Academics

26:478:504 INTERNATIONAL LAW -  Professor Jean-Marc Coicaud

Bringing together theory and practice, the course will examine the extent and limits of international law and international organizations in support of human rights and global justice. It will describe the contribution of international and international organizations in these areas, as well as evaluate them. It will also explore suggestions to achieve a better alignment of international law and international organizations, and human rights and global justice in the future. The course begins with methodological and practical considerations on teaching law and international law in the context of the course and beyond. It continues with outlining some of the key theoretical aspects of law, comparing in particular law at the national and international levels. From this perspective, the course also analyzes the key principles of international law. Following this approach, the course becomes more practical and examines how international law functions in concrete terms. This more practical aspect of the course focuses on international law in relation to international organizations and member states. In order to do so, the course sheds light on UN peacekeeping operations and humanitarian crises. Later on, the course offers a critical analysis of international law, in the process highlighting its progressive and conservative dimensions. It ends with looking ahead and exploring how international law is likely to evolve in the coming years, especially in relation with issues of global justice and global policy.

26:478:506 QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR GLOBAL AFFAIRS - Professor Jun Xiang

In this course, students are introduced to data analysis, statistical inference, and research design relevant to global affairs research. Topics covered will include descriptive statistics, probability, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests, correlation, and regression analysis.  

26:478:508 EVOLUTION OF THE GLOBAL SYSTEM - Professor Amy Higer

This course aims to help us make sense of this moment in history. It will examine the historical foundations of the contemporary global system to provide a helpful vantage point from which to evaluate present-day international relations, and suggests where the road ahead might lead. It begins by examining the foundational moments in the development of international politics as a field of study: 1648, 1919, 1945, 1989, and interrogates their historical role in shaping our world.  It examines the events tied to these dates and the underlying political trends and pressures that led to the creation, spread, and consolidation of the nation-state system. It also examines the political trends and pressures that threaten to undermine this system. The course pays particular attention to the intersection between history, geography, and theory. Specifically, it asks: to what extent are our theories of how international relations works a product of specific historical moments, and to what extent are they generalizable and universal? We end the course with speculative questions about whether we are entering a new era of fundamental global change, or whether we will see a return to older patterns.

26:478:515 IMMIGRATION & SECURITY IN EUROPE - Professor Ariane Chebel d’Appollonia

This course offers a comparative analysis of Europe’s and America’s distinct responses to the recent challenges posed by international migration flows. Both face the flow of legal and illegal migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Both have to address issues of border controls, migrant integration, and minority rights in a context characterized by expanded notions of “internal security” and "national emergency" – as illustrated by the refugee crisis in Europe, and the “Muslim ban” in the US. Stimulated by actual and perceived threats, immigration has become increasingly linked to security governance. This trend, in turn, influenced immigration regimes in both continents—generating new restrictive policy measures, new institutions designed to improve the fight against terrorism, and affecting the perception of migrants among host populations on both sides of the Atlantic.

26:478:530 ANTHROPOLOGY & WAR - Professor Brian Ferguson

This course is a survey of anthropological approaches to war.  It does not cover theories from political science, the history of Europe or the great powers, or other “standard” war topics.  This course looks at the nature of war as a human institution, where it comes from, and how it affects society.  It asks how can we better understand war by using the vast range of cultures and behaviors that anthropologists study, and how those insights may relate to wars raging in the world today.  It begins by examining the actual practice of war in “tribal” societies, then moves to theoretical overviews about interrelationships between war and society.  Next come two units examining evidence and debates about “human nature” and war in humanity’s distant past.  Four units sequentially present detailed discussions about war in relation to ecology, economy, and kinship, gender relations, values and belief systems, and finally, politics.  The latter part of the semester shifts to the contemporary world.  Two units examine first theories, then cases, of “ethnic” and other violence.  The next unit deals with topics and cases related to the current global confrontation over terrorism, and the next with contemporary issues about anthropological engagement with military and security organizations.  We conclude with a focus on peace.

26:478:532 TOPICS: ECONOMICS OF IMMIGRATION AND GENDER - Professor Kusum Mundra

Understand the economic impact of immigration and immigration policies in the U.S. over the past century in a global context. This course will focus on why and who migrates across borders and the effect labor market effect on native employment and wages; effect of high skilled immigration on innovation and economic growth; effect of immigration on the Government Budget. Economic assimilation of immigrants in the U.S.; role of remittances on the immigrant sending country and the economic effects of immigrant social networks will also be discussed. U.S. immigration policy will be compared with that of Canada and Europe.

