ATS2640 The ethics of global conflict
Faculty of Arts
ATS2640 The ethics of global conflict is a level 2, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2025 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2025
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 3 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2025 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ATS2640
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS2640
No unit lists ATS2640 as a prerequisite in the 2025 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Prerequisite: Twelve credit points of first-year Arts units.
Prohibitions: ATS3640, AZA2640, AZA3640
Overview
When, if ever, is warfare justified? What about humanitarian intervention? What about violent revolution and terrorism? Why should civilians be protected in conflict? This unit will introduce you to theoretical approaches to the ethics of conflict that will allow them to answer these difficult questions. It will also serve to introduce you to basic ideas in moral and political philosophy. No background in philosophy is required: merely an interest in rational argument applied to global conflict.
Offerings in 2025
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- EssayWritten30%
- Role-playDemonstration50%
- ReflectionWritten20%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Have a high level of understanding of the central ideas of just war theory
- 2
Appreciate a wide variety of criticisms of just war theory
- 3
Understand the connections between human rights and war
- 4
Have developed the ability to apply theories of justice in conflict to actual cases from recent history
- 5
Be able to develop and critically assess arguments about the justification of violence in the pursuit of political ends
- 6
Have improved their ability to effectively communicate about complex issues in international affairs
- 7
Have developed their ability to conduct independent research on topics of international justice.
Workload and teaching
- Lectures12 hours
- Tutorials24 hours
- Teaching approachRole play
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachActive learning
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit provides you with opportunities to Role-play in order to have that personal engagement
This unit includes case-based teaching, where you apply your knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but students need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation
Course content will be made available in the form of required and further readings, online notes, and short videos. You will engage with this material via in class discussion in two hour tutorials and in written assessment.
Where it fits
ATS2640 is part of 8 areas of study in the 2025 handbook.
- HOLGENST03Level 2 and 3 elective unitsHolocaust and genocide studiesNo reviews yet
- HMNRGTSJ01Level 2 cornerstone unitHuman rights and social justiceNo reviews yet
- HMNRGTSJ02Level 2 and 3 elective unitsHuman rights and social justiceNo reviews yet
- INTLREL10Level 2 and 3 elective unitsInternational relationsNo reviews yet
- INTLREL11Level 2 and 3 elective unitsInternational relationsNo reviews yet
- PHILOSSP02Level 2 cornerstone unitsPhilosophyNo reviews yet
- PHILSPHY07Level 2 and 3 elective unitsPhilosophyNo reviews yet
- PHILSPHY08Level 2 and 3 elective unitsPhilosophyNo reviews yet
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Suzanne Killmister
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Suzanne Killmister
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS2640?
ATS2640 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS2640 offered?
In 2025, ATS2640 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS2640?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS2640 have an exam?
No. ATS2640 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS2640?
ATS2640 is part of Holocaust and genocide studies; Human rights and social justice; International relations; and Philosophy.