Fall 2010 Global Studies 421: Ethical Encounters Classes (day/time): thirteen weeks (September 13 – December 6); Tuesdays, 2:30-5:20 PM. Class time will consist of two 75-min. sessions, divided by a 15-min. break. Location: 2-105 Instructor: Dr. Dalibor Mišina email: [email protected] phone: 519-884-0710 ext 4082 office: 3-157 Dr. Alvin Woods Building office hours: Tuesdays, 1:30-2:15 PM, or by appointment Course website: http://go.to/globalstudies (file password: ‘globalstudies’)

COURSE DESCRIPTION Globalization is above all an ethical challenge. Students in this course will critically discuss diverse works on the ethical encounter that is globalization and will explore issues raised by the growing coincidence of moral responsibility and global survival.

COURSE/LEARNING OBJECTIVES The aim of GS421 is to engage in advanced exploration of the subject of global encounters by considering the following questions: (1) ‘what are the standards that should govern the behavior of individual and collective actors as members of, and participants in, a global environment?’, (2) ‘how do we overcome the challenge of moral perplexity and construct a viable conception of ethics in an era of globalization?’, and (3) ‘what might be a productive philosophical blueprint for global ethics?’. Correspondingly, the course is divided into three parts, with each part dealing with one of the three questions. Part I is constructed as a philosophical exploration of the global ethical standards, grounded in a distinction between meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Thus, the principal objective will be to come to terms with the foundational questions regarding the basis of ethical claims, the problems of determining what is morally right or wrong, and the application of ethics in particular situations and issues. The central objective of Part I, therefore, is to set the philosophical grounds for understanding the complexities and challenges of thinking about (the possibility of) global ethical standards.

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Part II engages with a range of debates about ethics in an age of globalization, centered around three key questions: (1) ‘what is the task of global ethics?’, (2) ‘is global ethics possible?’, and (3) ‘how can we “do” global ethics?’ Thus, the aim of Part II is to build on the philosophical insights of Part I and offer a detailed look at the practical implications of the theoretical problems, questions and issues considered in the opening section of the course. The aim of Part III is to consider cosmopolitanism as one of the potentially productive philosophical foundations for ethics in an era of globalization. Thus, the principal focus of the concluding section of the course is to explore a cosmopolitan blueprint for global ethics as the basis for imagining oneself as a citizen of the world and for taking the allegiance to the world community as relevant in one’s moral deliberations and one’s ethical encounters with others. As much as possible, we will try to run the course as a seminar, which means that all of you should expect to take an active part in creating your own learning environment through presentations, discussions and class debates. When necessary, we will use lectures to provide a general context for the issues under consideration and offer conceptual clarifications necessary for an in-depth understanding of particular positions and arguments on global ethics. The starting point for all of our classes will be weekly presentations and reflective commentaries which you will need to submit at the beginning of every class (please see below for details). Overall, the objective of the course is to provide students with an advanced understanding of the diverse philosophical, conceptual and practical aspects of global ethics and cosmopolitanism. By the end of the course, the diligent student will possess a robust competence in thinking about the issues considered in the three parts of the course, as well as a great deal of independence in assessing critically their everyday, real-life manifestations.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS We will be using the following required readings: •

Global Ethics: An Introduction, by Kimberly Hutchings. Cambridge & Malden: Polity Press. ISBN10: 0745636829 | ISBN-13: 978-0745636825.

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Ethics in an Era of Globalization, edited by Wim Vandekerckhove, M.S. Ronald Commers and An Verlinden. Hampshire & Burlington: Ashgate. ISBN-10: 075467195X | ISBN-13: 978-0754671954.

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Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics, by Stan Van Hooft. Montreal & Kingston: McGillQueen’s University Press. ISBN-10: 0773536442 | ISBN-13: 978-0773536449.

As the course in great measure relies on your active interest and participation, you are expected to have read your weekly assignments before coming to class. Any additional course materials will be distributed electronically.

METHOD OF EVALUATION Your performance in the course will be evaluated on the basis of a term paper, reflective commentaries, class presentations and class participation: Term Paper (45%) Reflective commentaries (20%) Class presentations (20%) Class participation (15%) The term paper should be thought of as a substantive piece of work that demonstrates all of your academic and intellectual skills as they apply to the topic of our course. The objective of the paper is to demonstrate your understanding of the key issues we will be exploring throughout the course by providing either a detailed theorization/analysis of the philosophical aspects related to global ethics and/or

