Institute of the Weltethos Foundation
at the University of Tübingen

First slide

Ethics in International Relations

LecturerDr. Christopher Gohl
Type of SeminarWeekly seminar, Master’s seminar
Weekly hours per Semester2
LanguageEnglisch
Date / TimeTuesdays, 2 – 4 p.m. c.t., Start: 2023, October 17th
Location          Weltethos-Institut, Hintere Grabenstraße 26, 72070 Tübingen
PrerequisitesBachelor’s degree
Proof of performance/ form of examination
ECTS-Credits
Active participation, presentation, term paper

Up to 6 ECTS, for political scientists up to 8 ECTS
RegistrationTo register, please send an email including your name, date and place of birth, student number, and address to lehre@weltethos-institut.org. Please also indicate your major concentration and how many semesters of study you have completed.
Registration Deadline2023, October 16th
Maximum number of participants24

Literature

  • Amstutz, Mark R. (2018): International Ethics. Concepts, Theories, and Cases in Global Politics (5. Aufl.). Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. 
  • Brown, Garrett W. & Held, David (Hrsg.) (2010): The Cosmopolitan Reader. Cambridge: Polity.
  • Kant, I. (2010). Idea of Universal History with a Cosmopolitan Purpose. In Brown, Garret W. & Held, David (Hrsg.) (2010): The Cosmopolitan Reader. (S. 17–26). Cambridge: Polity. 
  • Kissinger, Henry (2014): World Order. Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History. London: Penguin Group.  
  • Küng, Hans (1997): A Global Ethic for Global Politics and Economics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.  
  • Shapcott, Richard (2010): International Ethics. A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Description

As an inquiry into responsible solutions for global problems, Ethics in International Relations is an opportunity to explore the role of governments, economic forces, and civil society in shaping a future world we have reason to value. At the core of global transformations towards a new world order lie questions about values and principles – what is good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust, or legitimate and illegitimate. The seminar introduces students to an understanding of the role of values in shaping their own identity; the function of norms in organizing collective action; to discussions of the changing world order, and to the idea of progress. Participants of the seminar select three contemporary challenges of a globalized world – in recent examples, the challenges of a pandemic, of climate change, of forced migration, the future constitution of Europe, or the responsibility of business for global sustainable development –, review these challenges from an ethical point of view, and learn how to exercise their own ethical judgement. How well will we live together in a shared world?