International Law.

Catalog description

What is “international law”? How was it formed and what consequences did (and does) this have for global politics? What relationship is there between international law and historical legacies of imperialism, colonization, and rapid economic, political, and social change? In this course, we will seriously consider—from a distinctly Christian perspective—how these questions were addressed by various figures and institutions through primary and secondary sources (e.g. treaties, scholarly monographs, etc.) that primarily center on a range of global legal encounters in Africa and Asia. We will also collectively determine the degree to which we might find the arguments encountered in the course persuasive (or not) as they bear on both Christian faith/practice and on the world. We will continue to ask what, if anything, constitutes “international law” and how might a just global order be attained under international law, if at all. Through dialogue and writing, students will develop their ability to compare and critically (though charitably) assess the disparate foundations and influences of international law throughout the modern (19th-20th century) histories of Africa, Asia, and Europe while also establishing their own scholarly, political, and legal voices. In so doing, students will work out a nuanced view of comparative, African, Asian, and European political and legal thought as well as the modern history of international law, both within and outside of the global church.