Admission requirements
None
Description
From climate change to Ebola to the financial crisis, many of the most pressing political problems of our time are transnational in character. Yet, political structures are still predominantly national, making it difficult to address cross-border issues in an adequate way. International organizations play an important role in filling this gap. This course introduces students to the wide range of organizations engaged in international governance, from global forums like the United Nations (UN) and regional organizations like the European Union (EU) to economic institutions such as the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and non-state actors like Amnesty International and Apple Inc.
In the course, we survey the different types of international cooperation and discuss how international organizations vary in their power and capacity to address transnational policy issues. Importantly, the course approaches these issues from a public administration perspective: International organizations are analyzed not only as players on the international arena, but also as bureaucratic organizations in their own right. The course applies familiar issues and concepts from public administration to the study of these international organizations, highlighting the similarities and differences between national and international bureaucracies.
The lectures combine the discussion of central issues in international administration with an application of these issues to real-world cases.
Course objectives
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the main features of important international organizations.
2. Discuss the ability of international organizations to address transnational policy issues.
3. Explain and illustrate public administration perspectives on international organizations.
Timetable
Mode of instruction
This course consists of lectures, working groups and self-study.
Course Load
Assessment method
- Short paper written in the context of the working group (40 % of final grade).
- A final written exam with open-ended descriptive questions and essay questions (60 % of final grade).
You can find more information about assessments and the timetable exams on the website.
Details for submitting papers (deadlines) are posted on Blackboard.
On the Public Administration front page of the E-guide you will find links to the website, uSis and Blackboard.
Resit
Students will be permitted to resit an examination if they have taken the first sit and earned a mark between 3 and 5.5 or with permission of the Board of Examiners.
Resit written exam
Students that want to take part in a resit for a written exam, are required to register via uSis. Use the activity number that can be found on the ‘timetable exams’.
Blackboard
Yes
Reading list
Textbook: Karns, M., K. Mingst and K. Stiles (2015). International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global Governance. Third edition. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.
Plus articles to be announced (see Blackboard).
Registration
Use both uSis and Blackboard to register for every course.
Register for every course and workgroup via uSis. Some courses and workgroups have a limited number of participants, so register on time (before the course starts). In uSis you can access your personal schedule and view your results. Registration in uSis is possible from four weeks before the start of the course.
Also register for every course in Blackboard. Important information about the course is posted here.