26:478:537 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE  - Professor Simon Reich

26:478:541 GLOBAL POLITICAL ECONOMY  - Professor Ajai Gaur

26:478:599 HUMAN RIGHTS & MASS ATROCITY  - Professor Alexander Hinton

26:478:597 CURR ISSUES IN INTL BUSINESS  - Professor John Cantwell

Theory of International Business: This course provides a critical overview of the major theoretical approaches in the international business literature. These strands of analysis can be grouped under the five headings of the market power, internalization, eclectic paradigm, competitive international industry and macroeconomic approaches. We examine both the differences and the scope for complementarities between these alternative means of thinking about international business. Drawing upon this analytical background, the course then reviews the key areas of recent research focus. These crucial new research issues include the role of location in international business, the strategy and organization of multinational corporations, subsidiary level development, cross-border alliances and international mergers and acquisitions. The course concludes with an assessment of the role of methodological design and prospective new directions in international business research.

26:478:680:1 TOPICS IN GLOBAL ANTHROPOLOGY: ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT  - Professor Genese Sodikoff

Competition over territory and natural resources often leads to social conflict. This course focuses on the ways power dynamics shape landscapes, cause conflict, and exacerbate problems of ecological scarcity and degradation. Historical and ethnographic case studies illuminate the ways environmental conflicts have been framed by policy makers, social scientists, and people on the ground. These include, for example, the forceful displacement of Native Americans for the creation of national parks in the United States, the seizure of African savannah by British colonialists for large-game hunting preserves, the delimitation of rain forest by states and NGOs for biodiversity protection and ecotourism, and the enforcement of international bans against killing endangered species in regions where poverty is acute. Texts explore influential theories of environmental conflict, such as the “tragedy of the commons,” scarcity-induced violence, political ecology, postcolonial mindsets, and overpopulation, as well as scholarly critiques of these perspectives.

26:478:514 Ethics, Security, and Global Affairs - Professor Ariane Chebel d’Appollonia

This course examines the foundations of ethics in public policy, and their role in answering some of the most pressing, topical and difficult challenges of this and successive generations (such as terrorism, humanitarian interventions, climate change, economic globalization). We will attempt to apply these principles by learning about some of the basic literature on ethics in international relations, debating the pros and cons of the various approaches, and there implications for public policies. For students, the course’s objectives are to establish a solid foundation in the literature on ethics in international affairs, develop greater analytical agility in applying theoretical material to a wide array of recent cases, and expand proficiency in communicating concepts through weekly class participation as well as the presentation. 

26:478:516 Human Security  - Professor Simon Reich

As the tragic effects of COVID-19 demonstrate, a globalized world presents new challenges to human welfare. Traditional conceptions of national security, conceived of as military threats to states, are rapidly being augmented by ones to individuals. This includes anthropogenic ones, such as and climate change, and naturogenic ones, like pandemics. In this course we shall examine the origins and assumptions of a human security approach; the variety of threats its proponents attempt to address; and the policy implications it has for vulnerable populations in an evolving global system.

26:478:538 Global Environmental Issues - Professor Gabriela Kuetting

This course is focused on the global environmental "problematique" and the ways in which it is being played out in a variety of political and policy arenas. Apart from introducing the student to the concepts and literature in global environmental politics, the course is intended to provide students with insights into: the political structure and context of transnational environmental issues; the ways in which individuals are implicated in these issues; the intergovernmental mechanisms established for addressing environmental problems; the treatment of environmental problems that occur in many different places but are not necessarily linked; and transnational environmental activity, including that through social movements, non-governmental organizations, and corporate actors.  We will approach these matters through a focus on four general aspects of the environmental problematique: environmental governance; civil society and transnational actors; critical debates on justice; development and economic issues; and environmental security.

26:478:541 Global Political Economy  - Professor Jun Xiang

This course conducts a survey of classical and contemporary approaches in international political economy. It focuses on the politics of substantive international economic issues, such as trade, foreign direct investment, monetary policy, foreign debt and economic adjustment, foreign aid and development, globalization, and international institutions.

26:478:570 COLLOQUIUM - Muhammad Aslam

Spring 2021 theme: global conflict and social movements. The colloquium is comprised of a series of presentations which are designed to introduce students to a wide range of global affairs subjects Students will meet practitioners, academics, and policy makers and are encouraged to consider the relationships between the various divergent subjects and reflect on the interdisciplinary aspects of global affairs generally. The Colloquium is offered remotely in spring 2021.

