International Law and Organization
Bridgewater College
Political Science 420
Fall 2006
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:30 – 1:45
Flory 204
Professor Jamie Frueh
office hours:
MWF 9-10am, 1-4pm, TTh 2-4pm and by appointment
Flory 210
office 828-5764
home 433-1171
jfrueh@bridgewater.edu
Overview
This course is designed to acquaint you with the nature and role of international law and international organizations
and to assess the importance of these institutions in the twenty-first century. Globalization and events such as the
end of the Cold War, the increased visibility of terrorism and the American response to it have put tremendous stress
on the systems available for managing global and international relationships, including international law and
organizations. International law is a framework of rules that nation-states use to impose a measure of predictability
on their interactions. International organizations are global actors that perform a wide variety of functions that
nation-states either cannot or will not provide. Both contribute significantly to the current global political, economic
and cultural order and its trajectory into the future.
The course is designed to examine concepts and theories related to both concerns, and to apply those ideas to a
series of practical problems facing the contemporary world. As a seminar, the success of this discussion requires
your thoughtful reading, your opinions and your questions. You should come to class prepared to discuss the topic
of the day, based not only on your digestion of the assigned readings, but also your general knowledge of world
events in the news. Part of your preparation, therefore, will be to read a major national newspaper (Washington Post,
New York Times), listen to National Public Radio (WMRA 90.1FM) and to spend time at major news websites.
Goals
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To explore global politics through the institutions of international law and international organizations.
To acquaint students with the intricacies and perspectives of international legal thought.
To increase understanding of non-state actors and the effects they have on the global system.
To encourage students to speculate intelligently about the future of globalization.
Required Texts
Karns, Margaret and Mingst, Karen. International Organizations: The Politics and Processes of Global
Governance. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2004.
Rochester, J. Martin, Between Peril and Promise: The Politics of International Law. Washington: CQ Press, 2006.
We will also be using readings on reserve and from the web. Examples of useful websites include:
United Nations: www.un.org
World Trade Organization: www.wto.org
American Society of International Law: www.asil.org
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International Court of Justice: www.icj-cij.org
International Criminal Court: www.un.org.icc
International Tribunal for Rwanda: www.ictr.org
Work Requirements – grades will be calculated out of 1000 points.
attendance
Attendance is required. Absences will only be excused with a note from a doctor, school official or parent. Points
will be deducted for each unexcused absence past the third. Absence from more than five classes for any reason
will result in an automatic failure for the course.
participation – 50 points
All participants are responsible for the success of our discussions. You should come to class everyday prepared to
share thoughts on the readings and the topic for the day. Each day that you contribute in a substantive way to class
discussion, you will receive five points, up to a maximum of 50 points for the semester. The points do not reflect
how much you say or the quality of your contributions, but a certain minimum level of investment in your own ideas
and in your fellow participants. You are encouraged to use your reflections as a way to flesh out ideas that you
would like to share. Let me know if I can assist you in your participation by calling on you on a regular basis.
reflections on the readings – 250 points (25 points each)
Over the course of the semester, you will submit to me via email a total of ten (10) reflections of about 200-250
words inspired by something from the readings for class. Reflections should not summarize the readings, but
demonstrate thoughtful, critical engagement with their concepts and themes. You may also submit reflections after
a couple of select convocations. Reflections should draw connections to your own experiences, knowledge and
intuition. They should be emailed to the class listserve by midnight on the day we will cover the material you
discuss. To send a reflection, in the “to” line put COURSES and in the “subject” line put your name and the course
number in parentheses: (PSCI 420 01). You should read others’ reflections before class and you are welcome to
write your reflection based on an idea in someone else’s reflection. I will not accept late reflections. Reflections
will be graded on your ability to critically engage the text in a thoughtful way, not on the substance of your ideas.
