Ethics of Conflict: From Protest and Revolution to Terrorism and War



Overview

We explore a range of topics in the field of human conflict. We start by asking ‘What is a nation? and ‘When and why should citizens freely spend time and money, risk imprisonment, injury or death for their community, nation or wider world – whether through activity within the state to improve it or through helping their own or another nation defend itself from aggressors or through helping liberate other nations?’

Using this ethical framework we then discuss conflict within the state. First, legal protest including demonstrations, marches and cancel culture (i.e. protests directed against individuals and products, for example: JK Rowling, Peter Singer, The Daily Mail, certain restaurants and manufacturers). Second, and relatedly, Civil Disobedience – where citizens openly break the law – typically to make a point and gain publicity. Third, revolution, secession and terrorism.

We then move on to investigate conflict between states, focusing upon central topics in the ethics of war, such as: When should a nation go to war? What counts as self-defence? When is pre-emptive or preventative attack justified? Should humanitarian intervention be backed up by force if necessary? What legal rules and moral principles should govern how soldiers, armies and states conduct war? What is the moral status of combatants and civilians? How should the victorious nation treat the vanquished? What is the future of war given advances in drone, robot, AI and satellite technology, and the potential for cyberwarfare?

Finally, we discuss major-power rivalry, long term security, and cold war tactics and strategy. This includes exploring information warfare (e.g. transmitting to citizens information or disinformation to destabilise a regime), economic warfare (e.g. taking market share, hoarding natural resources, imposing sanctions to limit a regime’s ability to satisfy its population and/or wage war), diplomacy and alliances. In what ways and to what extent can and should a nation influence other nations short of declaring war? We also discuss the potential for conflict over damage to our shared environment (for example via climate change, pollution, shortages of natural resources, or engaging in risky science).

Programme details

Term Starts:   24 April 2025
 
Week 1: What is a nation? When and why should citizens freely spend time and money, risk imprisonment, injury or death for their community, nation or wider world?
 
Week 2: Free speech, cancel culture and protest 
 
Week 3: Civil Disobedience and Terrorism
 
Week 4: Revolution, secession and civil war. 

Week 5: Just War Theory

Week 6: When and how should we help invaded nations defend themselves? Should preventative and humanitarian wars – e.g. to remove dictators or prevent genocide – be waged?  What about wars over climate change, risky science, natural resource access, and suchlike? 

Week 7: Only following orders? How should a soldier conduct him/herself and what is the moral status of combatants?

Week 8: Collateral Damage: To what extent should the risk of harm to non-combatants influence the conduct of war?

Week 9: Drones, robots, AI, IT, cyberwarfare, satellites and the future of war

Week 10: Cold wars: spies, assassination, information warfare, trade warfare, sanctions, technological advance, natural resources, strategy and alliances, nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and disarmament 

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mr Daniel Dennis

Dan Dennis is a knowledgeable and friendly tutor. He is adept at explaining difficult ideas and encourages students to ask questions when they do not understand something. He has taught for Oxford University for nearly twenty years.

Course aims

To teach students to employ philosophical ideas and arguments in thinking clearly and rationally about issues connected with human conflict

Course Objectives

1. To introduce participants to philosophical discussions of central issues concerning human conflict.

2. To teach participants to employ key philosophical ideas, arguments and distinctions concerning those areas

3. To help participants to question their current views, think rigorously, and discuss clearly about the issues in question, and to back up their claims with arguments.

Teaching methods

There will be a rigorous yet friendly co-operative investigation of the issues with which this course confronts us. Students will be presented with ideas, arguments, thought experiments and examples, which they will be encouraged to question, reflect on and write about. Students will have plenty of opportunity to discuss the issues raised and to ask questions about anything they do not understand. Students should be prepared to question their current opinions and ways of thinking, to think rigorously and rationally about the course content and to change their views if that is where reason leads them.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. Be able to understand and express a variety of key philosophical ideas and arguments pertaining to war, revolution, protest and terrorism.

2. Have improved their skills in analysing and evaluating ideas and arguments.

3. Be able to think and argue clearly and rationally about issues dealt with in the course, and connect them with their own life and decision-making.

Assessment methods

Students submitting course work choose to submit either four short assignments of 250-375 words each during the course, or an essay of 1000-1500 words in the weeks after the course. They may also submit an initial plan, draft or other formative piece of 500 words for guidance. They may also find it helpful to exchange their essay with another student so that they can give each other feedback.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
 

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an application form.

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support