International Organizations – Burcu Özdemir-Sarıgil

Eğitmen/Lecturer: Dr. Burcu Özdemir-Sarıgil
Dersin Verildiği Okul/Institution the course is offered: Bilkent Üniversitesi
Bilkent Üniversitesi Ders Kodu/Bilkent University Course Code: IR 305

Course Description and Objectives

What are the International Organizations (IOs)? Why do ‘sovereign’ states create IOs? What role do the IOs play in global politics? What issues do IOs address? How do IOs work? What is the overall impact of IOs on world order? What about International Non-Governmental Organizations?; why do non-state actors organize internationally and how do they work and impact world politics? What the world would be like in the absence of IOs? These are some of the questions that scholars, politicians, and practitioners address in an exploration of the roles, actorness, potentials, and limitations of the IOs. Some think that the IOs fulfill their very important purposes and serve to reach certain normative goals. Others argue that the role and impact of IOs are trivial. Some others argue that governments use the IOs to pursue their own interests and goals. IOs can be used to do the “dirty work” of governments – they can “launder” dirty politics – or IOs can be scapegoats. In short, IOs can be the “dark knight” (sometimes for better, sometimes for worse). In any case, it is clear that at least for two centuries IOs matter in global politics, and this introductory course encourages students to learn and think critically about the constellation of IOs in the world.  

This course aims to give students an understanding of the major theoretical and empirical aspects of the IOs. We will analyze the structure, functioning, compliance mechanisms, and practices of major IOs (i.e., International/Regional Governmental Organizations and International Non-Governmental Organizations) shaping global politics in key issue areas such as security, peace, cooperation, development, trade, finance, human rights, justice, environment, etc.  

The main objectives of the course are the following: 

• Providing a comprehensive overview of the structures, actors, and functions of the IOs in the contemporary international system and global politics;  
• Increasing students’ familiarity with theoretical and conceptual approaches to the IOs;  
• Enhancing students’ capacity to apply different perspectives to the analysis of major events, developments, interactions, ideas, and complex issues affecting the IOs and the development of the global order;  
• Improving students’ knowledge and skills to evaluate, discuss and communicate on the past and current practices of IOs.  
• Encouraging students to apply for internships and work in IOs. 

Course Evaluation and Grading

All students must complete the readings by the date for which they are assigned, attend classes regularly, participate in class discussions actively, make presentations, and take exams.  

Grades will be based on:  
a) Class attendance and participation: 10%  
b) Group Presentation: 15%  
c) Midterm exam: 35%  
d) Final exam: 40%  

Class Attendance and Participation (10 %): Success in this class requires active class participation. Attendance will be taken during each session. Moreover, students are expected to engage actively in class by (i) participating in discussions and/or debates on the topics provided by the instructor, and (ii) contributing to presentations. To be graded, your attendance must be over 80% (5 points) and your participation, questions, and comments must be related to class and/or the course material; respectful of diverse opinions, and open to follow-up questions and/or disagreement; advance the discussion about issues related to the course and/or course material. Also, expect pop quizzes!!! (5 points).  

Group Presentation (15%): In weeks 1 and 2, students will be assigned to a group (composed of 3 or 4 students) and set the date for group presentations. Each group will make a maximum of 20-minute presentation (each student will have approximately 5 minutes) on the particular IO and/or case study they choose (10 points). Additionally, each group must prepare a Q&A and discussion part relevant to their presentations (5 points). For the Q&A part, students are encouraged to use the KAHOOT! application, which contributes to an interactive class environment and more joyful learning. Detailed instructions will be provided.  

Exams [Midterm & Final]: The Midterm (35% of total grade) and Final Exam (40% of total grade) will be in-class, closed-book exam format and consist of essay questions. The exams cover lectures, readings, and discussions. There will be a review session before each exam. 

Course Rules and Policies

All information regarding the course will be announced in class and also sent via e-mail and Moodle. Please check your e-mails and Moodle regularly.   

• Your instructor is strict on discrimination, plagiarism, and other instances of the violation of academic honesty. Be aware that such actions result in severe disciplinary measures.  

• ·Please come to the classroom on time. It is disruptive to arrive late (max 10 minutes) to class. Repeated disruptions will lead to a reduction in your final grade.  

• Missing Exams and Make-up Rules: In case of illness and/or personal emergency, the instructor will provide make-up exams only when provided with proper documentation. You must let me know either before or during the exam day by email or in person. Otherwise, you CANNOT claim a make-up exam.  

• Grade Appeals: If you wish to challenge a grade you received on a specific question on an exam, you must submit a written note or e-mail explaining why you think you deserve more points within one week of receiving the grades. Otherwise, I will not accept grade appeals. Once I receive your written note, I will regrade the entire exam in terms of the answer key, and your grades may increase, decrease or remain the same, and explain the reasons.  

Course Readings

There will be one core textbook required for this course: Ian Hurd, International Organizations: Politics, Law, and Practice 3rd edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018).  

In addition, there are numerous book chapters and journal articles to read and discuss. These materials should also be considered by students as part of the core readings of the course. All these readings are available online. Thus, you do not need to print and waste paper.  