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cosmopolitanism, or by exploring the practical implications of global ethics and/or cosmopolitanism as they bear upon the everyday realities of our global(ized) world. Your paper can thus be crafted as either a theoretical piece or as a theoretically informed case-study analysis. Either way, the focus of the paper ought to be an examination of some aspect of global ethics and/or cosmopolitanism that in some fashion reflects the key concerns raised by the course’s three principal questions. Your term paper will be completed in three stages. For each stage, you will have to produce and submit a required work which will be assessed and returned to you with feedback and suggestions that will help you improve on what you already have completed and move on to the next stage: Stage 1 (due October 12) (10%): you are required to submit an initial proposal/outline for the paper that clearly identifies your topic and your key research questions/objectives, and provides a preliminary annotated bibliography of resources you will be using for the project. Stage 2 (due November 9) (15%): you are required to submit the first draft of your paper. The draft has to be as close to the completed project as possible, or – minimally – a detailed exploration of all aspects of your final project with clear indications of the work yet to be completed. Stage 3 (due December 6) (20%): you are required to submit the competed version of your term paper. You should follow the ASA style for all formatting, referencing and citations. The main body of your paper should not exceed 10,000 words (plus footnotes and a list of references). In order to successfully complete your term paper you will most likely need to do an advanced reading of our course materials and consult extra resources. Feel free to discuss your work with me as you see necessary. Please note: late papers are subject to a 10%-per-day penalty (weekend counts as one day). The term paper submitted has to be the new and original work rather than being copied from other texts/resources or written for another course. This, of course, does not mean that you cannot consult other resources in completing your work (you are, in fact, required to do so), but these need to be clearly recognized and referenced within your own writing. Using other people’s work without acknowledging it, or claiming someone else’s work for your own, constitutes an act of plagiarism and is taken for the most serious academic offence (for details, see your Wilfrid Laurier University 2010-2011 Academic Calendar, section Student Code of Conduct and Discipline: Academic and Research Misconduct). Committing plagiarism in this class carries the penalty of automatic course failure. Reflective commentaries are one-to-two-page written reflections on the weekly readings. With the exception of Week 1 and Week 12 (when you do not have to submit them), the commentaries are due at the beginning of every Tuesday class (this is not negotiable). The purpose of the commentary is (1) to offer your own thoughts about the claims/arguments presented in the readings, and (2) to formulate three discussion questions about what you find to be the most constructive, or problematic, aspects of the claims/points made in the readings. In formulating your questions you have to explain their importance in terms of getting at the key issues, problems and/or questions in the weekly readings. Each commentary has to reflect the nature of specific discussion themes assigned for a given week of the class. Each student will be responsible for one class presentation. The purpose of a presentation is to provide a summary of the weekly readings, isolate their most important points/arguments, and offer critical reflections on their principal lines of argument. We will use the presentation as a jumping off point for our class discussions/debates. The presenter should be able to situate the arguments of the articles within a lager body of literature that deals with a general theme under consideration and also be prepared to engage other students’ questions and comments during our class discussion. The presentation should not exceed 30 min. in length: the first 10-15 min. should be spent on a summary of the articles’ main points and arguments; additional 15-20 min. should be used for the critical assessment of the readings. Important: The purpose of the presentation is not to regurgitate uncritically the contents of the articles but to initiate a distinctive kind of learning process through dialogue and exchange of ideas

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with your classmates. Thus, the focus should be not on presenting a summary of absolutely everything mentioned in the readings but on discussing – in your own terms and the level you feel comfortable at – the readings’ most pertinent and thought-provoking aspects. A very good presentation may not necessarily be the one that is most pedantic but the one that is most successful in generating constructive discussion and eliciting the reaction from your audience. Also, the presentation that is not read but narrated, as it were, is generally more engaging. Strive to communicate with rather than read to your audience. If you must read, remember that reading a page of text requires about 3 minutes. Finally, keep in mind that presentations are not designed to substitute for other students reading the articles. Thus in preparing your exposition you should presume that other students are familiar with the readings and their main arguments. Participation mark is a reflection of your active and meaningful input in our class discussions and debates. Passive classroom presence does not warrant any participation marks.

EVALUATION CONTENT The following grading scale will be applied in evaluating your course work: Letter Grades A+ A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF

Percentage Conversion 90-100 85-89 80-84 77-79 73-76 70-72 67-69 63-66 60-62 57-59 53-56 50-52 0-49

Your grade is a reflection of your performance in the course, which is the only criterion for your final mark. There will be no rescaling of grades at the end of the course and no adjustments except for legitimate clerical errors. Please take note of that. According to Wilfrid Laurier University defined standards, grade 0-49% constitutes unsatisfactory academic performance, and means failing the course; 50-52% is a minimally accepted level, while 90-100% constitutes excellent performance. For details on evaluation procedures and grading system see your Wilfrid Laurier University 2010-2011 Academic Calendar, section Academic Regulations: Grades. If you wish to discuss/review your course work you can do so within one week from the day marks have been posted. After one week, you can still discuss/review your course work but you lose the right to negotiate your mark.

GENERAL POLICIES Email: Emailing is to be regarded as an official form of communication. Only emails sent through Wifrid Laurier University account will be read and replied to. All other email messages will be ignored. Cell phones: Cell phones are to be turned off during class (except under exceptional circumstances in which approval has been granted by the instructor).

