United Nations Studies
Please refer to the Cross-Registration section of the Registration website for more information on how to seek approval for non-SIPA courses.
INAF U6190x Complex Emergencies: Root Causes to Rebuilding 3 pts. This course forms an introduction to the broader program on humanitarian affairs. We will address the root causes of complex humanitarian emergencies, the practices of humanitarian intervention, the main actors, and the opportunities and dilemmas for rebuilding. We will also discuss the main critiques of humanitarian action and possible alternatives. The course advocates the principle that humanitarian aid should be provided from a (long-term) development perspective? otherwise it can reinforce conflict and exclusion. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: Humanitarian Affairs. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Autumn |
INAF |
27783 |
M 11:00a - 12:50p |
D. Salomons |
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INAF U6352x United Nations and Globalization 3 pts. The course will explore the multiple dimensions of the impact of globalization on the role of the United Nations. The new millennium has seen a vigorous debate take shape on global governance. Every aspect of global governance is currently the subject of review and debate : the financial system, security and the role and composition of the Security Council, a new climate change architecture, the trade regime and the future of the Doha round, human rights, the future of development assistance and the provision of global public goods, and the need for a new multilateralism. It has been over half a century since so many core issues at the heart of effective global governance have been on the drawing board simultaneously. This course will analyse the implications of a range of these issues for the current work of the UN and for its future role. The session headings indicate the specific issues that will be covered. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Autumn |
INAF |
81198 |
Th 11:00a - 12:50p |
B. Jenks |
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INAF U6406x International Response to Landmine Challenge 1.5 pts. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction effectively seeks to permanently eliminate landmines. The origins, negotiation, and implementation of this December 1997 international agreement forms the substantive core of this course. The course will continue by examining the operationalization of the Convention. What programs have been implemented and which have proved to be successful? What is the geographic scope of the humanitarian threat posed by landmines in October 2004? What roles are states, international organizations and nongovernmental organizations playing? As a practical example of global humanitarian intervention by the international community, what challenges remain and how best can they be tackled? Finally, how "successful" has the Ottawa Convention been?SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: Humanitarian Affairs. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Short Courses.
INAF U6490y International Humanitarian Law 1 pt. The overall aim of the course is to help students to understand the system of international humanitarian law and to obtain the professional skills and insight to use that knowledge in the context of complex humanitarian operations. Upon completing the course, students should understand the historical development and system of international law applicable in armed conflict situations, be familiar with the basic principles of international humanitarian law applicable to all armed conflicts including the basic rights of those who support victims in wars and conflicts, be able to analyze specifically the law guiding humanitarian operations, understand the rapid development of the law in responding to changes in warfare strategies in tactics and understand basic responses to serious violations of the law. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: Humanitarian Affairs. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Short Courses.
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Course |
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Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
INAF |
77646 |
FSa 9:00a - 5:00p |
H. Fischer |
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INAF U6497y Humanitarian Crisis-East Congo 1 pt. The overall aim of the course is to help students to understand the situation in Eastern Congo and how humanitarian organizations intervene. Upon completing this course students should: 1. Understand the historical development and current status of the conflict in Eastern Congo. 2. Be familiar with the basic operations, dilemmas, as well as achievements and shortcomings of several humanitarian NGOs active in Eastern Congo. 3. Understand the breakdown of state or better administrative institutions, in particular the education and health systems. SIPA: Africa. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: Humanitarian Affairs. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Short Courses.
INAF U6561y Conflict Prevention, Peacebuilding & Development 1.5 pts.Not offered in 2012-2013. Course objectives are to to become acquainted with conflict environments and the broad range of actors and approaches, notably within the UN, involved in promoting development in crisis and post-conflict situations; To engage the students in the policy and programme elements of a development-oriented response to conflict and post-conflict and to introduce them to the research and policy development and programming methods of the United Nations or other international organisations; to introduce students to what it feels like to work with these issues daily, within the UN or other work environments, and to guide them through the complexities of the ogranisations' policy-setting and decision-making arrangements; to become familiar with the case studies, and through this, develop practical understanding of the issues and the tools available to the international community. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Short Courses.
