Module SGIA2261: International Organisation

Department: Government and International Affairs

SGIA2261: International Organisation

Prerequisites

• Any Level 1 SGIA module

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module takes the term International Organisation to encompass any project to regulate international politics and includes the material and normative elements of this understanding of the term.
• The module aims to give students a firm grounding and appreciation of the historical evolution, theoretical foundations, and challenges to contemporary international organisation.
• The module aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding the concepts of international and global order, whilst highlighting the distinct contributions of a range of international organisations to global governance, peace, security, and economic stability and how these institutions are affected by, and respond to, systemic change.
• The module is particularly focused on enabling students to apply key theoretical concepts that impact on the role, function and assessment of significant actors and trends in the international system.

Content

• The module will introduce the concepts of international and global order and address the dynamics of the relationships between nation states, international organisations, and non-governmental organisations that function as the ‘containers’ and mediators of international cooperation.
• The module will address the challenges contemporary international organisation faces in managing difficult problems, from global and regional security, humanitarian crises, through to the management of global financial markets and climate change.
• The module builds upon key concepts and theories underpinning the broader study of international relations, such as realism, liberalism and constructivism and introduces theoretical perspectives on international organisation and their impact on the international and global order such as functionalism, institutionalism, regionalism, global, and multi-level governance, highlighting the changing role and understanding of sovereignty in the context of international organisation and the influence of ideas and power in shaping the trajectories of systemic change.

Learning Outcomes

• Through the module students will gain an understanding of:
• The character and dynamics of international organisation and the distribution of power within regional and international political systems and the centrality of political and international order to the conduct of politics and its study;
• An understanding of the value of theoretical approaches for the academic analysis of international organisation;
• The role of key actors- states, international organisations, NGOs - in the management of major global challenges in areas such as security, economic development and competition for resources, development, human rights and environmental sustainability.

• Students will also develop some subject specific skills, such as:
• Identify, assess and engage with conceptualisations and/or theorisations of major elements of international organisation through diverse sources and data.
• Analyse and critically evaluate international organisations is diverse ways and from different perspectives to support arguments and analyses and produce well-reasoned, evidence-based judgements and arguments.

• Students will also develop some important key skills, suitable for underpinning study at this and subsequent levels, such as:
• Effectively, ethically, and competently use available information communication technology (ICT) to retrieve, develop, analyse, and present information.
• Work independently and as part of a team to successfully complete tasks efficiently, effectively, and to a deadline, demonstrating collaborative working, project design,and management skills.
• Critically evaluate their own performance and approach to learning and improve through feedback, whilst also being able to provide critical and constructive feedback to peers.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Teaching and learning take place through a digital platform, lectures, and seminars.
• Digital learning platforms, such as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), provide materials (e.g. podcasts, videos, images, text) that introduce themes and central ideas to be further explored in the classroom.
• Lectures provide an opportunity for academic staff to review core material and to initiate and facilitate active learning. They will typically highlight and illustrate areas of contestation and debate in the field, whether theoretical, conceptual, methodological, or empirical; and deploy cases and examples to stimulate discussion and initiate students’ critical thinking about International Organisations and their relationship to power distributions and dynamics, and diverse facets of international order.
• Seminars enable discussion-based learning and facilitate peer-feedback on students’ engagement with the module’s key issues. They enable complex ideas to be discussed and considered collaboratively, enhancing critical perspective and analysis.
• Group exercises provide students with an innovative learning environment, where they can develop their organisational and communication skills and engage with non-traditional learning tools, including Generative AI.
• Formative assessment is via the submission of a group 1,000-word draft podcast proposal. This will give students the opportunity to develop subject-specific knowledge in preparation for the summative assignments and to develop and practice transferrable technical skills, including the critical engagement with and use of Generative AI.
• Summative assessment will be by means of a group podcast and a 2,000-word essay. The podcast will assess subject specific knowledge focused on actors’ diverse perspectives on IO’s functions in power distributions, and specific issue areas, developing reason-based advocacy. Collaborative working will be incorporated, and specific ICT used. The essay tests theoretical knowledge and understanding and the application of theory and concepts to empirical cases and/or data linked to major global challenges to support a reasoned argument produced independently.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1,000-word podcast proposal.

■ Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.