do some preparation prior to the beginning of the course. For suggestions, see the above section on prerequisites.
Contenuti
This is a course in applied philosophy: we shall be investigating philosophical problems that arise in the specific context of international relations. In particular, we shall be investigating problems of an ethical nature, problems that involve deciding what, in a moral sense, is the right thing to do.
In discussing these problems, we shall take for granted certain facts about the international world: that states exist, lay claim to territories, and exercise coercive power; that states protect, but also violate, human rights; that conflicts, including armed conflicts, arise between states, and between groups within and across states. We shall be trying to explain, not these facts themselves, but our moral reactions to them, and the moral duties and claims that we think states, groups, and individuals have with respect to one another in the various contexts that these facts create. Such moral duties and claims might or might not turn out to coincide with the dictates of international law. For these reasons, the issues and methods of this course should not be confused with those of political science or international law. They belong to the fields of moral and political philosophy.
Many of the moral dilemmas to be discussed in this course can be understood as conflicts between different kinds of moral right. We shall therefore begin by discussing the concept of a right and, more generally, the contrast between deontological and consequentialist forms of moral reasoning. We shall then move on to discuss several interrelated topics:
1. Human rights and international distributive justice. What kind of a right is a human right? Are duties of global justice best understood as deriving from human rights? Must egalitarian commitments necessarily be limited to the domestic sphere?
2. Territorial rights. How, if at all, can a state come to have a moral right to govern and control a particular territory? Are territorial rights like property rights in land? What are the ethical grounds of national self-determination? Is there a right of secession?
3. The right of free movement, and the rights and duties of states with respect to migrants. Is there a human right to freedom of movement? Do territorial rights include the right to exclude migrants?
4. The ethics of security and war. When is a state morally justified in going to war? When is humanitarian intervention justified? What is terrorism? Do civilians, soldiers, and terrorists differ in their degrees of moral immunity to attack or punishment?
In discussing these problems, we shall take for granted certain facts about the international world: that states exist, lay claim to territories, and exercise coercive power; that states protect, but also violate, human rights; that conflicts, including armed conflicts, arise between states, and between groups within and across states. We shall be trying to explain, not these facts themselves, but our moral reactions to them, and the moral duties and claims that we think states, groups, and individuals have with respect to one another in the various contexts that these facts create. Such moral duties and claims might or might not turn out to coincide with the dictates of international law. For these reasons, the issues and methods of this course should not be confused with those of political science or international law. They belong to the fields of moral and political philosophy.
Many of the moral dilemmas to be discussed in this course can be understood as conflicts between different kinds of moral right. We shall therefore begin by discussing the concept of a right and, more generally, the contrast between deontological and consequentialist forms of moral reasoning. We shall then move on to discuss several interrelated topics:
1. Human rights and international distributive justice. What kind of a right is a human right? Are duties of global justice best understood as deriving from human rights? Must egalitarian commitments necessarily be limited to the domestic sphere?
2. Territorial rights. How, if at all, can a state come to have a moral right to govern and control a particular territory? Are territorial rights like property rights in land? What are the ethical grounds of national self-determination? Is there a right of secession?
3. The right of free movement, and the rights and duties of states with respect to migrants. Is there a human right to freedom of movement? Do territorial rights include the right to exclude migrants?
4. The ethics of security and war. When is a state morally justified in going to war? When is humanitarian intervention justified? What is terrorism? Do civilians, soldiers, and terrorists differ in their degrees of moral immunity to attack or punishment?
Lingua Insegnamento
Inglese
Altre informazioni
For students not enrolled in the degree program in World Politics and International Relations and who are in possession of certified confirmation that they fall into one of the special catetories set out in the University rules (https://portale.unipv.it/it/didattica/servizi-lo-studente/modalita-didattiche-inclusive), arrangements will be made to facilitate their autonomous study for the exam, including a weekly online office hour during the period in which classes are held.
Corsi
Corsi
WORLD POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (POLITICA NEL MONDO E RELAZIONI INTERNAZIONALI)
Laurea Magistrale
2 anni
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Persone
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