discussion leadership – 100 points (50 points each)
You will be placed in a group with one or two other students. Your group will be responsible for helping me lead
two of the seminar sessions. Your group will meet before class and come up with a set of discussion questions that
you think will spark thoughtful conversation in class. You will then meet with me to discuss your approach to the
topic. You are welcome to use multimedia resources and are encouraged to supplement your knowledge of the topic
with outside research. Each group member will receive the same grade.
paper and paper presentation - 300 points
One of the hallmarks of a liberal arts education is the ability to write a coherent and persuasive research paper. You
will write an eight- to ten-page paper on a topic related to the themes of the course. The specific topic will be
developed in consultation with me. Preliminary work – topic proposal, annotated bibliography, outline and rough
draft – will account for 50 points of the total. The paper will be graded on research, analysis, organization and
writing style. The paper is due on Thursday November 9. Also, you will coordinate with several classmates to
present your ideas to the class and lead a discussion about them. The presentation is worth 50 points.
take-home final exam – 300 points
On the last day of class, Tuesday December 5, you will receive the questions for a take-home essay examination
designed to allow you to demonstrate your ability to integrate the concepts and themes of the semester. The exam
will be due on Saturday, December 9 at 10am.
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Grading Scale
You will be graded out of 1000 points according to the following scale:
A
A minus
B plus
B
B minus
C plus
930 to 1000 points
900 to 929 points
870 to 899 points
830 to 869 points
800 to 829 points
770 to 799 points
C
C minus
D plus
D
D minus
F
730 to 769 points
700 to 729 points
670 to 699 points
630 to 669 points
600 to 629 points
599 and below
Academic Integrity
Students are expected to be aware of and abide by the Bridgewater College Honor Code, specifically as it relates to
the act of plagiarism, which the student handbook defines as “the use of another person’s ideas or thoughts, which
are not common knowledge, without acknowledging the source.” We will discuss citation as you prepare to write
your papers, but the policy specifically prohibits copying paragraphs or even central ideas and claiming them as
your own, in addition to the more obvious violations such as buying papers off the web or turning in someone else’s
work as your own. Violations will be dealt with swiftly and severely and could result in failure of the course or
expulsion from the college. If you are in doubt, cite the source.
Course Structure
Week 1 - 8/29 – 8/31
T
Introductions
Th
Thinking the globe
For Thursday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 3-33.
Week 2 - 9/5 – 9/7
T
Understanding the globe
For Tuesday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 35-60.
Th
Law in world politics
For Thursday, read: Rochester, pages 1-12 and 32-52.
Week 3 - 9/12 – 9/14
T
The Westphalian state system
For Tuesday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 63-96.
You are encouraged to attend Troy Glembot’s convo entitled “How to Live in Afghanistan on $1 a day”
Th
The state and its future
For Thursday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 249-265 and Marc Theisen and Mark
Leonard “When Worlds Collide,” Foreign Policy March/April 2001, available in the
library or through Academic Search Elite through the library website.
Week 4 - 9/19 – 9/21
T
Non-state actors
For Tuesday, read Karns and Mingst, 211-223 and 240-247.
Th
The United Nations as governance
For Thursday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 97-144.
You are encouraged to attend Charles Kernaghan’s convo entitled “The Fight to End Sweatshops”
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Week 5 – 9/26 – 9/28
T
Treaties as law
For Tuesday, read: Rochester, pages 139-158
Th
Human Rights as law
For Thursday, read: Rochester, pages 55-74.
Paper topic due
Week 6 – 10/3 – 9/5
T
Global Human Rights
For Tuesday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 413-457.
Th
The UN Human Rights Council as case study
For Thursday, read: readings on reserve and on the web.
Week 7 – 10/10 – 10/12
T
Fall Break
Th
Economic Globalization
For Thursday, read Karns and Mingst, pages 355-411.
Annotated bibliography due
Week 8 – 10/17 – 10/19
T
The law of international economics
For Tuesday, read: Rochester, pages 109-138.
Th
The World Trade Organization (WTO) as a case study
For Thursday, read: readings on reserve and on the web.