INAF U6798x Central Issues in American Foreign Policy 3 pts. This course examines the sources, substance, and enduring themes of American foreign policy. Part I reviews the rise of American power in world affairs from the 18th Century through the end of the Cold War. Part II provides an overview of the process and politics of American foreign policy making. Part III applies the theory and history of Part I, and the process of Part II, to examine a number of contemporary U.S. foreign policy issues and debates, including America's two wars with Iraq; America's responses to the threat of global terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and what role the U.S. should play in the world economy, global and regional institutions, and the developing world. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Autumn |
INAF |
60942 |
Tu 2:10p - 4:00p |
S. Gottlieb |
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INAF U8507x The Security Council and Peacekeeping in Africa in the 21st Century 3 pts. Instructor Permission Required This course will focus on the role of the Security Council (SC) as a decision making body in the establishment and conduct of peace keeping operations in Africa in the post cold war period. It will examine the multiple factors, which come into play in the authorization of peace keeping operations by the SC. It will provide an understanding of the political dynamics and practical diplomacy of the international system as it applies to Africa. The course will analyze the current political context, in which conflicts in Africa are bound to happen in the future. It will examine the reorientation of the UN's attention towards issues like terrorism, Middle East, Iraq and Afghanistan and WMD. Will Africa be the poor parent and remain outside the intervention zone? Instructor permission is required to register for this course. Please go to: http://sipa.columbia.edu/academics/sipa_registration/instructions.html for instructions. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: Africa. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: ICR. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Autumn |
INAF |
22148 |
W 11:00a - 12:50p |
E. Lindenmayer |
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INAF U8560y Managing The UN System 3 pts. In this course, the participants will examine the governance structure and decision-making processes in the UN organizations. They will review the rules and regulations whereby the organizations handle people, money and tangible assets, and see how they manage their human and financial resources. Special attention will be paid to the way in which cultural and political factors influence management practices. Key issues such as decentralization, coordination and the management of change will recur throughout the course. The interaction of the UN system with donors, the private sector and with civil society as partners in the provision of services will be closely studied. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
INAF |
61280 |
M 11:00a - 12:50p |
D. Salomons |
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INAF U8738y Peacemaking/Peacekeeping 3 pts.Not offered in 2012-2013. The course will explore the major conceptual and operational transitions which have occurred in the character and responsibilities of UN Peacekeeping over the past 16 years. United Nations Peace Operations have evolved significantly since the end of the Cold War. In 2006 over 90,000 peacekeepers were deployed in 16 missions mostly in Africa and the Middle East. The UN Summit of world leaders in December 2005 adopted the concept of The Responsibility to Protect - a new global norm placing human rights over traditional concepts of sovereignty. Yet the humanitarian and political crisis in Darfur underscores the profound gap between principle and implementation. The Summit also established the UN Peacebuilding Commission reflecting a growing awareness that rebuilding collapsed states will require significant civilian as well as military engagement over a longer timeframe than heretofore envisaged for UN operations. There is also a new willingness to work in partnership with regional organizations. We will conclude the course by assessing the capacity and political will of UN member states to meet these challenges as well as to develop a strengthened response to the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea and the threat of international terrorism. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: EPD. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: Middle East. SIPA: ICR. SIPA: Humanitarian Affairs. SIPA: UN Studies.
