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After completing this course students are able to:
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articulate the leading explanations within political science/international relations as to why IOs exist,
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understand controversies surrounding IOs in the context of international relations theory,
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why and how international organizations are thought to help solve global problems, and the major challenges IOs face in meeting their objectives.
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to apply theoretical arguments from the IR literature to specific cases.
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International Organizations are fundamental to understanding international politics. They play a major role in efforts to attain international cooperation and global governance. Yet the power, impact, and effectiveness of International Organizations differ widely – across organizations, issues, regions, and over time. A key aim of the course is to understand these differences and their implications for the solution of transnational challenges.
The course will be divided in two parts. The first part introduces central theoretical approaches that help us to understand key aspects of international organizations: their creation and design, their decision-making processes, and their impact and policy effectiveness. The second part applies this analytical toolbox to explain the role of international institutions in specific policy domains, such as security, human rights, health, environment, migration and labor rights.
In terms of institutions, while particular attention will be given to the United Nations and related agencies and programs, non-governmental and regional organizations will be discussed as well.
Format
This course will be conducted through seminars with an emphasis on interactive teaching aimed at engaging all students in active participation. There will also be group/student-led
discussion sessions. For these group-led discussion sessions, I will assign a group of students (2-3 students) articles, which they will present together with questions that they develop based on their reading. The assigned group will be responsible for leading class discussion with puzzles and questions. Furthermore, a debate and/or simulation will be included in the course.
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