THE UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM
Prof. Taylor Benjamin-Britton
Lehigh University – Fall 2016
E-mail: Course Time: M-W 12:45-2:00
Office: 216 Maginnes HallOffice Hours: M-W 11:30-12:30
Course Description
The United Nations is the internationalinstitution through whichthe governmentsand actors of the world convene, expressviews, and take action on the issues confronting humanity in the 21st century. The United Nations system today invaluably facilitatesthe conduct of peaceful international relations, but is at the same time resented for the limitations that its structure imposes. In this course, through traditional academic study as well as experiential learning, we will develop an understanding of the contradictory international responses to this organization. The course will proceed in three main parts: the design and functions of the United Nations, the main issues around which the work of the United Nations focuses today and its efficacy in addressing these issues, and finally the areas for potential future growth and improvement in the United Nations system.
Course Requirements
Readings
Rather than using a traditional textbook, we will be using a collection of digitized texts throughout the semester that will be made available on the CourseSite. While this course has an assigned reading list, additional readings may be added on a weekly basis to enhance our discussion. Be advised that if you do not prepare by reading for class, it will affect your participation score.
Participation
This class emphasizes participation, which includes not only regular class attendance but also thoughtful contribution to our weekly discussions. In order to meaningfully participate in class, you must prepare by doing the assigned readings in order to put in and get the most out of your experience. For this course, it is also recommended that you follow current events through at least one international news source on a daily basis (for instance, BBC News, the New York Times, or Al Jazeera). A note on collegiate conduct: while we will address issues you may feel strongly about and are encouraged to speak your mind in the classroom, you will also be expected to treat one another and myself with dignity and respect.
United Nations Trip
This course includes a mandatory field trip to the United Nations, which will occur on Friday October 21, 2016. During this trip we will take a tour of the offices in New York and attend briefings with delegates, which will enhance the context of our understanding of the inner workings of the UN. The price of the trip is $13.00, which students must pay to the Department of International Relations by the end of September.
Simulation
At the end of the semester, we will conduct a UN Security Council policy simulation, in which students will be assigned the role of a Security Council member state and asked to respond to a theoretical international crisis. Students will take a position on the crisis and advance arguments in favor of a particular course of action. The simulation will culminate in the group drafting of a Security Council Resolution. Ahead of the simulation, students will be asked to complete background research and prepare policy memos detailing the historical international policy of their country, a position on the crisis, and a proposal for a future Security Council Resolution.
The schedule for simulation activities will be as follows:
September 5 Country Assignments
September 26Policy Memo #1 Due (Country History)
October 19Policy Memo #2 Due (Stance on the Crisis)
November 7Policy Memo #3 Due (UNSC Proposal)
November 27-December 5UNSC Simulation
Exams
There will two exams, a midterm and a final. The exams will feature short answers and essay questions, through which students must identify relevant themes and concepts and discuss their importance for international politics in the context of the United Nations system. Students should present clear theses, defend their theses with evidence and logic, and respond to potential rival arguments to receive full credit.
Assignment Values
In-Class Participation20%
Policy Memos20%
UNSC Simulation20%
Midterm20%
Final Exam20%
Late Work
If you need to request an extension for some extraordinary reason, you must do so at least 24 hours before the due date of the assignment. Simply asking for an extension does not guarentee you will be granted one!Students experiencing extenuating circumstances should contact me at to discuss a plan for completion. If you do not complete an assignment on time or make contact regarding lateness, the assignment grade will drop by one letter every 24 hours until it is turned in.
Grading Scale
93-100 A80-82B-67-69D+
90-92 A- 77-79C+63-66D
87-89B+73-76C60-62D-
83-86B70-72C-Below 60 F
Technology
While in the modern era we have all become accustomed to the use of technology in the classroom, inappropriate technology use will not be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to surfing the web, texting, checking Facebook, sending memes, and taking calls. Students are asked to switch their phones to silent in the classroom, and laptops should be used only for academic purposes. Students found engaging in non-classroom activities in the classroom will be asked to leave and will not receive participation points for that day.
Lehigh University Policies
Plagiarism & Cheating
Academic dishonesty, i.e. plagiarism and cheating, will not be tolerated. All work that you submit must be the result of your own efforts. Suspicious passages without citation to a source will be Googled and dishonesty will be discovered. Any student that is found to be copying another student’s work, plagiarizing an author, or any other violation of academic honesty will receive a warning and a grade of 0 for that assignment or exam. Repeat offenders will receive a grade of 0 for the entire course and will be referred to the Dean. For more information on how to avoid plagiarism, accidental or otherwise, see:
Accommodations for Students With Disabilities
If you have a disability for which you are requesting accommodations, please contact both your instructor and the Office of Academic Support Services as early as possible in the semester. You must have documentation from the Disabilities Support Services Office (Williams Hall 301, 610-758-4152) before accommodations can be granted. Students must provide seven (7) days notification for any specific requested accommodation. For more information, see:
Course Schedule & Assignments
All readings will be made available on the CourseSite!
