Undergraduate Module Descriptor

POC2012: The Ethics and Politics of Humanitarian Intervention

This module descriptor refers to the 2018/9 academic year.

Please note that this module is only delivered on the Penryn Campus.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:     

Traditional approaches: pluralism and solidarism, legality, legitimacy and sovereignty

Effectiveness of military intervention: Case Studies

Moral arguments and the ‘Responsibility to Protect’

Economic Context: Rethinking sovereignty, responsibility and intervention

Postcolonial Context: Rethinking humanitarian intervention

From wars to complex political emergencies

The politics of aid and humanitarianism

News media and intervention

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
181320

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled learning and teaching activities11Lectures
Scheduled learning and teaching activities10Seminars including group presentations and discussion
Independent Guided Study44Reading and preparing for seminars (around 4 hours per seminar)
Independent Guided Study85Researching and writing assessment portfolio

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

www.un.org (United Nations central site)

www.unhcr.ch (United Nations High Commission for Refugees)

www.amnesty.org (Amnesty International)

www.forcedmigration.org (Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University)

www.iom.ch (International Organisation for Migration)

www.usip.org (United Sates Institute of Peace)

www.odi.org.uk (Overseas Development Institute, UK)

http://www.responsibilitytoprotect.org/ (International Coalition for the Responsibility to Protect)

Other Learning Resources

Noam Chomsky on Humanitarian Intervention http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77U1tlAyWVA

Black Gold (2006) Documentary (directed by Francis and Francis)