Unit
Topic
Theme

Region
Length

Empowering Global Citizens

GCR.3

Just—War Theory and World War II

ICC: intrapersonal (conflict—resolution skills); ICC: inter—
personal (empathy); work and mind habits: innovation and
creativity; culture: world history and philosophical tradi—
tions; politics; and global risk: conflict

Japan and the United States

Three weeks

Goals and Objectives

1. Learn the principles of just—war theory.

2. Inspire students to understand the complexities of making ethical
evaluations and of determining whether an act of war or war itself
is “just.”

3. Act by participating in a mock trial of the United States’ bombing
of Hiroshima to determine whether the act was just.

Skills and Knowledge

1. Students will understand the basis of international agreements, such
as the Geneva Conventions, that regulate the conduct of nations in
wartime.

2. Students will learn the six principles of a just war (“jus ad bellum”).

Overview

Students focus on World War II and discuss the components of just—war

theory and its application to conflicts.