INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL THEORY

The course introduces the recent debate within normative International Political Theory, by focusing on some basic moral claims, conflicts and dilemmas that arise in the global context. A series of facts characterize the international world: the existence of states, which lay claim to territories and exercise coercive power; such states protect, but also violate, human rights; conflicts, including armed conflicts, arise between states, and between groups within and across states; migration flows (re-)shape the relations among states. This course will be trying to explain our moral reactions to these facts, and the duties and claims of justice that we think states, groups, and individuals have with respect to one another in the various contexts that these facts create. Students will be confronted with a variety (sometimes conflicting) of influential contributions by prominent political philosophers, with the aim of encouraging them to both adopt a critical approach and develop an analytical attitude when considering contemporary global issues. Broadly, the course aims to provide students with: • knowledge of the main dilemmas and arguments that have featured in contemporary ethical debates in the above-mentioned areas; • 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, less normatively oriented courses; • an improved ability to engage in philosophical debates with efficacy and clarity.

None. However, familiarity with the main debates in contemporary normative political theory and/or with the history of political thought might be extremely helpful.

Knowledge and understanding: By the end of the course, students will acquire: • Better knowledge of the main texts and dilemmas emerged in the scholarly debate on International Political Theory • Improved understanding of different approaches and competing perspectives on international/global justice (e.g.: cosmopolitan vs statist views; global egalitarianism vs minimalism; utilitarianism vs deontological approaches etc.) • Increased capacity to engage critically with the readings and the literature in the field and to connect a normative thinking about these problems to other, either empirical or juridical, perspectives. Increased capacity to make ethical assessment of relevant facts in international affairs Applying knowledge and understanding: Students will be able to apply their acquired knowledge in their future professional activities, in several ways. In particular, students will be trained in: • Drafting and preparing policy briefs aimed at policy makers and /or advocacy • Carrying out research (either academic or for professional purposes) in the field of world poverty, social justice, social inclusion, migration, etc. • Giving public talks, formulating objections, etc. Making judgements: Due to critical approach employed in the course and the emphasis placed on autonomous re-elaboration and critical discussion of the readings, students will be able to: • Provide informed ethical assessments of the evolving international political scenarios; • Develop an autonomous and critical judgement view about facts of the international world, which can be employed in several professional sectors • Carry out a research work, which includes the capacity to collect material, engage with readings autonomously and present an independent point of view Communication Skills: During the course students will be asked to contribute to the discussion in several ways, via critiques and active engagement in class discussion. Students are therefore expected to improve their communication skills especially via the “critique sessions” and the overall degree and quality of participation in class discussions. Critique sessions: One meeting each week sees 4 (or even more, depending on the number of attending students enrolled in the course) students (individually) actively involved in the discussion. Students are asked to present a specific critique/response regarding the topic of the day and stimulate class discussion. Learning skills: By the end of the course students are expected to acquire the following skills: • Better capacity to design, draft and autonomously carry out research work • Improved ability to make intelligent use of informed ethical assessment to apply to the evolving international political scenario • Increased competence in providing well-organized and clear arguments in support of their views • Increased expertise in debating about important facts that characterize our international world.

The course will confront students with a series of pressing questions, which include – albeit, it is not limited to - the following: •What duties, if any, are owed by richer nations to poorer nations? Is justice within a state different from justice between states? •Under what conditions states can be thought to have a just claim to resources that are within their borders? Should countries have a duty to open their borders to immigration flows? •How does the concept of justice bear on cases of violent conflict? Do combatants, and terrorists differ in their degrees of moral immunity to attack? •What is the aim of transitional justice? The course will be therefore organized around the following units: Introduction to International Political Theory; Unit 1: World Poverty and A global duty to aid? Unit 2: Just Economic Relations among Peoples and a Duty of Assistance Unit 3: Global Egalitarianism Restated: Reforming the Global Economic Order Unit 4: Clean Global Trade Unit 5: Human rights in the real-world Unit 6: The ethics of borders Unit 7: Just Europe Unit 8: JWT and Humanitarian Intervention Unit 9: JWT and Terrorism Unit 10: Transitional Justice Unit 11: The Wrongs of Colonialism

REQUIRED READINGS Brown C. and Eckersley R. (2018). The Oxford Handbook of International Political Theory (Oxford, 2018) - chapters : -Chris Brown and Robyn Eckersley, “International Political Theory and the Real World”, doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198746928.013.52 -Darrel Moellendorf, “Real-World Global Egalitarianism”, doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198746928.013.7 - Susanne Buckley-Zistel, "Transitional Justice", Doi: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198746928.013.10 - Armstrong, C. (2012). Global Distributive Justice, An Introduction. Cambridge University Press. - Rawls, J. (1999) The Law of Peoples, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press- part 1 and 2. Additional readings are included in the syllabus.

The course will comprise a mixture of lectures and seminars. Lectures: The initial lectures will provide groundwork and basic conceptual tools as well as introduce specific topics addressed in the seminars. Seminars: The seminar style meetings will see groups of four (or more according to the number of actually attendant students) students present a secondary reading related to the weekly topic. The students in the presenting group will be required to write a critique of/response to the required reading. This exercise should be open-ended and serve as a jumping off point for debate.

The assessment for this course is seen as a process rather than one or a collection of different methods. It responds to the need of embedding the overall evaluation within the learning process. Thus, a relevant portion of the assessment will be connected to in-class activities and to the level of students’ involvement in and response to such various activities. The overal assement for the course will be determined on the basis of 4 components: • Class debates in the seminar portion (20%) • Attendance rate (10%) • Mid-Term assignment (25%) • Final Written exam (40%)

Final Grade (above 28/30)