Document Type

Graduate Syllabus

Date

Spring 2006

School

Diplomacy

Course Number

DIPL 6015

Course Description

The transition from the end of the Twentieth Century to the beginning of the Twenty-First Century coincides with a period of exciting and fundamental change in international relations, characterized by an increasing awareness and debate about the role of the international organizations. Never has the challenge been greater for international organizations as they come to terms with the problems connected with their role in international peace and security, the regulation of the international commons, the promotion of economic and social development, the provision of public services to refugees and displaced persons, and the enforcement of global human rights norms. All this is being done under relentless public scrutiny.

In a much lauded, much maligned, much misunderstood environment, the United Nations System is being subjected to varying interpretations, about its structure, its role, its role, its challenges, its potential, and its essential work. Some believe it is a supra-national structure to be kept firmly under control;, others, that it is the forum for the solution of all problems.

The course will be a complement to the other courses on International Organizations being taught at the University. It will focus on the Human Resource Management procedures of the United Nations and other International Organizations.

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • understand the background to the creation of the United Nations; understand the origins of the concept of the “international civil servant”;
  • appreciate the difficulties inherent in the management of a bureaucracy in a multi-cultural environment;
  • link the situation of the international organizations to that of trans-national corporations in a globalized world;
  • compare the differences in management styles between a national and an international environment;
  • identify the strengths and weaknesses of international civil service;
  • synthesize information and articulately ask questions and state positions;
  • research a Final Paper on a topic of relevance.

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