PSI 308 International Organizations
2024 / 2025 Spring Semester
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Akşemsettinoğlu
Department of Political Science and International Relations
Çankaya University
Office: K – 414
Tel: 233 10 00 / 1249
E-mail: gokhana@cankaya.edu.tr
Web page: http://psi308.cankaya.edu.tr.
Course Hours / Place
Thursday 13.20 – 16.10 / K - 104
Office Hour / Place:
Wednesday 13.20 - 14.10 and Thursday 10.20 - 11.10 / K - 414 or by appointment
Course Description
The objective of this course is to provide the students with a comprehensive understanding of the role and activities of international organizations (IO) in the early 21st century. The focus, therefore, is on the philosophy and principles of IO as well as issues that they try to deal. This course has consisted of four different parts. The first part tries to examine the rationale of IO by dealing with its origins, nature, theory and methods. The second part is about global organizations, especially the United Nations (UN) system. In this part, after discussing the first global IO, the League of Nations, the United Nations, as one of the core issues of the course, will be investigated in detail. In this part, some functional and specialized institutions of the UN such as WHO, ILO, and FAO will also be explained. Moreover, in this part, important global effective organizations, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, IMF, and the International Criminal Court will be discussed. The third part, regionalism and regional organizations, the other significant part of the course, will focus on different parts of the world with their specific institutions, such as NATO, NAFTA, ASEAN, ECOWAS, and the League of Arab States. The fourth and the last part of the course will end by discussing the future of IOs.
Course Requirements
This course requires reading the compulsory course materials (including articles/documents that will be forwarded to the e-mails to students during the semester) and participating in class discussions. There will be two midterm exams and a final exam during the semester. It is also important to note that students must attend lectures (at least % 70 of the whole lectures). Otherwise, they will forfeit the right to take the final exam by getting an "NA" as the final grade.
Course Materials
There are six different textbooks for this course:
● Baylis, John, et. al. The Globalization of Word Politics, an Introduction to International Relations, 8th Edition, Oxford University Press, 2020.
● Buzan Barry and George Lawson. The Global Transformation, History, Modernity and the Making of International Relations, Cambridge Studies in International Relations: 135, Cambridge University Press, 2015.
● Michael Davies and Richard Woodward. International Organizations, a Companion, Edward Elgar, 2014.
● Hurd, Ian. International Organizations, Politics, Law, Practice, Second Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2014.
● Karns, P. Margaret and Karen A. Mingst. International Organizations, the Politics and Processes of Global Governance, Lynner Rienner Publishers, 2010.
● Ziring, Lawrence; Robert E. Riggs; and Jack C. Plano. The United Nations, International Organization and World Politics, 4th Edition; Thomson, Wadsworth, 2005.
● Bennett, A. LeRoy and James K. Oliver. International Organizations, Principles and Issues. 7th Edition; Prentice Hall; 2002.
Yet, copies of all assigned readings from these books will be uploaded to Distance Learning System for each week. The following books are recommended for further study:
● Tamar Gutner. International Organizations in World Politics, Sage Publications, 2017.
● Brian Frederking and Paul F. Diehl. The Politics of Global Governance: International Organizations in an Interdependent World, Fifth Edition, Lynne Rienner, 2015.
● Clive Archer. International Organizations, Fourth Edition, Routledge, 2014.
● J. Samuel Barkin. International Organizations: Theories and Institutions, Second Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.
● Thomas G. Weiss and Rorden Wilkinson. International Organizations and Global Governance, Routledge, 2013.
● Hasgüler Mehmet ve Mehmet B. Uludağ. Uluslararası Örgütler, 6. Baskı, Alfa Yayıncılık, 2015.
● A. Leroy Bennett, James K. Oliver. Uluslararası Örgütler, Çev. Nasuh Uslu, BB101 Yayınları, 2015.
Grade Components
Students’ final grade will be calculated as follows:
Participating Class Discussions 10 %
Midterm I Exam 20 %
Midterm II Exam 30 %
Final Exam 40 %
Course Outline
The Foundations of International Organizations (1 week)
(Bennett, Chapter 1, pp. 1-26; Ziring, Chapter 1, pp. 8-13; Karns, Chapter 3, pp. 63-68; Buzan and Lawson, Chapter 3, pp. 67-96)
The Origins of International Organizations and Developments in the 19th Century
The Nature and Characteristics of International Organizations
Theory and Methods (1 week)
(Hurd, Chapter 2, pp. 15-38)
Different Theories Contributing to International Organizations
International Organizations as Actors of International Politics
The League of Nations (1 week)
(Bennett, Chapter 2, pp. 27-45; Ziring, Chapter 1, pp. 13-21)
The Emergence of the League of Nations
The Structure of the League of Nations
Successes and Failures of the League of Nations
The United Nations Systems (4 weeks)
(Hurd, Chapter 5, pp. 101-125 and Chapter 6, pp. 136-159; Karns, Chapter 4, pp. 95-143; Ziring, Chapter 1, pp. 23-72)
Historical Developments and the Foundations of the United Nations
Basic Principles, Objectives, and Functions of the United Nations
Principal Organs and their Functions of the United Nations
Basic Issues and Problems of the United Nations and the Need for Reform
Strengths and Weaknesses of the United Nations
Some Functional and Specialized Organizations and Programs of the United Nations (1 week)
(Davies, Chapter 7, pp. 197-243; Karns, Chapter 3, pp. 68-92; Bennett, Chapter 14, pp. 379 - 382)
WHO; ILO; FAO; UNESCO; IAEA
Refugee Programs (UNRRA and UNHCR)
Global Organizations (1 week)
(Hurd, Chapter 3, pp. 41-65; Chapter 4, pp. 71-93; and Chapter 9, pp. 222-241; Ziring, Chapter 10, pp. 470-512)
The GATT System and the World Trade Organization
The World Bank and IMF
International Criminal Court
Regionalism and Regional Organizations (4 weeks)
(Davies, Chapter 10, pp. 327-380 and Chapter 13, pp. 463-529; Karns, Chapter 5, pp. 145-216)
Definition, Origins, Dynamics and Principles of Regionalism
Regional Organizations of Europe (NATO, OSCE, EU)
Regional Organizations in the Americas (OAS, NAFTA, MERCOSUR)
Regional Organizations in Asia (ASEAN, APEC, SCO)
Regional Organizations in Africa (AU, ECOWAS)
Regional Organizations in the Middle East (The League of Arab States, GCC)
The Future of International Organizations (1 week)
(Discussion Session)
Pessimistic / Optimistic Views
Future Needs and Prospects