As Australia faces security challenges ranging from terrorism to cybersecurity to interstate rivalries and climate change, discussions around national security will continue to play across our community, in the media and in policymaking. This course examines the ethical norms that both underpin and limit national security. It has a particular focus on the way that the relationships between those ethical norms pose challenges for national security policy and practice. It explores how, and the extent to which, ethical considerations can and should influence decisions about national security. This course brings together expert and practitioner perspectives to facilitate analysis of some of the most pressing and controversial concerns regarding the ethics of national security choices in the 21st century.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Understand concepts related to ethical issues arising in the context of national security
2. Evaluate contemporary ethical challenges relating to current and future security challenges facing Australian policymakers
3. Critically analyse, from an ethical lens, the responsiveness of security agencies to the security challenges Australia faces today, as a potential guide to its future national security responses
4. Conduct independent research that demonstrates both scholarly and policy-focused engagement with the subject matter
5. Demonstrate a sound understanding of the ethical norms that both underpin and limit national security policy making in written analysis.

Recommended Resources

The below are simply recommended texts that may assist students - weekly readings will be supplied separately.

Arendt, Hannah. “Authority in the Twentieth Century.” The Review of Politics 18, no. 4 (October 1956): 403–17. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0034670500009773.

Morgenthau, Hans J. “The Evil of Politics and the Ethics of Evil.” Ethics 56, no. 1 (1945): 1–18.

Richard Shapcott, (2014) 'International Ethics', in Baylis, Smith and Owens (eds), The Globalization of World Politics, Oxford: Oxford.

Foucault, Michel, François Ewald, and Alessandro Fontana. Security, Territory, Population: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1977-1978. Edited by Michel Senellart. Translated by Graham Burchell. 1. Picador ed. Lectures at the Collège de France. New York, NY: Picador, 2009.

Weber, Max, Peter Baehr, and Gordon C. Wells. The Protestant Ethic and the “Spirit” of Capitalism and Other Writings. Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics. New York: Penguin Books, 2002.

Hugh Lafollette, (2014) 'Theorizing about Ethics', in Lafollette (ed), Ethics in Practice: An Anthology 4th Edn, Wiley, 4-10.

David Rodin, (2014) 'The Myth of National Self-Defence', in Fabre and Lazar (eds), Oxford: Oxford, 69-89

Schmitt, Carl. Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005.

Skinner, Quentin. "A genealogy of the modern state." Proceedings of the British Academy. Vol. 162. 2009.

Vincent, Andrew. "The Nature of the State", from Theories of the State. Basil Blackwell, 1987, pp. 1-44.

McSweeney, Bill. 'The Meaning of Security' and 'Identity Versus the State', in Security, Identity and Interests, Cambridge, 1999, pp 13 - 22, 68-78.

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.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Ethical Frameworks for National Security (and International Politics)
2	Authority, Power, Violence, and The Role of the State
3	Securitisation and Ethics	First written assessment due
4	Intelligence, Surveillance, and Ethics
5	Counterterrorism and Ethical Dilemmas
6	Critical Approaches to Security and Ethics in Global Politics	Second written assessment due
7	Human Rights, Humanitarian Intervention and Responsibility to Protect
8	Interstate Rivalries and Just War Theory
9	Ethics of Border Security: Migration and Refugees
10	Emerging Technologies and Autonomous Weapons
11	Loyalty, Identity, and Ethical Challenges in a Multicultural Australia
12	Course Review and Future Ethical Challenges for National Security	Third written assessment due

Tutorial Registration

All class discussion takes place in the seminar sessions.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Participation: 10%	10 %	*	*	1,2, 3, 4, 5
Short assignment - Ethical Issue Analysis (800 words): 20%	20 %	12/03/2026	27/03/2026	1,2,4
Policy Recommendation (1500 words): 30%	30 %	01/04/2026	22/04/2026	2,3,4
Research Essay (3000 words): 40%	40 %	04/06/2026	03/07/2026	2,3,4,5

* 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.

Participation

Students are expected to actively engage in weekly seminar discussions

Examination(s)

None

Assessment Task 1

Participation: 10%

Students are expected to actively engage in weekly seminar discussions throughout the semester. This includes contributing thoughtfully to debates, answering the weekly questions, and demonstrating familiarity with the assigned readings.

Assessment Task 2

Short assignment - Ethical Issue Analysis (800 words): 20%

Due: Week 3, March 12, Thursday at 23:00

Identify one ethical problem within Australia’s national security context. Focus only on issues that fall within the portfolios of agencies such as Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Department of Defence, the National Intelligence Community (NIC), or the Department of Home Affairs. Explain why this issue is ethically significant and consider how /why perspectives on this problem might differ across society.

The Crawford School of Public Policy's word limit and penalty guidelines apply to this assessment item.

Assessment Task 3

Policy Recommendation (1500 words): 30%

Due: Week 6, April 1, Wednesday at 23:00

Building on your earlier short assignment, propose policy solutions to address the ethical dilemma you identified. Outline possible options, evaluate their implications, and recommend the most appropriate course of action. 

The Crawford School of Public Policy's word limit and penalty guidelines apply to this assessment item.

Assessment Task 4

Research Essay (3000 words): 40%

Due: June 4, Thursday at 23:00

Write an academic essay responding to one of the set questions provided on the Canvas site. 

The Crawford School of Public Policy's word limit and penalty guidelines apply to this assessment item.

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