PSCI096
JUST & UNJUST WARS
- Department
- Political Science
- Terms offered
- 5
- Data refreshed
- Sep 1, 2026
Description
This first-year seminar examines significant questions such as - why states and societies go to war, whether doing so is ever justified, and what (if anything) might make it so. Students will be afforded the opportunity to explore a range of historical and contemporary armed conflicts through the lens of the political, moral, ethical, and legal criteria which constitute the basis of the 'laws of war' as well as the international conventions and norms derived from them. Particular attention will be paid to the dilemmas associated with the decision to go to war, conduct during war, and war's aftermath. Students will engage with these and related dilemmas through consideration of specific examples including (but not limited to) preemptive war, wars of self-defense, humanitarian intervention, peacekeeping and peace operations, terrorism and wars of national liberation, the status of non-combatants and non-state actors, and the rebuilding of post-conflict societies.
Syllabi
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Offering history & forecast 2015–2025
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer | Intersession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 2030 Fall: 18% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 2 of 9 fall terms since 2018. Department course count falling about 2% per year. | 2030 Spring: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 spring terms since 2018. | 2030 Summer: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 summer terms since 2018. | 2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020. |
| 2029 | 2029 Fall: 24% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 3 of 10 fall terms since 2017. | 2029 Spring: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2029 Summer: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 summer terms since 2017. | 2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2028 | 2028 Fall: 24% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 3 of 11 fall terms since 2016. | 2028 Spring: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 spring terms since 2016. | 2028 Summer: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 summer terms since 2016. | 2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2027 | 2027 Fall: 26% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 4 of 12 fall terms since 2015. | 2027 Spring: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 spring terms since 2015. | 2027 Summer: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 summer terms since 2015. | 2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2025 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2024 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2023 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2022 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2021 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2020 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2019 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2018 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2017 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2016 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2015 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
Future estimates combine recent offering frequency with detected multi-year cycles. Hover a cell for confidence and evidence; low-confidence estimates are marked with ~.
Meeting times
Most recent first- Wed, 9:00 AM–11:50 AM MACD310 2025-12022-1
- Mon, 7:20 PM–8:10 PM Sackler Science Center S223 2025-32022-3
- Thu, 12:00 PM–12:50 PM Sackler Science Center S223 2025-2
- Wed, 2:00 PM–2:50 PM JC206 2022-2
- Fri, 9:00 AM–11:50 AM Geography Building G104 20172015
- Fri, 9:00 AM–11:50 AM Jefferson Academic Center JF133 2011
| Term | Professor | Type | Credits | Enrollment | CRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | Michael J. Butler | Lecture | 1 | 14 of 18 enrolled | 23793 |
| Fall 2022 | Michael J. Butler | Lecture | 1 | 16 of 16 enrolled | 21691 |
| Fall 2017 | Michael J. Butler | Lecture | 1 | 16 of 16 enrolled | 26009 |
| Fall 2015 | Michael J. Butler | Lecture | 1 | 16 of 16 enrolled | 24528 |
| Fall 2011 | Michael J. Butler | First Year Seminar | 1 | 16 of 16 enrolled | 21466 |