• Offered by School of Politics and International Relations
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Course subject Political Science
  • Areas of interest International Relations, Political Sciences, International Affairs
  • Academic career UGRD
  • Course convener
    • Dr Dong Wook Kim
    • Dr Quynh Nguyen
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in First Semester 2020
    See Future Offerings

This course examines the nature and place of international organisations in world politics. Attention is given to why international organisations were formed, how they operate, and what role they play in contemporary international affairs. The course begins with a survey of different theoretical approaches to understanding and explaining international organisations. Attention is then turned to a series of institutional groupings to look at the United Nations system, economic organisations, security, development, and the environment. Throughout, the course considers how new configurations of global power are changing the landscape of international organisations.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
  1. understand different theories of international organisations;
  2. analyse strengths and weaknesses of different international organisations;
  3. apply theories of international organisation to specific case studies;
  4. write critically about research; and
  5. relate issues and processes to current affairs and present-day issues of significance.

Indicative Assessment

Tutorial participation (10%) Learning outcomes 1-3, 5
Theoretical memo, 800 words (15%) Learning outcomes 1-4
Research essay, 2000 words (35%) Learning outcomes 1-5
Final examination, 2 hours in formal examination period (40%) Learning outcomes 1-5 
 

In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle. 

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Workload

130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorial and tutorial-like activities; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading, and writing.

Requisite and Incompatibility

To enrol in this course you must have completed POLS1005 or POLS1006, or with permission of the convenor.

Prescribed Texts

Ian Hurd, International Organizations: Politics, Law, Practice, Third Edition (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018).

Assumed Knowledge

Familiarity with basic concepts and theories in international relations.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
6 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
6.00 0.12500
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2020 $3840
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2020 $5460
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
3015 24 Feb 2020 02 Mar 2020 08 May 2020 05 Jun 2020 In Person View

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