The United Nations: Review and Reform

Subject POLS90016 (2010)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2010.

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 9 (Graduate/Postgraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

Semester 1, Parkville - Taught on campus.
Pre-teaching Period Start not applicable
Teaching Period not applicable
Assessment Period End not applicable
Last date to Self-Enrol not applicable
Census Date not applicable
Last date to Withdraw without fail not applicable


Timetable can be viewed here. For information about these dates, click here.
Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 2-hour seminar per week. If enrolments exceed 30, the 2nd hour of the seminar may be split into 2 or 3 small classes.
Total Time Commitment: 10
Prerequisites: Admission to the Master of Public Policy and Management, Master of International Politics, Master of Criminology or Master of International Relations.
Corequisites: none
Recommended Background Knowledge: Politics and International Studies at Undergraduate level
Non Allowed Subjects: 166-551 Governance and International Institutions
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Coordinator

Prof John Langmore

Contact

Prof. John Langmore
langmore@unimelb.edu.au

Subject Overview:

The subject will examine various dimensions of the conflict between national sovereignty and international interdependence which impinge on the nature and institutions of global governance. It will extend students knowledge of the diversity of the forms of international governance, and of the purposes, activities, styles of work and governance of international institutions. The subject will explore the rationale and functioning of existing institutions, attempt a rigorous assessment of their effectiveness, of proposals for their reform, and of the gaps in institutional arrangements. Particular attention will be given to the sources of conflicts underlying their difficulties in making decisions and taking action. On completion of the subject students should be better able to discern the forces operating in global institutions, the means through which they work, and to effectively discuss alternative possible reforms.

Objectives:
  • Enable to gain thorough knowledge of the conflict between national sovereignty and international interdependence which impinge on the nature and institutions of global governance;
  • Increase understanding of the diversity of the forms of international governance;
  • Enable to discern the forces operating in global institutions, the means through which they work, and to effectively discuss alternative possible reforms.
Assessment: An essay of 1000 words (20%) due mid-semester, and an essay of 4000 words (80%) due at the end of semester. Students will be expected to discuss their proposed subject with the subject coordinator.
Prescribed Texts:

Paul Kennedy, The Parliament of Man: The Past, Present, and Future of the United Nations, Random House, New York, 2000

Recommended Texts:

Deepak Nayyar, (ed.) Governing Globalization: Issues and Institutions, OUP, Oxford, 2002.

James Traub, The Best Intentions: Kofi Annan and the UN in the Era of American World Power, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2006, Ch 1.

Breadth Options:

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • Be able to apply research skills and critical methods to a field of inquiry;
  • be able to develop persuasive arguments on a given topic;
  • be able to communicate oral and written arguments and ideas effectively and articulately.
Notes:
Related Course(s): Master of Criminology (CWT)
Master of Development Studies (Gender & Development)
Master of Development Studies(CWT)
Master of International Politics
Master of International Relations
Master of International Studies
Master of Public Policy and Management (Coursework)
Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: International Politics
International Politics
International Studies
Political Science
Political Science
Political Science

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