International Studies

The course provides an introduction to the phenomenon of globalization from archaeological and historical perspectives. Topics covered include conditions and driving forces for the globalizing processes, the exchange patterns of the “pre-European” world, the European expansion from the 15th century, cultural encounters and hybridity, merchant capitalism and the East India trade, slavery and plantations, and the life of the non-articulate groups of humanity. Special emphasis is on ecological globalization and the threat to the global heritage caused by climate change.

This course introduces the international regime of refugee protection and acquaints students with its origins and historical development. It provides an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol. The course highlights limitations of international refugee law, drawing on international human rights law and international humanitarian law as complementary bodies of law. It explores the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and sheds light on contemporary challenges to refugee protection.

This course serves as an introduction to core concepts in Global Health. Through a multidisciplinary approach students learn about the way in which the health of the individual is shaped by socio-political forces. Each week students evaluate a major cause of ill health in developed and developing countries and the role of key actors that influence health. Topics covered include access and availability of healthcare, inequality, poverty, ethics, aid, and the key actors in global health.

This course investigates why advanced democratic states of the Global North have seemingly been unwilling or unable to grapple with migration, and why their societies feel threatened by migrants despite their vast wealth, stability, and ostensible commitment to human rights. Given this overarching question, the course provides a broad understanding of contemporary developments with respect to international migration in democratic states. It introduces major debates surrounding migration at the domestic, regional, and international levels and offers frameworks for analyzing migration politics tied to foundational theoretical debates in comparative politics and international relations. It provides an opportunity to develop research, written argumentation, and public speaking skills.

In our globalizing world, Trans National Corporations (TNC’s) are a well-known reality. All larger corporations have built a global presence to benefit as much as possible from the most efficient conditions for production and consumption. Governments have built their multilateral agencies on global (UN) and regional (EU, AU, Mercosur, Asean) level to better respond to the new reality of an interconnected world in order to be able to better serve the interests of their citizens. In the last few decades we have seen an emerging trend of global civil society organizations (GCSO’s) striving to take their role at the global stage. This works out differently for different types of civil society organizations (CSO’s). CSO’s which are into political advocacy (Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and Oxfam) are building global networks to hold governments and companies accountable about their policies on ecology, human rights, and poverty reduction. With their global brand they are trying to influence global policies in order to make this world safer and more sustainable. In order to be able to act on the global level, different types of CSO’s not only need to deal with organizational issues like building these global networks but they also need to face new issues of legitimacy and accountability. In this course students face these fascinating issues by focusing on crucial cases with Amnesty International, religious organizations, Neighborhood Watch, trade unions, or the GLTB movement. This course helps students understand the shifting role of civil society in the globalization process and the roles of legitimacy and accountability as key issues for civil society’s influence. Knowledge of Introduction to Public Administration and Organizational Science is recommended.