Andrew Carnegie believed that law, international accountability, and the spread of knowledge could put an end to war. Over 100 years since its founding, Carnegie Council has become one of the world's top creators of nonpartisan educational resources on international ethics. We offer a variety of free resources to teach the concept of "ethics and war" in high school and college social studies, history, and humanities classrooms.
Video Resources
Content Resources
Lesson Plans
VIDEO RESOURCES
Global Ethics Corner: This short, two-minute multimedia educational series examines political, economic, environmental, and philosophical issues from an ethical perspective. It challenges the reader to analyze social studies phenomena and respond thoughtfully.
This series is great for high school "Do Now" hook writing exercises and accompanying conversations, argumentative writing, and debates. Transcripts are available for students to annotate or for classrooms without multimedia systems.
Short Expert Videos: These short, two to six-minute video clips from academic experts and prominent leaders feature discussions on politics, economics, the environment, and philosophy.
These primary and secondary sources make great complements to lectures and readings. They challenge the student to gain a deeper understanding and explore different positions. It will work well in a college-bound high school or college classroom as well as in the flipped classroom.
Flipped Classroom: Carnegie Council offers a twist on the traditional "flipped classroom." Rather than entire lectures or guided instruction, we offer an abbreviated version of this, along with thought-provoking questions that the teacher can use in class. Beyond the "flipped classroom" the videos will also work well for "Do Now" activities, argumentative writing exercises, debates, and discussions on morality, combat, rights, technology and weaponry.
CONTENT RESOURCES
Primary Sources: For 100 years, Carnegie Council has worked with prominent academic and leaders on issues concerning policy, peace, ethics, and international affairs. We have curated primary sources from our archives that will help students learn more about the concept of ethics and war.
Recommended Books: From antiquity to today, certain questions concerning ethics and war have remained persistent. These books explore how and why we go to war, what has stayed the same, and what must change.
Ethics and Modern Warfare: This resource pick from 2014 curates some of the most relevant articles, lectures, and interviews relating to the ethics of modern warfare and what new technology and structural changes mean for peace and stability. Includes primary and secondary sources from a wide variety of voices in military, politics, and academia.
Study Guide to Ethical Considerations: Law, Foreign Policy, and the War on Terror
Alberto Mora, former general counsel of the U.S. Navy, fought to halt policies that authorized cruel and unlawful interrogation practices for detainees at Guantanamo Bay. This booklet contains a speech by Mora, a torture debate timeline, discussion questions, and recommended resources.
Norms, Morals, and Ethics (worksheet)
This worksheet activity was developed for students to gain a better understanding of the definitions of norms, morals, and ethics. It also allows students to evaluate similarities and differences of the terms and see how they relate to international affairs.
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "Why We Fight"
In 1961, Eisenhower warned that the interests of the increasingly powerful "military-industrial complex" might one day determine the direction of U.S. policy. Has that day come to pass?
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "Dirty Wars"
This film chronicles the undeclared shadow wars fought across the globe in the name of American national security—as well as the highly secretive agencies who fight them. How many of our values can we afford to sacrifice in the name of national security? Will the "war on terror" ever end?
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "Zero Dark Thirty"
A fictional adaptation of the CIA's hunt for Osama bin Laden, this blockbuster has reignited the debate surrounding the CIA's use of "enhanced interrogation techniques"—i.e. torture. The movie has also sparked a discussion over the ethical responsibilities of filmmakers.
Ethics on Film: Discussion of "The Battle of Algiers"
Shot in documentary style, this classic about the Algerian struggle for independence from France in the 1950s has become a learning tool both for rebel movements and those fighting them. The film graphically raises issues of what is justified in an asymmetrical guerrilla war: Bombs killing innocent civilians? Torture of presumed terrorists?