Admission requirements
None.
Description
This course provides an introduction to the changing global order and the contested meanings of justice in world affairs. It starts with the establishment of the Westphalian system of sovereign states, which has structured international life for centuries. In this model, global order meant a balance of power among states, and justice was primarily understood in terms of state sovereignty, formal equality, and non-intervention. However, in the course of the past century, this model has been increasingly questioned.
Globalization, rising inequality, climate change, and new technologies have generated demands for more inclusive and equitable forms of global governance. At the same time, non-state actors—from international organizations and transnational corporations to activist networks and insurgent groups—have gained influence, complicating the traditional, state-centric vision of world order. Meanwhile, competing normative frameworks, especially those grounded in human rights, have challenged sovereignty as the ultimate organizing principle of global politics and international law.
This course examines these shifts through key concepts and debates in international relations theory, international law, and global political thought. Its core questions include: Can the global order be reformed to reflect changing power dynamics and moral concerns? How should we understand justice in a world marked by persistent inequality, interdependence, competing values, and rising great power competition? Should global justice be pursued through existing institutions, or does it require imagining new ones? And, how can order and justice be put in a mutually reinforcing relationship?
Course Objectives
Knowledge:
To identify the most important ways in which global order and justice have been conceptualized in modern international affairs, and how they are changing.
To understand the key features of theoretical approaches to global order and justice.
To understand the nature and role international law in global order and justice, and how it is evolving.
To demonstrate knowledge of the key actors in global order and justice, including non-state actors.
To demonstrate knowledge of the differences between political, ethical and legal approaches to global peace and justice.
Skills:
To critically evaluate the central explanatory and normative frameworks for understanding global order and justice.
To research, develop and defend coherent arguments on key controversies in global order and justice, including through real-life cases.
To communicate arguments effectively orally, and in writing.
Timetable
Timetables for courses offered at Leiden University College in 2025-2026 will be published on this page of the e-Prospectus.
Mode of instruction
TBA
Assessment Method
TBA
Reading list
Reading materials will be shared in the syllabus and on Brightspace.
Registration
Courses offered at Leiden University College (LUC) are usually only open to LUC students and LUC exchange students. Leiden University students who participate in one of the university’s Honours tracks or programmes may register for one LUC course, if availability permits. Registration is coordinated by the Education Coordinator, course.administration@luc.leidenuniv.nl.
Contact
Emelie Andersin, e.m.a.andersin@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Amira Fretz, a.k.fretz@luc.leidenuniv.nl
Remarks
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