PSI 308 International Organizations
2025 / 2026 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
Tuesday 09.20 – 12.10 / K - 104
Office Hour / Place:
Tuesday 13.20 - 14.10 and Thursday 13.20 - 14.10 / 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
Attendance is mandatory for this course. Students are required to attend a minimum of 60 % of all scheduled class sessions. Students who fail to fulfil this attendance requirement will forfeit their right to take the final examination and will be assigned an NA grade as their final course grade. Course assessment consists one midterm examination and one final examination. All examinatins will be administered in essay formats. Students are expected to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of both the assigned readings and the lecture materials, as examination questions will be based on content covered in both.
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.
● 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.
All required readings will ve available for duplication at the photocopy center. Students are strongly encouraged to acquire the complete set of course readingd as soon as possible.
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
Class Participation 10 %
Midterm Exam 40 %
Final Exam 50 %
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