INTERNATIONAL LAW & ORGANIZATIONS
ILO L224: Seminar on Peace Operations
Enthusiasm for peacekeeping has waxed and waned in recent years, from exuberance in the early 1990s to disappointment and disinterest in the mid-90s, back to cautious enthusiasm at the end of the decade, to what is now almost universal recognition that peace operations are an important strategic tool for the management of international peace and security. Between 1999 and 2008, 13 major UN peacekeeping missions were established, along with regional operations undertaken by NATO, the European Union, African Union, ECOWAS and various other organizations and coalitions. There were more than 40 UN and non-UN peace operations deployed in the year 2007. This course combines a thematic and case study approach to this complex aspect of contemporary international affairs. We will look at UN and non-UN peace operations, broadly defined to include peace-keeping, peace enforcement and post-conflict peace-building. We begin with a number of sessions on fundamentals: the UN Charter framework, history and types of peace operation, doctrine, functions and capacity. Select cases are studied to draw out common themes and concerns, such as the problem of ‘spoilers’, the peace v. justice debate, the dilemmas of humanitarian action and the challenges of state-building. The focus is on post-Cold War operations, examined in light of past experience and official attempts to reflect on the evolving nature of peacekeeping. The course concludes with a series of student-led presentations on recent missions, designed to draw on knowledge garnered from the cases, themes and issues studied earlier.
Adjunct Associate Professor Phillip Moremen
T, TH 7-10pm
Syllabus [pdf]
DIPLOMACY, HISTORY & POLITICS
DHP D220: Processes of International Negotiation
This course explores the processes, rather than specific substantive issues, of international negotiation and dispute resolution. It surveys theories and models of international negotiation (attitudes and assumptions about international negotiation; integrative models and value creation in negotiation; value claiming and the negotiator’s dilemma), the process of international negotiation (pre-negotiation; preparation; sources and application of negotiation power; culture and the management of complex relationships; decision-making as a complicating factor; implementation and re-negotiation of international agreements) and multi-party complexities in international negotiation (agents and agency in international negotiation; managing multi-party, multi-issue complexity; third party intervention in international negotiations). Course requirements include an analytic advice memorandum (65%), participation in an online class forum (20%), and preparation & class participation (15%).
Adjunct Assistant Professor Brian Ganson
M, W 3:30-6:30pm
Syllabus [pdf]
DHP P205: Decision Making and Public Policy
Governments and indeed all organizations must develop decision making processes that permit policymakers to make informed decisions about a range of highly complex issues and problems. This course examines the machinery of decision making by considering how domestic and international forces influence decisions, and develops interpretive models for understanding how individuals operate in bureaucratic environments. It then focuses on the organizations and functions of the interagency process, including the U.S. National Security Council, and concludes with an exercise in which students prepare a policy memorandum on a selected problem and defend it in a simulated meeting of the U.S. National Security Council. Students play the role of NSC principals who present their positions for a decision by the president. This course encourages students to think analytically and critically about governmental decision making and policy processes
Associate Professor William Martel
MW, 3:30-6:30pm
DHP P237: Global Media and International Conflict
This course considers the role of media in political, military and economic conflict around the globe. The course begins with a survey of international media institutions. Next we review the literatures on media bias and framing. The remainder of the course consists of a series of case studies on regional and topical issues in international affairs. Class discussions will probe the legal, economic and social constraints under which the media operate, and the context in which the public consumes media output. We will also discuss what responsibility journalists bear as actors in the political system. Besides relevant academic materials, readings for the course will include samples of US and foreign journalism.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Shawn O'Donnell
TTh, 7:00-10:00 pm
ECONOMICS & INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
EIB E201: Introduction to Economic Theory
This course provides the foundation of modern economics with an emphasis on its applications. Topics include demand and supply analysis, consumer theory, theory of the firm, welfare economics, monopoly and anti-trust, public goods, externalities and their regulation, national income determination and the business cycle, the role of aggregate consumption and investment, monetary and fiscal policy, and economic growth. This is an introductory course for non-specialists. Midterm and final examination.
Adjunct Professor Graham Bird
TTH, 3:30-6:30 pm
EIB E203: Contemporary World Economic Issues
From both an analytic and empirical perspective, this course examines many of the principal current issues that face the world economy. It is designed to more fully inform participants about important global problems and to explore the policy options available to help resolve them. The course will begin by providing an overview of recent developments in the world economy and by introducing an appropriate analytic framework within which to examine them. The analysis will then be applied to topics that include global balance of payments disequilibria, economic integration in Europe and North America, the WTO and multilateral trade policy, the political economy of policy reform as applied to various parts of the world, including Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, the international financial institutions, and global financial crises. Students will be introduced to, and will become familiar with, the major sources of world economic data. This course is designed to be accessible to people with only a limited background in economics. Research paper and final exam.
Adjunct Professor Graham Bird
MW, 7:00-10:00 pm
EIB E246: Natural Resource and Environmental Economics
This course will introduce students to the underlying concepts and major issues in contemporary environmental economics. Building on basic concepts from microeconomics, the course emphasizes issues of environmental degradation and resource depletion, and how incentives can be designed to protect the environment. Topics covered will include: valuation of the environment; impacts of population growth and agricultural expansion; management of renewable and non-renewable resources; pollution analysis and policy; energy and global climate change; international trade and the environment; formulation of national and multinational environmental policies. Special attention will be paid to policies to respond to climate change, including carbon trading and “clean development” institutions. Open to students who have completed E201 or equivalent.
Adjunct Associate Professor Jonathan Harris
T, TH 3:30-6:30pm
Syllabus [PDF]
EIB B200: Foundations in Financial Accounting and Corporate Finance
This course will prepare students for careers as treasurers, comptrollers and chief financial officers of mid-sized domestic organizations. More broadly, the course also prepares students for careers in international business, including global financial services such as banking and insurance. The first half of the course deals with working capital management and analysis of financial statements. The second half of the course develops valuation concepts that are at the core of investment decisions (capital budgeting) for new equipment, the introduction of new products and/or the acquisition of other businesses and firms. Additionally, we focus closely on the funding/financing decisions that must be thoughtfully coordinated with the investment decision. Students will develop an understanding of financial accounting, planning and budgeting and a familiarity with financial spreadsheet analyses. Case studies and a company valuation project will add depth to the text material.
Adjunct Assistant Professor Phil Uhlmann
MW, 7:00-10:00 pm
Syllabus [pdf]