INAF U8818y Topics in International Ethics 3 pts. The seminar begins with an examination of how moral philosophers have considered the problem of the ethics of policy choice. In the next part of the seminar we explore human rights and the role of ethics in international politics. We then focus on problems in contemporary international ethics, wars, massacres and terrorism; international intervention; and global economic justice. We conclude with a discussion of the debate between the proponents of cosmopolitan justice, on the one hand, and the defenders of national self-determination, on the other, over the conditions of world order. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
INAF |
83096 |
Tu 11:00a - 12:50p |
M. Doyle |
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INAF U8867y International Enforcement and the UN Security Council No other institution in world history has been granted by its near universal membership the authority to mandate coercive measures, including sanctions and the use of force against sovereign states. Has the Security Council fulfilled the dreams of its founders? The course will define the Security Council's authority and powers through the provisions of the charter. It will discuss in detail the issue of collective security, sovereignty, threat to international peace and security, the use of force and non intervention. Through various case studies, it will examine the array of tools the Council has at its disposal from persuasion and diplomatic tools to peace keeping, economic sanctions, military enforcement and use of force. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
INAF |
88752 |
W 11:00a - 12:50p |
E. Lindenmayer |
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PUAF U4260x Critical Issues in Urban Public Policy 3 pts. This course is designed to prepare future policymakers to critically analyze and evaluate key urban policy issues in New York. It is unique in offering exposure to both practical leadership experience and urban affairs scholarship that will equip students to meet the challenges that face urban areas. Students will read academic articles and chapters from books dealing with urban politics and policy, and will hear from an exciting array of guest lecturers from the governmental, not-for-profit, and private sectors. Drawing from my experiences as former Mayor of New York City, I will lay out the basic elements of urban government and policymaking, emphasizing the most important demographic, economic, and political trends facing urban areas. SIPA: USP- Urban Policy Track. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Autumn |
PUAF |
23453 |
Tu 4:10p - 6:00p |
D. Dinkins |
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PUAF U6801y Negotiation & Conflict Resolution 3 pts. There are two purposes to this course: 1. to develop your ability to negotiate in a purposeful, principled and effective way; and 2. to teach you how to build consensus and broker wise agreements with others. Negotiation is a social skill, and like all social skills you have to practice it if you want to get better at it. To give you the chance to practice, we'll do a number of simulated negotiations in and out of class. We'll also use lectures, case studies, exercises, games, videos, and demonstrations to help you develop your understanding. As we advance in the course, our focus will shift from simple one-on-one negotiations to more complex ones involving many parties, agents, coalitions, and organizations. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: Management. SIPA: ICR. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
PUAF |
22396 |
Th 11:00a - 12:50p |
S. Freeman |
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PUAF U8238y Practical Problems in Urban Politics 3 pts. The focus of this upper-level graduate course is New York City government and politics. In this course future urban policy makers will learn from guest lectures by leaders with extensive practical experience in New York City politics and policy, from academic scholarship and policy research in urban affairs, and from their own participation in an applied policy analysis project. SIPA: USP- Urban Policy Track. SIPA: UN Studies.
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Term |
Course |
Call# / |
Days & Times / |
Instructor |
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Spring |
PUAF |
75031 |
Tu 4:10p - 6:00p |
D. Dinkins |
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PUAF U8320y Research Practicum-Poverty & Public Policy 3 pts.Not offered in 2012-2013. Through lecture and discussion this course will address issues relating to poverty, wealth and income inequality in American society, the definition of poverty, the composition of the poverty population, and the causes of poverty. Evidence will be examined regarding trends in inequality, duration of poverty spells, repeat stays on welfare, and the perpetuation of inequality across generations. We will also consider various programmatic strategies that have been offered to reduce the incidence of poverty in America. SIPA: UN Studies.
REGN U8090x The Transatlantic Economy 3 pts. A course on economic relations in an era of regionalism and the formation of rival economic blocs. This course examines the changing architecture of contemporary US-EU relations, placing this relationship within wider multilateral obligations. Topics to be discussed include conceptual frameworks within which the relationship may be analyzed; the economic dimension to common security; causes and consequences of past and present trade disputes; the development and implementation of the Transatlantic Agenda and related programs such as the Transatlantic Business Dialogue; implications for the dollar of European Monetary Union; and the impact on the relationship of each side's ties to other regional arrangements such as APEC, Mercosur and EU enlargement to Eastern and Central Europe. Course requirements: A term paper and classroom presentations. SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: APEA. SIPA: IFEP- Finance. SIPA: IFEP- Economic Policy. SIPA: Europe. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: United States. SIPA: UN Studies.
LAW L8861y Constitutional Law of the UN 2 pts. This is a Law School course.
For more detailed course information, please go to the Law School Curriculum Guide at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/courses/search
SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: Intl Org. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Electives.LAW L9377y Enforcing International Law 2 pts. This is a Law School course.
For more detailed course information, please go to the Law School Curriculum Guide at: http://www.law.columbia.edu/courses/search
SIPA: MIA- Interstate Relations. SIPA: Human Rights. SIPA: ISP. SIPA: UN Studies. SIPA: Electives.