Course Description Recent developments have brought issues of international law, politics, and morality to the fore. This course will examine these developments by attempting to develop a legal and ethical framework for the analysis of international affairs. We will ask how different theories of justice ought to apply to international affairs, or whether international politics is governed only by considerations of power and national interest. We will consider the question whether international law is really law or whether other methods of analysis provide better explanations of international behavior. The course will then examine how these different theories of justice and international affairs apply to specific examples of international politics.
Students have the option to write a paper or a take-home examination.
There may also be short, ungraded, but required written assignments during the term. Due to the small size of the course, we did not order books through the law school bookstore. A number of assigned readings are excerpts. These will either be made available over the web or through several copies placed on reserve in the law library reserve desk.