David Kinsella
Hatfield School of Government
Office: 650L Urban Center
Phone: 503.725.3035   Email: kinsella@pdx.edu
Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Fri 11:30-12:30
 

Description

The course examines the myriad ways in which states have brought order and organization to their international conduct, with special emphasis on the functions and activities of formal international institutions. We will cover general purpose organizations, like the UN and (increasingly) the EU, as well as those with more specialized functions, like NATO (security), the WTO (trade), the IMF and World Bank (finance and development), WHO (global health), and the ICC (criminal justice). These organizations are the creations of states, but we will also look at nongovernmental organizations, like Greenpeace and Human Rights Watch. Such organizations, as well as many less formal transnational networks, are the creations of private actors, but designed to serve the global public good.

Learning Objectives

The general objective of this course is to develop the student's capacity to critically examine problems in international organization and global governance, consider the range of possible solutions to those problems, and communicate the results of this analysis to others. These objectives are to be accomplished by exposing students to relevant literature from the field of international organization. By the end of the term, students should be able to:

• show a familiarity with a wide range of substantive issues in international organization;
• understand the basic functioning of the most important institutions in international society;
• articulate coherent positions on a key normative debates arising from the quest for global governance; and
• design and execute a research project on some problem related to international organization, and communicate the findings to others.
   

Requirements and Evaluation

Readings

There is one required textbook for this course:

Other assigned readings are available online (via the PSU library website) and in the Political Science Division's reserve reading area (650 Urban Center). In addition to the assigned readings, you should be reading, on a regular basis, the New York Times, the Washington Post, or some other newspaper with thorough international coverage. Your performance in the course will reflect your familiarity with current issues of international organization and governance, and not just an understanding of lecture material and course readings.

Students are responsible for being familiar with the PSU Student Code of Conduct, especially the section concerning academic misconduct -- that is, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty. If you are unsure of the definition or consequences of academic misconduct, consult your instructor.

Because they are distracting to others, cell phones (voice or text) and MP3 players may not be used during lecture and should be turned off at the start of class. Laptops and tablets may be used to take notes, but not for email, web browsing, or social media. Electronic devices may not be used to photograph, video, or stream course lectures or discussion, but lectures may be audio recorded with permission of the instructor.

COURSE CALENDAR AND READING ASSIGNEMENTS

• Paul F. Diehl and Brian Frederking, "Introduction," chap. 1 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Thomas J. Volgy et al., "Identifying Formal Intergovernmental Organizations," chap. 2 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Kenneth W. Abbott and Duncan Snidal, "Why States Act Through Formal International Organizations," chap. 3 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Campbell Craig, "The Resurgent Idea of World Government," chap. 19 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides

• Paul Kennedy, The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future of the United Nations (Random House, 2006), chap. 1.
• Ian Johnstone, "The Role of the UN Secretary-General: The Power of Persuasion Based on Law," chap. 4 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Paul F. Diehl and Elijah PharaohKhan, "Financing UN Peacekeeping: A Review and Assessent of Proposals," chap. 6 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides

• Peter Wallensteen and Birger Heldt, "International Peacekeeping: The UN Versus Regional Organizations," chap. 7 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Michael J. Glennon, "Why the Security Council Failed," Foreign Affairs (May/June 2003), pp. 16-35.
• Ian Hurd, "Myths of Membership: The Politics of Legitimation in UN Security Council Reform," chap. 5 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Edward C. Luck, "Reforming the United Nations: Lessons from a History of Progress," chap. 18 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides

• Alexandra Gheciu, NATO in the "New Europe": The Politics of International Socialization after the Cold War (Stanford University Press, 2005), chap. 2.
• Michael Cox, "Beyond the West: Terrors in Transatlantia," European Journal of International Relations (June 2005), pp. 203-233.
• Renee de Nevers, "NATO's International Security Role in the Terrorist Era," chap. 9 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Alex J. Bellamy, "The Responsibility to Protect and the Problem of Military Intevention," chap. 8 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides

• David Mitrany, "The Functional Approach to World Organization," International Affairs (July 1948), pp. 350-363.
• Desmond Dinan, Europe Recast: A History of the European Union (Lynn Rienner, 2004), chap. 1.
• Amitai Etzioni, "The Community Deficit," Journal of Common Market Studies (March 2007), pp. 23-42.
• slides

• John H. Jackson, "The Case of the World Trade Organization," chap. 11 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Richard H. Steinberg, "In the Shadow of Law or Power? Consensus-Based Bargaining and Outcomes in the GATT/WTO," International Organization (Spring 2002), pp. 339-374.
• Susan Esserman and Robert Howse, "The WTO on Trial," Foreign Affairs (January/February 2003), pp. 130-140.
• Keisuke Iida, "Is WTO Dispute Settlement Effective?," chap. 10 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides

• Benjamin J. Cohen, "The International Monetary Sstem: Diffusion and Ambiguity," chap. 12 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Ngaire Woods, The Globalizers: The IMF, the World Bank, and Their Borrowers (Cornell University Press, 2006), chaps. 1-3.
• James H. Lebovic and Erik Voeten, "The Cost of Shame: International Organizations and Foreign Aid in the Punishing of Human Rights Violators," chap. 14 in Politics of Global Governance.

• Christine H. Chung, "The Punishment and Prevention of Genocide: The International Criminal Court as a Benchmark of Progress and Need," chap. 16 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Philippe Kirsch, "The Role of the International Criminal Court in Enforcing International Law," chap. 17 in Politics of Global Governance.
• Jamie Mayerfeld, "Who Shall Be Judge? The United States, the International Criminal Court, and the Global Enforcement of Human Rights," Human Rights Quarterly (February 2003), pp. 93-129.
• slides

• Oran R. Young, "The Architecture of Global Environmental Governance: Bringing Science to Bear on Policy," Global Environmental Politics (February 2008), pp. 14-32.
• Remi Parmentier, "Greenpeace and the Dumping of Waste at Sea: A Case of Non-State Actors' Intervention in International Affairs," International Negotiation (1999), pp. 433-455.
• Jeremy Youde, Global Health Governance (Polity Press, 2012), chaps. 1-2.
• Thomas E. Novotny, "Global Governance and Public Health Security in the 21st Century," chap. 15 in Politics of Global Governance.

• Mary Kaldor, "The Idea of Global Civil Society," International Affairs (May 2003), pp. 583-593.
• Margaret E. Keck and Kathryn Sikkink, Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics (Cornell University Press, 1998), chap. 1.
• Paul Nelson and Ellen Dorsey, "New Rights Advocacy in a Global Public Domain," chap. 13 in Politics of Global Governance.
• slides