Paper outline due
Week 9 – 10/24 – 10/26
T
OXFAM International as a case study
For Tuesday, read: handout from OXFAM and readings on the web.
Th
Global environmental governance
For Thursday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 459-494.
Week 10 – 10/31 – 11/2
T
International law and global environmental regimes
For Tuesday, read: Rochester, pages 159-180.
Rough draft due
Th
Striving for peace and security
For Thursday, read: Karns and Mingst, pages 277-289, 321-327 and 336-353. (I also
recommend you skim 297-306 and 327-336.)
Week 11 – 11/7 – 11/9
T
The laws of war
For Tuesday, read: Rochester, pages 75-108.
W
You are encouraged to attend Kenneth Mwanda’s convo on financial service regulation.
Th
The war in Lebanon
Thursday 11/9: research paper due
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Week 12 – 11/14 – 11/16
T
Guest speaker – Eleanor Clift, political analyst
For Tuesday, read: readings to be announced.
Th
Paper presentation panel
Week 13 – 11/21
T
Paper presentation panel
Th
Thanksgiving Break
Week 14 – 11/28 – 11/30
T
Paper presentation panel
You are encouraged to attend Debra Liang-Fenton’s convo entitled “North Korea in the News”
Th
Paper presentation panel
Week 15 – 12/5
T
The future of international law and organization
For Tuesday, read: Rochester, pages 183-198 and Karns and Mingst, pages 499-520.
Tuesday 12/5: take-home final distributed
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How to Write a Reflection
Step 1: READ THE ASSIGNMENTS! In the course of reading you will pick up knowledge. You won't be able to
help it. But the point of reading this stuff is to understand new perspectives on the world. Encountering new ideas
should be EXCITING. If you think about the reading as so many pages to trudge through, you are much less likely
to CREATE IDEAS.
Some of these readings will ask a lot of you. They are meant to challenge you to see the world in different ways.
You do not have to understand every word; this is not high school. You are to read to understand, not to memorize.
At the same time, you should read with a dictionary close at hand because you will have to stretch for much of this.
Engage the author in a kind of conversation and don’t be shy about seeking out clarification.
Step 2: Take some notes while you read - nothing extensive just what seems most important to the author's point.
Write down what you think is interesting. Your notes should just be things around which thoughts can coalesce
either while you're reading or afterwards. These notes will be quite valuable when it comes time to study for the
exam. If you have the notes, you won’t have to re-read everything – you’ll just be able to look over your notes
Step 3: Sit back and THINK about the readings for 10 minutes before you try to write anything. You are not done
reading when you finish the last page. You must leave yourself some time to process what you have just read.
Scribble some notes. Put things in your own words. Brainstorm. Try to summarize the main points of the readings
and figure out how they relate to one another. Also, think of interesting connections to your childhood or to your day
or to some rerun of Seinfeld. Thinking is not always a linear process. Work at engaging each author. If the process
of reading is like a conversation, the reflection is your opportunity to relate that conversation to a third party.
The point is there is no right answer. I will grade you on whether or not you seem to have thought about the
readings. You are more than welcome to talk about your ideas with each other AFTER you have written your
reflections, but I want each of you to engage you readings on your own.
Step 4: Write up your ideas in a paragraph or so. Pick something – anything – from the readings that made you
think and write about it. Start by writing down one of the author’s ideas, then discuss what you want to say about it.
Do not rehash what the author said. We have all read the book too. Tell us what you thought was cool and why.
What connections did you make to other things we have discussed in class or with your ideas or experiences?
Reading is mental work. The reflection is the evidence that you have worked. These reflections will serve as the
basis for some of our classroom discussion.
Step 5: Email the reflection to the class. Cut and paste your reflection into a new message and send it to the class
listserv at least 12 hours (by about midnight) before class. Late reflections will not be graded. Each reflection is
worth up to 25 points, or 2.5% of your final grade.
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