PHI140: Ethics of War and Peace

Professor Kelly Perez

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Note: This course assumes no prior knowledge of ethics or war studies, making it suitable for students from various academic backgrounds interested in exploring the ethical dimensions of war and conflict.

PHI140: Ethics of War and Peace introduces students to both practical and theoretical issues on war and peace. 

It urges reflection on questions like when, if ever, is violence justified? Who is my enemy? We also reflect on practical issues surrounding the unique camaraderie that often develops in war.

Students will have eight weeks of discussion broken up into three sections: 

• First four weeks: Read J Glenn Gary’s The Warriors. Gray reflects on his experience as an Army intelligence officer in WWII. He has military experience and a philosophy degree, which he received just before deployment.

• Week five: Read Vice Admiral James Stockdale's Stoicism I. Stockdale shows how the ancient philosophy of Stoicism helped him survive a Vietnamese concentration camp after his aircraft was shot down behind enemy lines.

• Finally, the term will end with two weeks of discussing the war-related topics from Just and Unjust Wars by Michael Walzer in Discussion Board format. ​Walzer is an encyclopedic thinker who examines big issues in the justification of war. He is rich in examples drawn from wars, ancient and modern. 

For added fun:

• Sprinkled throughout the course are extra credit options covering various movies related to ethics in war and peace. 

• Students will also be able to view interviews with Afghanistan counterterrorism specialists and Kabul refugees, designed exclusively for this class. 

We will have three source materials, each bought through your local campus bookstore or easily sourced online through alternative resources.

• Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument with Historical Illustrations

• Stockdale on Stoicism I (PDF offered free in class)

• The Warriors: reflections of men in battle by J. Glenn Gray

Topics Include (but are not limited to): 

• American War in Vietnam POWs

• Killing of unarmed soldiers, i.e., naked soldiers

• Conflicts between nations, such as 

  • Isreal v Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina v Serbia and Montenegro, and Japan V China

• Johnny Get Your Gun (movie)

• Hunt for Red October (movie)

• Black Hawk Down (movie)

• Pacifism

• Civilians in the line of fire

• Fall of Kabul and US Responsibility to Fellow Afghanistan Soldiers

• Commander’s decisions in the heat of the battle

• Burning of Atlanta and the Rules of War

• Camaraderie in war, group, and individual responsibility

Course Catalog Description: 

Ethical reasoning and applying ethical theories to moral issues connected to war and peace.

Professor Course Description:

The Ethics of War and Conflict course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the major ethical views of war, exploring concepts such as just war theory, pacifism, and total war theory. 

Students will delve into the crucial components of various ethical theories, including utilitarianism, deontology, and stoicism. Through thoughtful written and verbal analysis, students will learn to apply these theories to various war-related cases and issues, critically examining their ethical implications.

The course goes beyond theoretical exploration by engaging with the firsthand experiences of military writers. Students will compare and contrast material from combat experiences, considering character, situation, and narrative nuances. This analysis will enable students to understand better the moral complexities and dilemmas individuals face amid war.

In addition, students will be offered two optional Saturday Night Video Chat Sessions hosted by Retired and Active Duty Soldiers who will discuss their experience during military service. 

During longer 12-week terms (unlike shorter 8-week terms), students will have the opportunity to develop their presentation and facilitation skills. They will lead a presentation on ethical issues arising in the context of war and peace, guiding a constructive dialogue on topics such as individual and collective responsibility within the chain of command, guilt and war, views of death and the meaning of life, the virtues expected of soldiers, perceptions of the enemy, treatment of prisoners, war crimes and genocide, and the interrogation and psychological aspects of warfare.

Students will be encouraged to think critically, analyze complex ethical problems, and articulate their thoughts effectively throughout the course. By the end of the course, students will have developed a strong foundation in ethical theories related to war and conflict, and they will be equipped with the skills necessary to engage in thoughtful, ethical analysis and discussion.