Course Overview

Week 1: Course Overview and Introduction to IOs  

Week 2: How to Study IOs? Theoretical Perspectives  

Week 3: United Nations 1- UN Organs, Law and Administration  

Week 4: United Nations 2-International Peace and Security  

Week 5: United Nations 3- Human Rights, Women’s Rights, and Gender Equality  

Week 6: United Nations 4- International Court of Justice  

Week 7: International Criminal Court  

Week 8: World Trade Organization  

Week 9: World Bank and International Monetary Fund  

Week 10-11: Regionalism and Regional Organizations  

Week 12-13: International Non-Governmental Organizations and World Politics  

Week 14: Review and Concluding Remarks/ Rethinking the IOs in the post-Covid-19 World  

Course Schedule

Week 1: Course Overview and Introduction to International Organizations (IOs)  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 1, pp. 1-17  
• Brian Frederking and Paul F. Diehl, “Introduction,” in Brian Frederking and Paul F. Diehl (eds.) The Politics of Global Governance: International Organizations in an Interdependent World (5th edition) Lynne Rienner Publishers, (2015) pp.1-6  

Week 2: How to Study International Organizations: Theoretical Perspectives  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 2, pp. 17-42  

Suggested Readings:  

• M.N. Barnett and M. Finnemore, “The Politics, Power, and Pathologies of International Organizations,” International Organization 53:4 (1999), pp. 699-732  
• Kenneth Abbot and Duncan Snidal, “Why States Act through Formal International Organizations,” The Journal of Conflict Resolution 42:1, (1998), pp.3-32.  
• John Mearsheimer, “The False Promise of International Institutions,” International Security 19:3 (winter 1994/95), pp. 5-49.  

Week 3: United Nations 1- UN Organs, Law and Administration  

Documentary (16 minutes): The Founding of the United Nations Organization and the San Francisco Conference in 1945. https://www.unmultimedia.org/avlibrary/asset/1288/1288630/  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 3, pp. 42-80.  

Week 4: United Nations 2: International Peace and Security  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 4, pp. 80-109  

Suggested Readings:  

• United Nations Peace Operations (available at https://www.unmissions.org/)  
• Background Note: United Nations Peacekeeping (available at https://peacekeeping.un.org/sites/default/files/backgroundnote.pdf)  
• Nadine Puechguirbal, “Peacekeeping, Peacebuilding and Post-conflict Reconstruction,” in Laura Shepherd (ed.) Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations (London and New York: Routledge, 2010), pp.161-175  
• Films: Hotel Rwanda (2004); Film: The Whistleblower (2010)  

Week 4 Group Presentations and In-class Discussion:  

• Case: Rwanda Genocide, UN Security Council Resolution 872 on Rwanda (1993) and UNAMIR Case: Responsibility to Protect 
• Case: UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on ‘Women, Peace, and Security’.  

Week 5: United Nations 3: Human Rights, Women’s Rights, and Gender Equality  

Documentary: Women at the United Nations 1945-1995, https://www.unmultimedia.org/avlibrary/asset/1843/1843458/  

Required Readings:  

• Yakın Ertürk, “The UN Agenda for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality,” Perceptions (Summer 2005), pp.91-113  
• The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 

Week 6: United Nations 4: International Court of Justice  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 8, pp.192-223  
• International Court of Justice Handbook (available at https://www.icjcij.org/files/publications/handbook-of-the-court-en.pdf )  

Week 6 Group Presentations and In-class Discussion  

• Case: ICJ-Aegean Sea Continental Shelf (Greece v. Turkey)  
• Case: Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000 (Democratic Republic of Congo v. Belgium)  

Week 7: International Criminal Court  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 9, pp. 226-255  

Week 7 Group Presentations and In-Class Discussion:  

• Case: The Omer al-Bashir Indictment of ICC  

Week 8: World Trade Organization  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 5, pp. 109-138 

Week 8 Group Presentations and In-Class Discussion  

• Case: Shrimp-Turtles Dispute and WTO  
• Case: WTO Doha Round 

Week 9: World Bank and International Monetary Fund  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 6, pp. 138-168  

Week 9 Group Presentations and In-class Discussion  

• Case: Argentina and the IMF 
• Case: Turkey and the IMF  

Week 10-11: Regionalism and Regional Organizations  

Required Readings:  

• Ian Hurd, Chapter 10, pp.255-285  

Suggested Readings:  

• Amitav Acharya, “Norm Subsidiarity and Regional Orders: Sovereignty, Regionalism and Rule-Making in the Third World,” International Studies Quarterly 55 (2011), pp. 95-123  
• Amitav Acharya, “Comparative Regionalism: A Field Whose Time has Come?,” The International Spectator 47:1 (2012), pp. 3-15  
• Tanja A. Borzel and Thomas Risse (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Regionalism (Oxford University Press, 2016)  

Week 10-11 Group Presentations and In-class Discussion: Please choose one of the following regional organizations or add yours to the list: NATO, OSCE, European Union, NAFTA, Mercosur, ASEAN, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, African Union, the League of Arab States… 

Week 12-13: International Non-Governmental Organizations and World Politics  

Required Readings:  

• Steve Charnovitz, “Nongovernmental Organizations and International Law,” 100 American Journal of International Law 348 (2006)  
• Cecilia Tortajada, “Nongovernmental Organizations and Influence on Global Public Policy,” Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies 3:2 (2016)  
• 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.  

Week 12-13 Group Presentations and In-Class Discussion: Please choose one of the following INGOs or add yours to the list: Amnesty International, Green Peace, International Red Cross and Red Crescent, Care International, OXFAM, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Doctors without Borders, AIESEC, International Air Transport Association…  

Week 14: Review and Concluding Remarks/ Rethinking the IOs in the post-Covid-19 World  

Required Readings:  

• M.N. Barnett and M. Finnemore, “The Politics, Power, and Pathologies of International Organizations,” International Organization 53:4 (1999), pp. 699-732  
• Ian Hurd, Chapter 10, conclusion