MSO 202 Topics in American History
This course will explore the moral underpinnings of war as expressed by St. Thomas Aquinas. We will focus on the phenomenon of warfare and discuss what defines "just" or "unjust" use of violence by a people or entire nations. Because nations have engaged in activity such as genocide and the Holocaust we will also study what type of behavior remains clearly beyond the pale of "legalized" violence and has crossed over into the realm of "crimes against humanity." Accordingly, we will start with an examination of the Thirty Years War and discuss the reordering of rules and international law as they pertain to warfare and how the western world was fundamentally transformed by the Peace of Westphalia (1648). Progressing quickly through the Napoleonic era and wars of the 19th century, we will discuss at length the mode and methods of warfare of both World Wars to include some of the literature that emerged from them and that written by eyewitnesses and participants. A discussion of the rise of fascism and human rights will be very important to our understanding of 20th Century warfare. While warfare has been a constant throughout the history of mankind, the phenomenon of extended periods of peace also deserves scrutiny. What factors such as international law, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, human rights, and other issues have coalesced in a positive way as mechanisms for peace?
Prerequisite
Metropolitan School of Professional Studies undergraduate students only