FALL 2007 HONORS COURSES

HONR 238V Law, Morality, War, and Terrorism
Wednesday, 3:30-6:00 p.m.
Dr. Marcus Franda, Department of Government and Politics

Overview of Professor Frandas Career

This seminar is designed to introduce honors students to some of the basic materials involved in studying relationships between law (international and domestic), morality, war and terrorism. Individual seminar topics include a general introduction to: international law and the laws of war; military organization and the Geneva Conventions; weapons of mass destruction and international law; disarmament and non-proliferation treaties; legal issues in the militarization of outer space; study of the history and specific case studies of the use of terrorism and counterterrorism to influence the development of international and domestic law; analysis of the several dozen international treaties and conventions that have been negotiated to provide a legal framework for dealing with terrorism; and exploration of questions concerning when it is and is not legitimate (“legal”) to go to war, including discussion of the concepts “preventive war” and “preemptive war.”

Seminar participants will be required to write a series of short essays over the course of the seminar, either as paper assignments and/or in quizzes, which together will account for 80% of the final grade. The remaining 20% will be determined on the basis of class participation.

Readings will include a basic textbook on international law and laws of war; philosophical essays on law and morality; the original Geneva Conventions and their subsequent amendment and evolution over time; treaties and international agreements designed to deal with the militarization of outer space and terrorism; and studies comparing the ways in which the world’s six major legal traditions (Chinese, Indic, Islamic, Judaic, Common Law and Civil Law) deal with the issues raised in the seminar.

CORE: Social or Political History [SH] and CORE Human Cultural Diversity [D]