Teaching the Ethics of War: Applying Theory to Hard Cases

Providing students with the understanding and confidence to critically engage with the vast literature on ethics and the use of force is a challenging endeavour. One way to achieve this is to encourage them to apply the range of concepts and approaches encompassed within this literature to real problems and events in international affairs. This article proposes both detailed seminar plans and structured small-group activities for use as part of an undergraduate course on the ethics of war. Specifically, it provides examples of how five “hard cases� surrounding organized violence and three types of structured group activity (relating to “moral dilemmas� associated with each case) might be employed to encourage active learning and teaching.