This course examines ethical norms on the use of armed force for political purposes and it includes a particular focus on the relationship between those norms and military technologies. It explores how, and the extent to which, ethical and/or technological considerations influence strategic and tactical decisions. After an introduction to Just War theory, the course examines a range of topics, drawing on historical and contemporary ideas and information. These include: basic concepts of international law on armed conflict; pre-emptive and preventive war; humanitarian interventions; non-combatant immunity; mercenaries and private military companies; drones and robots; nuclear weapons; inhumane and ‘non-lethal’ weapons; military medical ethics; intelligence and counterterrorism; and post-war recovery. The overall aim of the course is to provide students with a stronger understanding of the strategic, operational, political and ethical concerns surrounding these issues, their security implications, and the conceptual and empirical connections between them. Course activities and assessment tasks are designed to encourage critical thinking and intellectual autonomy.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

On satisfying the requirements of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1.       Demonstrate a critical understanding of the relationship between ethics, politics, security and strategy.

2.       Conduct research in archives, libraries, and using internet resources.

3.       Communicate effectively in verbal, written and group contexts to a professional standard.

4.       Demonstrate a capacity for critical reflection so that the assumptions underpinning ethical concepts and security policies can be effectively scrutinized.

5.       Formulate, analyse and evaluate security policy options in ethical terms.

6.       Exercise attention to detail and analytical rigour in academic writing.

Research-Led Teaching

Adam is an applied ethicist, working on areas that cross over between ethics, technology and security. He is a lecturer at the National Security College (NSC). His research concerns ethical and philosophical analyses of information technology and its uses, military ethics and on relations between ethics and national security. He has published on surveillance, emerging military technologies, intelligence and cyberspace. He is also interested in moral psychology, experimental philosophy and their relations to decision making and policy development.

Required Resources

The following required resourses will be accessible in Wattle or shown during the course.

• Brian Orend, ‘War’ in Edward Zalta (ed.) The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
• Brian Orend, The Morality Of War, 2nd Edition;Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2013. (A few key chapters)
• Michael Walzer, Just and Unjust Wars, 4th ed., New York: Basic Books, 2006. (A few key chapters)
• 'Eye In The Sky' Film, 2016. Director: Gavin Hood Screenplay: Guy Hibbert Production company: Entertainment One (DVD)

Recommended Resources

See Wattle

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

This course will be run as an intensive, over four days:

Friday 10th May, 2019, 10am - 4:00pm

Monday 13th May, 2019, 10am - 4:00pm

Friday 17th May, 2019, 10am - 4:00pm

Monday 20 May, 2019, 10am - 4:00pm

Attendance at the intensive classes is very strongly advised

Preparation for the Intensive:

• Read the course outline
• Look through the 12 topics, in Wattle to get a feel of the issues and questions that the course is interested in
• Read Brian Orend's entry on War in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Note that this is an older entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia, it has been replaced by one by Seth Lazar, which is definitely worth reading. But I find that Orend's one is far better as an introductory text.
• Attend and participate in the intenstive

This course examines ethical norms on the use of armed force for political purposes and it includes a particular focus on the relationship between those norms and military technologies. It explores how, and the extent to which, ethical and/or technological considerations influence strategic and tactical decisions.

The first two sessions introduce key ethical criteria in the just war tradition, drawing on historical and contemporary ideas and information.

The course then looks at current issue in military ethics like preemptive and preventive wars and the responsibility to protect, terrorism, torture and military medical ethics.

It then closes out with a look at the ways that emerging technologies can disrupt military practice and impact core ethical principles, looking at drones and robots; nuclear weapons; inhumane and 'nonlethal' weapons, and cyberwar.

The overall aim of the course is to provide students with a stronger understanding of the strategic, operational, political and ethical concerns surrounding these issues, their security implications, and the conceptual and empirical connections between them. Course activities and assessment tasks are designed to encourage critical thinking and intellectual autonomy.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	This session will introduce the just war tradition, focusing on the jus ad bellum criteria.
2	This session will continue discussion of the just war tradition, focusing on the jus in bello criteria, and introduce discussion of the ethical challenges around torture.	Short answer questions (Assessment item 1)
3	This session will extend the discussion of the just war tradition to cover issues like international terrorism responsibility to protect and will include showing of the film 'Eye In The Sky'.
4	This session will centre on discussions of the disruptive effects of technology on military practice and military ethics.
5		Short essay is due on Monday 27 May. Research essay is due on Wednesday 19 June.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Short Answer Questions	30 %	13/05/2019	21/05/2019	1,2,3
Short Essay	20 %	27/05/2019	01/06/2019	2,3,4,5
Research Essay	50 %	19/06/2019	04/07/2019	2,3,4,6

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Short Answer Questions

You are asked to give short answers to three questions.

The answers will be 500 words each, to a total of 1,500 words.

The questions will be drawn from topics 2 - 6, and the purpose is to give you a chance to display knowledge of a set of key concepts from the just war tradition. 

Due date: Monday 13th May 2019, by 23:55.

Assessment Task 2

Short Essay

You are asked to give justifications for making a policy decision in response to scenarios involving a particular technological disruption, from topics Topics 11 -13. 

The purpose of this assessment task is to outline – clearly and briefly – the most how key just war criteria play a role in justifying decision making. Note that in this essay, how you develop and present your argument is more important than what you are arguing for - the lecturer does not care so much the point that you argue for, rather, they are interested in seeing how you get to your conclusion, if you understand the core concepts, etc.

The short essay is an opportunity to hone your writing skills and receive feedback from the Convener prior to undertaking the longer Research Essay.

This assignment is 1,000 words (10% + or -, but no less) should be researched and appropriately referenced with footnotes and bibliography. This task accounts for 20% of the total assessment for NSPO8014.

Due date: Monday 27th May 2019, by 23:55.

Assessment Task 3

Research Essay

This assignment is a Research Essay of 3,000 words (10% + or -, but no less). You will answer one question from the highlighted discussion questions, drawn from the topics 2 -13, (or a topic developed in discussion with the lecturer) excluding the topic you have done for the short essay (that is, if you chose topic 2 for the short essay, you cannot do topic 2 for the research essay). The Research Essay assessment task is an opportunity for you to:

• initiate and conduct research using library, electronic and other resources;
• demonstrate your familiarity with information and ideas at the frontiers of knowledge regarding the ethics and technologies of war;
• demonstrate your ability to think critically and advance a logical, structured argument; and
• demonstrate your ability to write succinctly in an academic style that conforms to conventions on proper referencing.

Take time to get a good understanding of what the essay question requires, and think about how you might structure your argument in answer to the question. In conducting your research, be sure to identify and concentrate on only those issues which are directly relevant to the essay question. The purpose of the essay is not to survey a general topic but rather to answer a deliberately-worded, specific question.

Ensure that your argument in answer to the question is supported by carefully-selected, reliable evidence and that the source of evidence is properly referenced. In the introduction to your essay (which should be the last section you write) it is a good idea to include an explanation of what you understand the question requires of you and how you propose to answer it.

The essay should be extensively researched and fully referenced with footnotes and bibliography. The research essay accounts for 50% of the total assessment for NSPO8014.

Due date: Wednesday 19th June, by 23:55.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information. In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service — including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy. If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes. Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students