Admission requirements
This course is open to Erasmus Exchange Students (Public Administration), Students of the Minor Bestuurskunde: Openbaar Bestuur, Beleid en Management, and Leiden University students (elective/keuzevak).
Description
International challenges are at the center of many current public and political debates. For instance, while climate change looms large, a multitude of ongoing migration, health, and security challenges have causes and/or consequences that span international borders. At the same time, an increasingly diverse set of state and non-state actors is seeking to address these challenges, with varying levels of success.
This course will introduce students to the varieties, virtues, and vulnerabilities of international governance. To do so, we will explore questions like: what is “governance”? Who “governs” international challenges? Whose behavior are “governors” trying to shift, and through which methods do they seek to shift it? The course will especially emphasize how international governance architectures are designed and what role different actors play in shaping them. It will also explore how domestic governments respond to international governance initiatives and the factors that contribute to their success or failure.
Note: this course has some overlap with another course in public administration minor program: International Administration. Key differences:
International Administration emphasizes the application of public administration theory to international organizations. International Governance is less theoretical. It puts greater emphasis on introducing students to the different types of actors involved in global governance, key international policy issues, and challenges and opportunities associated with each of the former.
In discussing international organizations, International Administration stresses organizational dynamics. International Governance puts more emphasis on the broader political environments in which international organizations operate.
Course objectives
This course will enable students to:
Understand the major actors, processes, promises, and challenges associated with various aspects of international governance.
Evaluate theories of international governance and understand their use for analyzing real-world policy problems.
Develop critical analysis and writing capabilities.
Timetable
On the right side of programme front page of the studyguide you will find links to the timetables, uSis and Brightspace.
Mode of instruction
140 hours total:
Class meetings (lecture + activities): 7×2 hours.
Self-study: 126 hours
Class sessions will involve a mix of activities, including: lecture from the instructor, open discussion, small-group discussion, and other exercises.
Because of the highly interactive nature of the course, attendance and participation is essential.
This is a reading-intensive course. Completing and critically reflecting on the pre-session readings will be critical for students’ successful engagement in the sessions that follow, success on the final exam, and learning more generally. Every student will be required to submit short analytical reflections on the readings for several class sessions prior to those sessions.
Assessment method
The final grade is the weighted average of:
Reading responses: 35%
Final exam: 65%
Partial grades for this course can be compensated; the weighted average of all partial grades for this course must be at least 5.5.
Retake policy
Eligibility condition for re-take of the final exam:
- The student failed the course on the first attempt.
Eligibility conditions for re-take one of the reading reflection assignments (at most, students may only re-do one): (all conditions must be met)
The student failed the course on the first attempt.
The student’s re-take exam score (if applicable) was still not high enough for the student to pass the course.
Timing/location of re-takes
Students must complete exam re-takes during the course’s designated re-take slot at the designated location.
Students must complete and submit reading reflection re-takes at some point during the designated exam re-take week. They do not need to complete these at a specific location; they can email these to me.
Reading list
TBA
Registration
Register yourself via MyStudymap for each course. Registration for this course is possible from TBA
Do so on time, before the start of the course; some courses and workgroups have limited spaces. You can view your personal schedule in MyTimetable after logging in.
Leiden University uses Brightspace as its online learning management system. After enrolment for the course in MyStudymap you will be automatically enrolled in the Brightspace environment of this course.
More information on registration via MyStudymap can be found on this page.
Please note: guest-/contract-/exchange students do not register via MyStudymap but via uSis.
Contact
Dr. Gus Greenstein, g.h.greenstein@fgga.leidenuniv.nl