26:478:590 Doctoral Seminar on Theory and Methods - Professor Simon Reich

26:478:593 ITL INNOV POLICY BUS - Professor John Cantwell

National Innovation Policies and International Business: This course examines the relationship between the strategies for innovation of multinational corporations (MNCs) and those of national governments in a global economic environment. A key theme is the relationship between innovation and competitiveness at the firm and country levels, and the interaction between these two levels since the majority of technological capacity is held by MNCs while government policies affect the extent and pattern of innovations within national boundaries. Attention is given to the distinctiveness of national patterns of technological specialization, how these reflect the characteristics of local policies and institutions, and how they have been changing over time. The international location of technological activity is considered from the national perspective of the effects of globalization on catching up (or falling behind); from the cross-border perspective of MNCs; and from the local perspective of regional systems of innovation and localized clusters, and the interactions in knowledge creation between MNC subsidiaries and indigenous firms. The course concludes with an evaluation of how innovation policies are being gradually reshaped in the current context of the globalization of a knowledge-driven economy.

26:478:598 Genocide  - Professor Alex Hinton

If World War II challenged humanity in a variety of ways, the Nazi project of mass murder stood out for what philosophers have referred as “radical evil.” A host of people have grappled with this problem by seeking answers to three interrelated questions. Some have asked “why?,” inquiring into the existential, theological, and philosophical issues raised by mass murder and the limits of our understanding. Social scientists have often proceeded with a more positivist manner, seeking to explain the “how” of the origins and dynamics of radical evil. And then there are the activists, lawyers, and statespersons who have contended with the issue of “what” can be done in the aftermath of such events to help the victims, hold the perpetrators accountable, and prevent such atrocities from happening again.

While this course will discuss all three of these questions posed by the Nazi project of radical evil, we will be particularly concerned with the latter issue of “what?” Specifically, we will explore how the international community mobilized to create an architecture of global governance that would prevent such radical evil from happening again. We will take a hard look at the successes and failures this new system of genocide and atrocity crimes prevention -- as well as what it says about the promises and limitations of global governance more broadly.

Our journey will begin with the Holocaust even as we look further back in history (at white supremacy and settler colonialism), examine contemporary “at risk” situations (including China, Myanmar, and the U.S.), and explore future possibilities such as the connections between global warming and genocide. Readings will likely include Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann In Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, Dirk Moses’s The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression, and Samantha Power’s “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide. A couple of authors we are reading will be invited to give lectures in the Wednesday morning DGA colloquium speaker series.

26:478:588:02 Topics in Global Affairs: Migration in the Middle East - Professor Leyla Amzi-Erdogdular

This course examines population movements that shaped the modern Middle East. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary material across disciplines, it considers the causes of displacement including conflicts, socioeconomic transformations, and climate change, as well as the role of empire, nation-state, colonialism, and nationalism. The course focuses on a range of case studies to offer a comparative analysis of the ways in which migration informed international laws and state policies, the memory of displacement, and contemporary identities.

26:478:680:1 TOPICS IN GLOBAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Ethnographic Methods - Professor Isaias Rojas-Perez

26:478:680:2 TOPICS IN GLOBAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Religion, Violence, and Reconciliation - Professor Christopher Duncan

26:478:504 INTERNATIONAL LAW -  Professor Jean-Marc Coicaud

The content of the course will cover the role of legal processes, institutions, and organizations in the evolving world community. It covers the manner in which traditional international law arose and calls for an analysis of the basic concepts of international law: sources, subjects, sovereignty, treaties and agreements, jurisdiction, state responsibility, the use of force, and peaceful settlement of disputes. Insofar as possible, it deals with the interrelated problems of war, poverty and mal-development, social injustice, and ecological instability throughout the globe.

26:478:514 Ethics, Security, and Global Affairs - Professor Ariane Chebel d’Appollonia

This course examines the foundations of ethics in public policy, and their role in answering some of the most pressing, topical and difficult challenges of this and successive generations (such as terrorism, humanitarian interventions, climate change, economic globalization). We will attempt to apply these principles by learning about some of the basic literature on ethics in international relations, debating the pros and cons of the various approaches, and there implications for public policies. For students, the course’s objectives are to establish a solid foundation in the literature on ethics in international affairs, develop greater analytical agility in applying theoretical material to a wide array of recent cases, and expand proficiency in communicating concepts through weekly class participation as well as the presentation. 

