ClassInfo - Spring 2023 Political Science Classes

Spring 2023 | POL 4881W Section 001: The Politics of International Law and Global Governance (65528)

Instructor(s): Cosette Creamer
Drew Hogan (TA)
Class Component:: Lecture
Credits:: 3 Credits
Grading Basis:: Student Option
Instructor Consent:: No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:: In Person
Class Attributes:: UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Times and Locations:: Regular Academic Session

01/17/2023 - 05/01/2023

Tue, Thu 04:00PM - 05:15PM

UMTC, West Bank

Blegen Hall 235
Enrollment Status:: Open (41 of 58 seats filled)
Also Offered:: Spring 2023
Fall 2021

Course Catalog Description:

Why do countries go to war? Are individuals, organizations, and governments driven by their interests or their ideas? What role does power play in international relations and is there any role for justice in global politics? What are the causes and consequences of an increasingly globalized world economy? These questions are central to the study of international relations, yet different theoretical approaches have been developed in an attempt to answer them. Often these approaches disagree with one another, leading to markedly different policy prescriptions and predictions for future events. This course provides the conceptual and theoretical means for analyzing these developments in international politics. By the end of this class, you will be able to understand the assumptions, the logics, and the implications of major theories and concepts of international relations. These include realism, liberalism, institutionalism, constructivism, critical security studies, feminist theory, queer IR theory, post-colonial theory, indigenous approaches to international relations, and neo-Marxism. A special effort is made to relate the course material to world events, developments, or conflicts in the past decade or so.

Class Notes:

http://classinfo.umn.edu/?ccreamer+POL4881W+Spring2023

Class Description:

This course is an introduction to international law for students of world politics. A dense and expanding network of international rules and regulations now cover the globe. The primary purpose of this course is to enhance your understanding of the ways in which international legal rules order international and domestic politics. How and to what extent has international law helped resolve conflicts between countries or helped governments achieve common goals? What is law's relationship with countries' foreign policies? How does international law interact with or impact domestic politics and legal systems? Throughout the course, we emphasize the relationship between law and politics to understand why international law operates as it does. A special effort is made to relate the course material to global developments in the past decade or so: new technologies and the use of force; racial biases in war crimes accountability; trade wars & investment disputes; forced migration, refugees, and climate change; systemic racism, gender-based violence, and human rights; the international law of pandemics; and backlash against global governance.

Who Should Take This Class?:

Students from all concentrations are welcome to enroll. This is advanced, specialized course that examines in-depth the politics of international law and global governance. It includes readings and assignments at the most intellectually demanding undergraduate level. While there are no course prerequisites, you would benefit from previous coursework in international politics or global studies, such as POL 3835: International Relations.

Requirements fulfilled by this course:

· Liberal Education

· Global Perspectives Theme

· Writing Intensive

Learning Objectives:

As a result of taking this course, you will be able to:

· Understand the basic structures and norms of the international legal system

· Articulate how and why various actors use international law to express values or achieve goals

· Better understand how law relates to important current issues

· Describe clearly when and how international law shapes global politics and policy

· Explain persuasively when and how international law shapes domestic politics and policy

· Use comparative and critical thinking and writing skills to bring together theory and practice

Grading:

Policy Memo: 15%

Analytical Essay: 15%

Online Comprehension Quizzes: 26%

International Agreement Group Project: 20%

Attendance & Participation: 24%

Exam Format:

n/a

Class Format:

This course adopts an in-person, synchronous modality with partial online delivery of academic content.

The course will be split between:

- Synchronous in-person discussion & simulation sessions during scheduled course time (once per week)

- Online lectures followed by comprehension quizzes

Textbooks:

https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/65528/1233

Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:

24 November 2021

ClassInfo Links - Spring 2023 Political Science Classes

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