WeekTopicReadings
August 29 Introductions;
Government, Governance, BrühlRittberger, “From
& Anarchy International to Collective
Governance,” (2001) pp. 1-47
May, “From Government to
Governance: an Anarchist
Perspective,” (2013) pp. 277-286
September 5A Brief History of the UNGrant, “Universality versus
Coherence: Membership,
Participation and the Crisis of the League of Nations,” (2015) pp. 138-174
Wemlinger, “Collective Security and the Italo-Ethiopian Dispute before the League of Nations,” (2015) pp. 139-166
Peters, “A Global Forum Dedicated to the Prevention of Conflict: the Visionary Architects,” (2015) pp. 33-45
Morris, “From ‘Peace by Dictation’ to International Organisation: Great Power Responsibility and the Creation of the United Nations,” (2013) pp. 511-533
Bosco, “The Council Created,” (2009) pp. 11-38
September 12 UN Design & Functions ITrent, “The History and Development
of International Organizations,” (2007) pp. 55-84
“Charter of the United Nations” (1945) pp. 1-20
Fassbender, “The United Nations charter as constitution of the international community,” pp. 568-584
“Fact Sheet: This is the United Nations, The Six Main Organs”
September 19 UN Design & Functions II:Barnett & Finnemore, “The Politics,
Pathologies Power, and Pathologies of
International Organizations,” (1999) pp. 699-732
Trent, “The UN: Criticisms and Proposals for Reform,” (2007) pp. 109-160
“70 years and half a trillion dollars later: what has the UN achieved?,” the Guardian, September 7, 2015.
September 26 The Role of Civil SocietyOtto, “Nongovernmental
organizations in theUnited Nationssystem: The emerging role of international civil society,” (1996) pp. 107-141
Turner, “Global Civil Society,
Anarchy and Governance: Assessing an Emerging Paradigm,” (1998) pp. 25-42
Hachez, “the Relations Between the United Nations and Civil Society: Past, Present, and Future,” (2008) pp. 49-84.
McKeon, “UN-Civil Society Relations: A Comparative Look,” (2009) pp. 121-168
October 3Collective SecurityKelsen, “Collective Security and
Collective Self-Defense Under the Charter of the United Nations,” (1948) pp. 783-796
KupchanKupchan, “The Promise of Collective Security,” (1995) pp. 52-61
Peters, “The Peaceful Settlement of
Disputes,” (2015) pp. 97-108
Anderson, “United Nations Collective Security and the United States Security Guarantee in an Age of Rising Multipolarity: The Security Council as Talking Shop of the Nations,” (2009) pp. 55-90
October 10 Human Rights“The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights,” 1948
Annan, “Two Concepts of
Sovereignty” (1999)
ThérienJoly, “All Human Rights for all: The United Nations and Human Rights in the Post-Cold War Era,” (2014) 373-396
Foot, “The United Nations, Counter
Terrorism, and Human Rights: Institutional Adaptation and Embedded Ideas,” (2007) pp. 489-514
Walling, “Human Rights Norms, State Sovereignty, and Humanitarian Intervention,” (2015) pp. 383-413
October 12Midterm Exam
October 17 Pacing Break
October 19 Economic & Social “The Millennium Development
DevelopmentGoals: 2015 Report,” (2015) pp. 1-68
Easterly, “How the Millennium Development Goals are Unfair to Africa,” (2009) pp. 26-35
KuziemkoWerker, “How Much is a Seat on the Security Council Worth? Foreign Aid and Bribery at the United Nations,” (2006) pp. 905-930
October 21 UN Field Trip
October 24 Global HealthBurci, “Health and Infectious
Disease,” ( 2007) pp. 582-591
Brown et. al. “The World Health Organization and the Transition from ‘International’ to ‘Global’ Public Health,” (2006) 62-73
Van De Pas and Van Schaik, “Reforming the World Health Organization,” (2013) pp. 195-201
Garrett, “The Challenge of Global Health,” (2007)
Specter, “What Money Can Buy,” (2005)pp. 57-71.
October 31 The Global EnvironmentIvanova, “Institutional design and
UNEP reform: historical insights on form, function and financing,” (2012) pp. 565-584
Sanwal, “Current Debates: Evolution of Global Environmental Governance and the United Nations,” (2007) pp. 1-12
Haas, “Addressing the Global Governance Deficit,” (2004) pp. 1-15
Singer, “One Atmosphere,” (2002) pp. 14-50
“International Panel on Climate Change, Fifth Assessment Report,”(2014), read bold findings (in orange)
November 7 Nation-Building & Culture“The UN’s Role in Nation-Building:
from the Congo to Iraq,” (2005), read
chapter 1 and either Cambodia, East
Timor, or Iraq
Bertram, “Reinventing Governments:
the Promise and Perils of United Nations Peace Building,” (1995) pp. 387-418
Muehlebach, “’Making place’ at theUnited Nations: Indigenous cultural politics at the UN working group on indigenous populations,” (2001) pp. 415-448
November 14 Reforming the United NationsTrent, “Seeking a Path Toward
Transforming the United Nations,” (2007) pp. 217-260
Zifcak, “United Nations Reform: Heading North or South?,” (2006) pp. 135-152
Luck, “How Not to Reform the United Nations,” (2005) pp. 407-414.
Van Genderen, “Reforming the United Nations: State of Play, Ways Forward,” (2015)
Hosliet. al., “Squaring the Circle? Collective and Distributive Effects of UN Security Council Reform,” (2011) pp. 163-187
November 21Reforming the United Nations“The United Nations and the Future
Discussionof GlobalGovernance,” Foreign
Affairs Roundtable (2012)
Annan, “In larger freedom: towards development, security and
human rights for all: Report of the Secretary-General,” (2005) pp. 1-62
November 23 Thanksgiving Break
November 28UNSC Simulation
December 5 UNSC Simulation
Final Exam TBD
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