OVERVIEW

The course aims to provide knowledge of the evolutionary processes of the main international and regional organizations of the contemporary era, highlighting progress and limits in light of historical-international events.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, the student is able to:

• know history, structure, aims and members of the main international organizations in a globalized system;
• identify causal relationships between historical events;

know how to use the historical methodology to understand the present of international organizations, in their potential and in their limits.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Ability to understand the complexity and versatility of international and regional organizations of the contemporary era;
• ability to identify tools, techniques, dynamics and limits of international organizations of the contemporary era;
• ability to interpret the current international scenario thanks to the mastery of historical dynamics.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge of European history after the Vienna Congress and of the history of international relations of the 20th century.

Knowledge of English.

TEACHING METHODS

The lectures will alternate with student case studies: each student, alone or in pairs, will choose an international organization or NGO to present to the class. In addition, short videos related to some votes in international organizations will be shown. Finally, there will be moments of self-assessment through Wooclap.

Slides and other material will available in Aulaweb.

The lectures will take place face to face, classroom 18, timetable: Wednesday 12-14, Thursday 8-10, Friday 8-10; lessons start on Wednesday 15th September.

To access, students must follow the rules indicated by the University:

- reserve a seat in the classroom on the website https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti; when booking you will also be asked for a declaration of absence of symptoms and close contacts with positives;

- access the spaces with Greenpass and equipped with a surgical mask, keeping the distance;

- follow the instructions of the reception staff;

- always keep the same place in the classroom with the mask on, frequently sanitize your hands, do not crowd into common areas and bathrooms.

For those who cannot book a seat in the classroom, it is possible to follow the lessons through Teams, code n3sov8u.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course will address the following topics:

1) cooperation and security in 19th century Europe: the congress system and the “concert of Europe”;

2) the “first globalization” and its effects: transnational political movements, international public unions, collaboration in legal matters, the “Hague system”;

3) the Paris peace conference and the League of Nations system;

4) rise and decline of “collective security”: the political action of the League of Nations between the two wars;

5) successes and limits of socio-economic cooperation in the 20s and 30s: the ILO, the economic commissions of the League of Nations, the other experiences of economic collaboration;

6) the “internationalist” perspectives during the Second World War and the birth of the United Nations;

7) the UN system, specialized agencies and Bretton Woods organizations;

8) the UN and security problems in the cold war years;

9) notes on the European Union.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bob Reinalda, Routledge history of international organizations: from 1815 to the present day, London and New York: Routledge, 2009 [Chapters: 2-3 (p. 17-33), 7 (p. 65-82), 11 (p. 120-135) and 15-41 (p. 177-694)]: the book is available as an e-book and can be found at the Library of the School of Social Sciences (Albergo dei Poveri).

Presentation of a case study.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

LARA PICCARDO (President)

MARIA ELEONORA GUASCONI

MONICA PENCO (Substitute)

FRANCESCO PIERINI (Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

15 September 2021, classroom 18, timetable: Wednesday 12-14, Thursday 8-10, Friday 8-10.

To access, students must follow the rules indicated by the University:

- reserve a seat in the classroom on the website https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti; when booking you will also be asked for a declaration of absence of symptoms and close contacts with positives;

- access the spaces with Greenpass and equipped with a surgical mask, keeping the distance;

- follow the instructions of the reception staff;

- always keep the same place in the classroom with the mask on, frequently sanitize your hands, do not crowd into common areas and bathrooms.

For those who cannot book a seat in the classroom, it is possible to follow the lessons through Teams, code n3sov8u.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The exam consists of two parts: the case study and the oral exam.

The case study is prepared and presented during the lectures. The case study grade is valid for one academic year (until March 2023). Non-attending students must present the case study during the oral exam.

The oral exam focuses on the topics covered during the lectures and indicated in the “Syllabus/Content” section of this course sheet. The oral exam consists of two questions: both answers must be sufficient to reach sufficiency. The mark of the oral exam will be averaged with the mark reported in the case study.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Case study assessment: the case study will be evaluated as sufficient if the student has correctly made the choice on the IO or NGO presented. Cases that confuse these organizations with other foundations, associations, etc. that are not configured as IO or NGO on the basis of the criteria that are illustrated and commented on in the initial lectures will therefore be insufficient. The evaluation will be as high as the student is able to present the chosen topic by identifying members, institutions, history, limits, reasons for dissolution (if any), potential, etc. of the IO/NGO. For the presentation of the case study the student will have 20 minutes available. The students cannot choose an IO that is already part of the syllabus.

Oral exam assessment: knowledge of historical events, of the links between events, of the structures of the OI are the main elements of evaluation. These are accompanied by the ability to synthesize information and clarity in the presentation of contents. Requests for additional questions to increase the mark will not be accepted. It is not possible to establish in advance the duration of the oral exam.

The English language, being a vehicular language, does not fall within the evaluation criteria.

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

Students with “Special Needs”: the compensatory/dispensative tools recognized by the Department coordinator, Prof. Aristide Canepa, and by the University Service for students with special needs are applied.