Teaching Just War and Just Peace in Ukraine

Project Summary:

In this GLE project, students from the Ukrainian Catholic University and DePaul University students came together to consider the questions of what constitutes a just war in ethical and religious terms, and what constitutes a just peace. Students collaborated on a common project through which they considered various components of the current war between Ukraine and Russia. They joined together in common classroom lectures and broke into small groups to work on the project.

Project Length:

5 Weeks

Technology Tools Use:

Zoom
Google Classroom
Desire2Learn

Interaction Mode:

Synchronous
Asynchronous
Both

Learning Outcomes:

Students will be able to evaluate the relationship between religion and other elements of culture and society regarding such issues as the relation between religion and moral values, religion and power, as well as the role of religious movements as forces of personal and social transformation, social justice, and social integration.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between morality, religion and the problems of modern warfare, such as issues of noncombatant immunity, human rights, the dilemmas of raised by nuclear war, and the question of the limits of war.
Students will be able to apply a moral framework to questions of war and peace in a contemporary context.
Students will collaborate on a common project with the goal of understanding the moral and political dynamics of the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Students will be able to apply the moral principles surrounding war and peace to other historical and contemporary conflicts.

Faculty Feedback:

"The final presentation of student projects, both in class and in their white paper reports, was a highlight for me. It allowed me to see that the students had learned what we had sought to teach them in class, and allowed me to see how they collaborated together." ~Scott Paeth

"It was a great opportunity to share personal experiences and feel deep support from American students, as well as to discuss, in small groups, key aspects of different approaches to achieving and establishing a just and sustainable peace. This was not only an excellent international learning experience but also an effective way to foster closeness and understanding from an intercultural perspective." ~Yiury Martynyuk