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Notebook computers: Use of notebook computers during class is not allowed (except under exceptional circumstances in which approval has been granted by the instructor).

ATTENDANCE POLICY Class attendance is not mandatory but is highly recommended. If you decide to attend, you are expected to arrive on time and be respectful to other students in class. Disruptive and otherwise inappropriate behaviour in the classroom will not be tolerated. Students engaged in such behaviour will be dealt with accordingly. ***** Disclaimer: The information in this Course Outline is subject to change; any changes will be announced in class.

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WEEKLY COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change; any changes will be announced in class)

Week 1 (September 14)

Course introduction; syllabus walk-through, introductory review Global Ethics: Introduction Readings: • “What is Global Ethics?”, Ch. 1 in Global Ethics: An Introduction

Week 2 (September 21)

Part I: Ethical Rationalism and Its Alternatives Readings: • “Rationalist Ethical Theories”, Ch. 2 in Global Ethics: An Introduction • “Alternatives to Ethical Rationalism”, Ch. 3 in Global Ethics: An Introduction

Week 3 (September 28)

Part I: Ethics of Aid, Development, and Distributive Justice Readings: • “Ethics of International Aid and Development”, Ch. 4 in Global Ethics: An Introduction • “Global Distributive Justice”, Ch. 5 in Global Ethics: An Introduction

Week 4 (October 5)

Part I: Ethics of War and Peace Readings: • “Ethics of War”, Ch. 6 in Global Ethics: An Introduction • “Ethics of Making and Sustaining Peace”, Ch. 7 in Global Ethics: An Introduction

Week 5 (October 12)

Part I: Global Ethics Readings: • “Global Ethics in a Glocal Context”, Ch. 8 in Global Ethics: An Introduction

Week 6 (October 19)

Part II: What is the Task of Global Ethics? Readings: • “The New Global Ethics and its Three Faces”, by Carol C. Gould, Ch. 1 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Globalization Between Economism and Moralism”, by Gerald Berthoud, Ch. 2 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Bridging the Gaps in Global Ethics: Grounded Cosmopolitan Praxis”, by Christen van den Anker, Ch. 3 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Justice in a World Gone Mad: Assessing the Ethical Landscape of Globalization”, by Rebecca Todd Peters, Ch. 4 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization

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Week 7 (October 26)

Part II: Is Global Ethics Possible? Readings: • “Global Ethics and World Citizenship”, by M.S. Ronald Commers, Ch. 5 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Why and What Global Ethics”, by Heather Widdows, Ch. 6 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Cosmopolitanism and Community”, by Nigel Dower, Ch. 7 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Community and Society on a Transnational Scale”, by Peter Caws, Ch. 8 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization

Week 8 (November 2)

Part II: How Can We “Do” Global Ethics? Readings: • “Global Poverty: Development Ethics Meets Global Justice”, by Asuncion Lera St Clair, Ch. 9 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Reflections on Global Responsibilities and the Nature of Morality”, by Thomas Marten, Ch. 10 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Global Ethics as Dialogism”, by An Verlinden, Ch. 11 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization • “Redistributing Global Inequality: A Thought Experiment”, by Josef Borocz, Ch. 12 in Ethics in an Era of Globalization

Week 9 (November 9)

Part III: Cosmopolitanism and Patriotism Readings: • “Introduction”, in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics • “Cosmopolitanism and Patriotism”, Ch. 1 in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics

Week 10 (November 16)

Part III: Cosmopolitanism, Human Rights, and Global Justice Readings: • “Human Rights”, Ch. 2 in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics • “Global Justice”, Ch. 3 in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics

Week 11 (November 23)

Part III: Cosmopolitanism, Peace and Global Community Readings: • “Lasting Peace”, Ch. 4 in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics • “Towards a Global Community”, Ch. 5 in Cosmopolitanism: A Philosophy for Global Ethics

Week 12 (November 30)

From Global Ethics to Cosmopolitanism (and Back): Conclusion and Review

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COURSE AND UNIVERSITY POLICIES 1. Academic Misconduct (cheating): The University has an established policy with respect to cheating on assignments and examinations, which the student is required to know. Students are cautioned that in addition to a failure in the course, a student may be suspended or expelled from the University for cheating and the offence may appear on one’s transcript, in which event the offence can have serious consequences for one’s business or professional career. For more information refer to the current Undergraduate calendar . 2. Accessible Learning: Students with disabilities or special needs are advised to contact Laurier’s Accessible Learning Centre for information regarding its services and resources. Students are encouraged to review the online Calendar for information regarding all services available on campus. 3. Plagiarism: Wilfrid Laurier University uses software that can check for plagiarism. Students may be asked to submit their written work in electronic form and have it checked for plagiarism. 4. WLU Foot Patrol: 886-FOOT

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