26:478:516 Human Security  - Professor Simon Reich

As the tragic effects of COVID-19 demonstrate, a globalized world presents new challenges to human welfare. Traditional conceptions of national security, conceived of as military threats to states, are rapidly being augmented by ones to individuals. This includes anthropogenic ones, such as and climate change, and naturogenic ones, like pandemics. In this course we shall examine the origins and assumptions of a human security approach; the variety of threats its proponents attempt to address; and the policy implications it has for vulnerable populations in an evolving global system.

26:478:541 Global Political Economy  - Professor Jun Xiang

This course conducts a survey of classical and contemporary approaches in international political economy. It focuses on the politics of substantive international economic issues, such as trade, foreign direct investment, monetary policy, foreign debt and economic adjustment, foreign aid and development, globalization, and international institutions.

26:478:508 EVOLUTION OF THE GLOBAL SYSTEM - Professor Amy Higer

This course aims to help us make sense of this moment in history. It will examine the historical foundations of the contemporary global system to provide a helpful vantage point from which to evaluate present-day international relations, and suggests where the road ahead might lead. It begins by examining the foundational moments in the development of international politics as a field of study: 1648, 1919, 1945, 1989, and interrogates their historical role in shaping our world.  It examines the events tied to these dates and the underlying political trends and pressures that led to the creation, spread, and consolidation of the nation-state system. It also examines the political trends and pressures that threaten to undermine this system. The course pays particular attention to the intersection between history, geography, and theory. Specifically, it asks: to what extent are our theories of how international relations works a product of specific historical moments, and to what extent are they generalizable and universal? We end the course with speculative questions about whether we are entering a new era of fundamental global change, or whether we will see a return to older patterns.

26:478:537 GLOBAL GOVERNANCE  - Professor Simon Reich

26:478:599 Human Rights and Mass Atrocity  - Professor Alexander Hinton

Since the passage of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), human rights have become one of the key issues in the modern world, the emergence of which is directly bound up with the Holocaust in particular and mass atrocity more generally. This course explores the origins and proliferation of concepts and institutions related to human rights and mass atrocity as well as related issues such as justice, transnational institutions and flows, R2P, gender, intervention, grass-roots activism, peacebuilding, racism, and genocide. We will be especially interested in how human rights ideas, laws, institutions, movements, and practices are enacted, transformed, contested, and understood in a variety of contexts, ranging from far-right extremism in the U.S. to UN-backed tribunals and rural villages in the Global South.

26:478:589 History of International Business  - Professor John Cantwell

This course examines the history of international business, with a particular  focus upon the context and determinants of the growth over the last 150 years of the largest multinational corporations (MNCs). The course begins with the long-term historical background of globalization, and explains how globalization can be seen as either very old or very new depending upon how it is defined. The history of the largest MNCs and of the patterns of investment with which they have been associated are then outlined, and the history of scholarly thought on these issues is also discussed. Historical differences between groups of MNCs are demonstrated to have existed in terms of industry (with a focus on the role of the rise of science-based industries), nationality of origin, and the direction and extent of corporate technological diversification. The changing historical relationship between competition and cooperation within industries is considered with reference to both the inter-firm interdependencies brought about by technological complexity, and the rise and fall of international cartel arrangements. The course concludes with a look at the historical evolution of industry-university linkages, and a consideration of the role of new information and communications technology on the recent formation of more active international networks for knowledge creation and exchange within MNCs.

26:478:532 Topics: Human Rights Law - Professor Jean-Marc Coicaud

Bringing together theory and practice, the seminar will examine the history of human rights and, more specifically, how they have evolved since the end of World War II. It will describe the contribution of international law and international organizations to the development of human rights, as well as evaluate their importance in comparison to other factors in international politics, such as the national interest. It will also explore suggestions to achieve a better alignment of international law and human rights, and global justice, in the future.

26:478:690 Topics in Global Sociology

Section 01  Subtitle:  International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution - Professor Lynn Kuzma

26:478:690 Topics in Global Sociology

Section 02 Subtitle:  Contemporary Social Theory - Professor Sean Mitchell

The European Summer Institute (ESI) is a joint educational venture between the MA Program in Political Science - United Nations and Global Policy Studies, Rutgers University, and the International Center for Development and Decent Work (ICDD) at the University of Kassel, Germany.  The ESI collaborates with Rutgers Department of Women's and Gender Studies, Center for European Studies and Political Science Department of the Division of Global Affairs at Rutgers Newark.