War and Peace – The Nature of War

By the end of this lesson you will have:

•Learnt the difference between civil and guerrilla warfare

•Familiarised yourself with some of the key

terms with regards to war •Have discovered some

key facts with regards to war

Syllabus

• Students should be aware of the wide range of issues arising from Just War theory, working from Augustine’s and Aquinas’ approaches to Just War, but also, if they wish, referring to any other attempts of to refine and present the theory. They may apply it to recent or contemporary wars in order to identify its strengths and weaknesses, whilst being careful not to overload their essays with historical or political detail. Religious responses to modern warfare provide useful source materials and can offer the basis for students to consider whether religion can ever justify war. A consideration of pacifism will benefit from an examination of different motivations pacifism, religious and non-religious, such as humanitarian and environmental reasons as well as, for example, following the teaching of Jesus. Students may make reference to the work of key pacifist individuals or organisations, but these should not be anecdotal or unexamined.