Course Learning Objectives
The purpose of this Course is to introduce students to the main International Organisations created since the birth of this new subject of Public International Law in the XIX century.
In particular, the Course will expose students to a wide array of International Organisations such as the United Nations ("UN"), the World Trade Organisation ("WTO"), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund ("IMF"), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development ("OECD"), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe ("OSCE"), the International Energy Agency ("IEA"), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ("NATO"), the International Civil Aviation Organisation ("OACI"), and the International Labour Organisation ("ILO"), among others.
The Course will explore how were International Organisations developed, their institutional structure, membership and decision-making processes, and the responses they are providing to address the world's global challenges.
The goal is that after completing the Course students are able to:
1. Get familiar with the main International Organisations established since the XIX century in order to understand its relevance to different professions such as law, journalism, politics, diplomatic careers, or the world of business.
2. Interrelate this knowledge with other courses taught on the Bachelor in Law programme and contextualise it within a global framework of international relations in such a way that they can understand the underpinnings of the relevant institutions in every situation.
3. Identify, formulate, and resolve problems in the area of international relations.
4. Develop both a critical and realist spirit regarding the role played by International Organisations as a vehicle for interstate cooperation.
5. Use available techniques and tools, such as internet searches to get familiar with the areas of coverage of the main International Organisations.
SKILLS
The Course will allow students to further develop the following skills and competences:
1. Think creatively.
2. Ability to develop critical thinking.
3. Ability to construct logical, well reasoned and persuasive arguments.
4. Apply basic research tools.
5. Develop effective communication strategies.
6. Develop a team-player culture.
7. Enjoy the learning experience.
8. Self-organisation and efficient time management.
9. Leadership.
10. Learn and process information provided in a foreign language.
11. Exposure to cross-cultural legal reasoning.
SKILL-ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP
The aforementioned skills will be developed through the following activities:
CLASS LECTURES: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 10.
CASE STUDIES: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
WORK IN TEAMS: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11.
CONTRIBUTIONS TO DEBATES IN CLASS: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 9.
Bibliography
A) Textbooks and articles:
In additional to the materials announced during the course, the following texts are recommended:
ABBOT, K. & SNIDAL, D., "Why States act through formal Organizations", in Journal of Conflict Resolution, 1998, 42, p. 3-32.
AMSTRONG, D., The Rise of International Organizations: a short history, London, 1982.
ARCHER, C., International Organizations, 3rd Ed, London, 2001.
DIEHL, P. & FREDERKING, B., The Politics of Global Governance: International Organizations in an Interdependent World, Rienner, 2010.
DÍEZ DE VELASCO, M., Las Organizaciones Internacionales, Ed. Tecnos,
DUPUY, R.J., A Handbook on International Organizations, Martinus Nijhoff, 1998.
HURD, I., International Organizations: Politics, Law, Practice, Cambridge University Press, 2010.
HURD, I. & CRONIN, B., The UN Security Council and the legitimacy of International Authority, Routledge, New York, 2008.
KENNEDY, P., The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present and Future of the United Nations, Random House, 2006.
KALBBERS, J., An Introduction to International Institutional Law, Cambridge, 2009.
KLABBERS, J. et altri, Research Handbook on the Law of International Organizations, Elgar, 2012.
KUZIEMKO, I. & WERKER, E., "How much is a Seat on the Security Council worth? Foreign aid and bribery at the United Nations", in Journal of Political Economy, 114 (5),p. 905-930.
LESLIE, J., "A Servant of Two Masters: Communication and the Selection of International Bureaucrats", in International Organization, 61, p. 245-275.
MARSHALL, K., The World Bank: From reconstruction to development to equity, Routledge, New York, 2008.
MONTAÑÁ MORA, M., La OMC y el Reforzamiento del Sistema GATT, Ed. McGraw-Hill, Madrid, 1997.
NEWMAN, E. & RICH, R., The UN Role in Promoting Democracy: Between Ideas and Reality, United Nations University Press, 2004.
TRIVEDI, S., A Handbook of International Organisations, Atlantic Publishers, 2005.
TZANAKOPOULOS, A, Disobeying the Security Council - Countermeasures against Wrongful Sanctions, Oxford University Press, 2011.
VREELAND, J.R., The International Monetary Fund: Politics of Conditional Lending, Routledge, New York, 2007.
WEBB, P, International judicial integration and fragmentation, Oxford University Press, 2013.
WOLFRUM, R. (ed), Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law, Oxford University Press, 2012
B) A selection of internet addresses International organizations:
OECD: http://www.oecd.org/
OSA: http://www.oas.org/shomepag.htm
WCO: http://www.wcoomd.org/
WTO: http://www.wto.org/
WIPO: http://www.wipo.org/
WHO: http://www.who.ch/
UN: http://www.un.org/
ILO: http://www.ilo.org/
NATO: http://www.nato.int/
OAU: http://www.rapide-pana.com/demo/oua/rapid3.htm
UNESCO: http://www.unesco.org/
