POLS319-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025

International Organisations: The United Nations and Contemporary Challenges

30 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 17 February 2025
End Date: Sunday, 22 June 2025
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 2 March 2025
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 11 May 2025

Description

An advanced undergraduate course examining international organisations with a special focus on the contemporary role of the United Nations.

International Organisations have become pivotal actors on the global stage today, addressing pressing concerns such as international public good, trade, environmental challenges, international security, as well as the evercritical issue of world poverty. This course introduces the historical and theoretical foundations of International Organisations by peering into the specific world of International Governmental Organisations. After exploring the literature on International Organisations, the course sets out to dissect the United Nations. This organisation will be discussed
as a key example of international governmental organisations’ structures, functions, discourses and
politics. Several case studies will be discussed. The overarching aim of the course is to bring students to reflect on the relevance, effectiveness and practices of International Organisations in our globalising world, as well as the pressing issues of legitimacy that they bring forth.

Learning Outcomes

Gain knowledge on the history of international organisations and their multidisciplinary underpinnings (Attributes: 1, 3, 5);
Critically reflect on the strengths and failings of the main theories informing the study of international organisations (Attributes: 1, 3, 5);
Building on diverse case studies, demonstrate an ability to analyse how a range of socio-political and economic motives impact the efficiency of international organisations (Attributes: all);
Bring student to critically reflect on their own viewpoints on global governance and its actors (Attributes: all).

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

Employable, innovative and enterprising

Students will develop key skills and attributes sought by employers that can be used in a range of applications.

Biculturally competent and confident

Students will be aware of and understand the nature of biculturalism in Aotearoa New Zealand, and its relevance to their area of study and/or their degree.

Engaged with the community

Students will have observed and understood a culture within a community by reflecting on their own performance and experiences within that community.

Globally aware

Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

Any 30 points at 200 level from POLS, or
any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA, or
LAWS, GEOG, or
the Schedule V of the BCom.

Timetable 2025

Students must attend one activity from each section.

Lecture A
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Monday 09:00 - 11:00 Ernest Rutherford 225
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun
Lecture B
Activity Day Time Location Weeks
01 Wednesday 13:00 - 14:00 Ernest Rutherford 460
17 Feb - 6 Apr
28 Apr - 1 Jun

Course Coordinator

Pascale Hatcher

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
In-Class Debate & Short Essay 20% 1,500-word summary and critic as well as taking an active part during the ‘in class debate’
Final exam 30%
Final Project - Group work 30% 35% Policy brief essay (approximately 2,000-words/student). A short proposal (5%) will be submitted for approval week 6. Groups will present their workat the end of the semester.
Informed participation 15% Activities such as researching the question of the week or contributing to an online forum

Textbooks / Resources

All the material required for class is available on Learn: a folder with a wide range of information should you require support during the semester; a folder that lists further resources on development which may come very useful to feed in our class discussions; and a folder where you can find all the information needed on the semester’s assessments. The readings and PPT slides are uploaded in the weekly folders, marked week 1 to week 12.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $1,788.00

International fee $8,200.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Language, Social and Political Sciences .

All POLS319 Occurrences

  • POLS319-25S1 (C) Semester One 2025