Syllabus
International Institutions and Governance
Summer Term 2007/2008
Thursday 15.30-16.50 (J2080)
Course number
PM214
Lecturer
PhDr. Jan Karlas, MA., PhD.
Office hours - Monday, 11.00-12.20 (Institute of International Relations, Nerudova 3, Prague 1)
Contact - jan.karlas@seznam.cz
Description
This course deals with international institutions (such as norms, international organizations, and regimes). The course has three objectives: 1) to present main theoretical approaches to international institutions, 2) to overview the contemporary international institutions, 3) to examine the concept and reality of international governance.
The three objectives of the course conform to its three sections. In Section I, we will examine the main theoretical approaches to international institutions (namely realism, neoliberalism, and constructivism). Those approaches represent a very useful tool for the study of international institutions because they rise important questions about institutions as a phenomenon in international relations (such as why international institutions exist and to what extent they influence international politics) and also offer answers to such questions. In other words, theories of international institutions enable us to consider the role and significance of institutions in international relations.
Section II describes the contemporary international institutions. Due to the extensive range of this subject, this part of the course focuses on international organizations as one type of international institutions (it focuses on those international organizations that work at the global level and in Europe). Nevertheless, it also provides an overview of the current norms and regimes as other types of international institutions.
Section III provides an introduction to the concept of international (or global) governance, which is increasingly used, likewise international institutions, for the description of the rules of international life.
Number of credits 6
Course form 1/1 (Lecture/Seminar)
Most of the sessions will be divided into a lecture and a seminar.
Form of evaluation
Grade
Requirements 1) 1 Seminar Presentation (20% of the grade)
In each seminar, one student will present the seminar readings - even if two readings are assigned (EXCEPT FOR THE SEMINAR IN SECTION III). There is generally no difference between a one-reading and two-readings seminar regarding the length of the readings (which usually vary between 20 and 35 pages). The purpose of the presentation is not to summarize the readings, but to present the issue the reading addresses, the approach the author uses (if he uses any specific approach) and the arguments s/he makes. ALL THE SEMINAR READINGS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE COURSE FILE IN THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY IN JINONICE (PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT OF THE LIBRARY). 2) 1 Research Report (30% of the grade)
In their research reports, students will describe the structures or activities of a selected international organization related to a particular issue area. A good research report focuses on a quite limited issue area and provides a succinct, but comprehensive and detailed analysis of the selected international organization with regard to this area (e.g. the institutional structure of the UN in the field of international economic relations, the activities of NATO in conflict prevention, or the activities of the OSCE in the former Yugoslavia). The research report must be referenced (you have to provide constantly throughout the report the references to the sources that you use). The research report should be approx. 2000-3000 words in length. Students can (but do not necessarily have to) use their research reports as the basis for their term papers. Research reports are to be submitted at jan.karlas@seznam.cz by 16 May. 3) 1 Term Paper (50% of the grade)
The term paper differs from the research report in that it is not mainly ?descriptive?, but ?analytical?. This means that each term paper must 1) identify a research objective that it seeks to achieve, 2) explain from which ideas or facts this objective arises, and 3) outline the method that the author uses to achieve the selected objective. The topic of the term paper is up to the student?s choice, but it must correspond to the subject of the course. One general possibility is to describe (but in an ?analytical? manner), evaluate or explain the structures or activities of the selected international institution/s. Another possibility might be to describe or evaluate some part of the already existing research on international institutions. The term paper must be referenced (you have to provide constantly throughout the paper the references to the sources that you use). The term paper should be approx. 3000-4000 words in length. Each student must submit his/her term paper at jan.karlas@seznam.cz by 11 June at the latest.
Program
Section I ? Theories of international institutions 1. Course overview; typology of international institutions (21 February)
No seminar 2. Theories of international institutions I. ? the basic approaches (28 February)
No seminar 3. Theories of international institutions II. ? delegation of power (6 March)
Seminar reading (35 pages):
Moravcsik, Andrew. 2000. The Origins of Human Rights Regimes: Democratic Delegation in Postwar Europe. International Organization 54 (2), 217-252. 4. Theories of international institutions III. ? role of international administration (13 March)
Seminar reading (32 pages):
Finnemore, Martha. 1993. International organizations as teachers of norms: The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and science policy. International Organization, 47 (4), 565-597.
