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Department of International Relations · ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
When large-scale human suffering occurs, does the international community have a responsibility to assist? Who exactly should take action? What principles should guide these actors? What is the role of law and politics in humanitarian action? This course examines international responses to human suffering caused by armed conflict, mass atrocities and complex humanitarian disasters to address these questions. We look at the history and development of law and institutions that shape contemporary international humanitarian action. We consider the changing global security context in which humanitarian action takes place, and examine the actors involved in humanitarian action, from non-state, to state and multilateral actors. The course will provide students with an in-depth understanding of the concepts, politics and practice of humanitarianism, and with skills to analyse current trends and developments in this important area of international politics.
Seminar Presentation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Annotated bibliography (1,500 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 3, 4, 5, 6
Major research essay (2,500 words)
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Final exam
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4
Tutorial participation
Learning outcomes 1, 2, 3, 5
This course comprises some 130 hours of activity over 12 weeks, including some 24 hours of lectures or an equivalent activity and some 12 hours of tutorials or equivalent activity. The course comprises a maximum of 6000 words of assessment or the equivalent. Please note this is a general guide, averaged over the semester and the final hours ultimately depend on the individual's ability in reading and writing.
Barnett, Michael (2011) The Empire of Humanity: A History of Humanitarianism (Cornell: Cornell University Press) Elizabeth G. Ferris (2011) The Politics of Protection: The Limits of Humanitarian Action. (Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.) Preliminary Reading Books: Acuto, Michele (ed.) (2014) Negotiating Relief: The Politics of Humanitarian Space (London: Hurst & Company). Anderson, Mary (1999) Do no harm: how aid can support peace or war (Boulder, Colo. : Lynne Rienner Publishers). Barnett, Michael and Thomas Weiss eds, (2008) Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, and Ethics, Cornell: Cornell University Press (Cornell University Press: Ithaca). Barnett, Michael & Thomas Weiss (2011) Humanitarianism Contested: Where Angels Fear to Tread. (London & New York: Routledge). Chaulia, Sreeram (2011) International Organizations and Civilian Protection: Power, Ideas and Humanitarian Aid in Conflict Zones (London and New York: I.B. Taurus) de Waal, Alex(1997) Famine crimes: politics and the disaster relief industry in Africa (http://library.anu.edu.au/ record=b2003089) (James Currey and IAI London). Fassin, Didier (2012) Humanitarian Reason: A Moral History of the Present. (Berkely: University of California Press) Hoffman, P.J. and T.G.Weiss, eds, (2006) Sword and salve (Rowman and Little). Jacob, Cecilia and Cook, Alistair D.B. (eds) (2016) Civilian Protection in the Twenty-first Century: Governance and Responsibility in a Fragmented World. (Oxford University Press) OCHA, (2004) The Humanitarian Decade, Vol. 2, (New York, UN OCHA). Rieff, David (2002) A bed for the night: humanitarianism in crisis (http://library.anu.edu.au/record=b2153921) (London: Vintage). Shapcott, Richard (2010) International ethics: a critical introduction (Cambridge: Polity) Terry, Fiona (2002) The paradox of humanitarian action: condemned to repeat? (Cornell University Press: Ithaca and London). Walker, Peter and Daniel Maxwell (2009) Shaping the Humanitarian World (London and New York: Routledge). Weiss, Thomas G. (2012) The Humanitarian Business. (Cambridge; Malden, Ma: Polity). Weiss, Thomas G. (2012) Humanitarian Intervention: War and Conflict in the Modern World (Cambridge; Malden, Ma: Polity).