Section II ? Contemporary international institutions 5. Norms and regimes (20 March)
Seminar reading (32 pages):
Finnemore, Martha. 1996. Constructing Norms of Humanitarian Intervention. In Peter J. Katzenstein (ed.), The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Politics. New York: Columbia University Press, 153-185. 6. United Nations ? the global universal organization (27 March)
Seminar reading (23 pages):
Glennon, Michael J. 2003. Why the Security Council Failed. Foreign Affairs 82 (3), 16-35.
Luck, Edward C., et al. 2003. Stayin' Alive: The Rumours of the UN's Death Have Been Exaggerated. Foreign Affairs 82 (4), 201-205. 7. WTO, IMF and World Bank - global economic organizations (3 April)
Seminar reading (27 pages):
Barnett, Michael, and Martha Finnemore. 2004. Expertise and Power at the International Monetary Fund. In Michael Barnett and Martha Finnemore, Rules for the World: International Organizations in Global Politics, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 45-72. 8. NATO and the OSCE ? pan-European organizations (10 April)
Seminar reading (31 pages):
Risse-Kappen, Thomas. 1996. Collective identity in a democratic community: the case of NATO. In Ronald L. Jepperson, Alexander Wendt, and Peter J. Katzenstein (eds.), Norms, Identity, and Culture in National Security, New York: Columbia University Press, 357-399 (present only pages 357-372!).
Sjursen, Helene. 2004. On the Identity of NATO. International Affairs 80 (4), 687-703. 9. European Union ? beyond an international organization (17 April)
Seminar reading (32 pages):
Risse, Thomas, and Mareike Kleine. 2007. Assessing the Legitimacy of the EU's Treaty Revision Methods. Journal of Common Market Studies 45 (1), 69?80.
Kleine, Mareike. 2007. Leadership in the European Convention. Journal of European Public Policy 14 (8), 1227-1248. 10. EU as a security institution; the Council of Europe (24 April)
Seminar reading (30 pages):
Menon, Anand. 2004. From Crisis to Catharsis: ESDP after Iraq. International Affairs 80 (4), 631-648.
Eilstrup Sangiovanni, Mette 2003. Why a Common Security and Defence Policy is Bad for
Europe. Survival 45 (3), 193-206. 1 May ? No Class (National Holiday) 8 May ? No Class (National Holiday)
Section III ? International governance 11. International governance ? an academic concept or the reality? (15 May)
Seminar readings: (each reading should be presented by a different student) 1. Krahman, Elke. National, Regional, and Global Governance: One Phenomenon or Many? Global Governance 9, 323-346. 2. Marks, Gary, Liesbet Hooghe, Kermit Blank. 1996. European Integration since the 1980s. State-centric Versus Multi-Level Governance. Journal of Common Market Studies 34 (3), 343-378. 3. Weber, Mark, et al. 2004. The Governance of European Security. Review of International Studies 30 (1), 3-26.
Annotation
This course deals with international institutions (such as norms, international organizations, and regimes). The course has three objectives: 1) to present main theoretical approaches to international institutions, 2) to overview the contemporary international institutions, 3) to examine the concept and reality of international governance.
The three objectives of the course conform to its three sections. In Section I, we will examine the main theoretical approaches to international institutions (namely realism, neoliberalism, and constructivism). Those approaches represent a very useful tool for the study of international institutions because they rise important questions about institutions as a phenomenon in international relations (such as why international institutions exist and to what extent they influence international politics) and also offer answers to such questions. In other words, theories of international institutions enable us to consider the role and significance of institutions in international relations.
Section II describes the contemporary international institutions. Due to the extensive range of this subject, this part of the course focuses on international organizations as one type of international institutions (it focuses on those international organizations that work at the global level and in Europe). Nevertheless, it also provides an overview of the current norms and regimes as other types of international institutions.
Section III provides an introduction to the concept of international (or global) governance, which is increasingly used, likewise international institutions, for the description of the rules of international life.