POIR 662: Governance in International Relations

Prof. Wayne Sandholtz

School of International Relations

University of Southern California

International governance guides and regulates international relations in virtually every issue area, from conflict, to political economy, to human rights and the environment. At the heart of governance are rules and institutions. This seminar assesses rules and rule structures in international relations, covering the major theoretical perspectives and a full range of empirical research.Over the course of the semester, we explore the following topics, covering a range of theoretical and empirical scholarship:

What are norms?
The turn toward norms in IR scholarship
International Relations and International Law: bridging disciplines
International Relations and International Law: skeptical views
Theoretical perspectives:

-Rationalism

-Constructivism

-Legalization

-World polity

Enforcement and compliance
Measuring the effects of international norms
How norms change

The objective of the seminar is to help students to understand the major theoretical approaches to studying norms in international relations and to be familiar with important empirical research in this area.

Students will prepare 4 – 6 analytical summaries (2 – 3 pages each) during the semester and each student will serve as discussion leader for 3 – 5 specific readings. Each student will also prepare and present to the class a research paper or, as an alternative, a detailed research design. Written work will be assessed for command of relevant theories, analytical insight, and clarity of expression.

Grading will be based on the following:

Assignment / % of final grade
Attendance and participation / 15%
Analytical summaries / 20%
Discussion leader / 15%
Research paper or design / 50%

The majority of the readings for the seminar will consist of articles and sections of books, though the following books will be required:

David J. Bederman, International Law Frameworks(ILF), 2nd ed., Foundation Press, 2006.

Andrew Guzman, How International Law Works, Oxford University Press, 2008.

Beth Simmons, Mobilizing for Human Rights, Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Week / Topics / Readings
1 / How norms work / Franck, “The Power of Legitimacy and the Legitimacy of Power”
Kratochwil, Rules, Norms, and Decisions
2 / How norms work / Collier, Law and Social Change in Zinacantan
Ellickson, “Of Coase and Cattle”
The Paquete Habana
3 / Norms, society, and governance / Stone Sweet, “Judicialization and the Construction of Governance”
Stone Sweet & Brunell, “Constructing a Supranational Constitution”
Sandholtz and Stone Sweet, “Law, Politics, and International Governance”
Sandholtz, “Globalization and the Evolution of Rules”
Nicaragua v. The United States
4 / International law & international relations / Bederman, chaps. 1 – 4
Keohane, “International Relations and International Law: Two Optics”
Slaughter, et al., “International Law and IR Theory”
Steinberg and Zasloff, “Power and International Law”
Shaffer & Ginsburg, “The Empirical Turn in International Legal Scholarship”
Hafner-Burton, Victor, & Lupu, “Political Science Research on International Law”
5 / International law: skeptical views / Bederman, chaps. 9 – 17
Ex Parte Pinochet
Morgenthau, “The Main Problems of International Law”
Mearsheimer, “The False Promise of International Institutions”
Krasner, “Compromising Westphalia”
Arend, “Legal Rules and International Politics”
Sloss, “Do International Norms Influence State Behavior?”
6 / Goldsmith & Posner, The Limits of International Law
7 / The rationalist approach / Guzman, How International Law Works
8 / Constructivism / Klotz, “Norms Reconstituting Interests”
Nadelmann, “Global Prohibition Regimes”
Finnemore, National Interests in International Society
9 / Legalization / Goldstein, et al., “Introduction: Globalization and World Politics”
Abbott, et al., “The Concept of Legalization”
Abbott & Snidal, “Hard and Soft Law”
Alter, “The European Union’s Legal System . . .”
Lutz & Sikkink, “International Human Rights Law . . .”
Kahler, “Conclusion: The Causes and Consequences of Legalization”
Finnemore & Toope, “Alternatives to ‘Legalization’”
10 / World polity / Meyer et al., “World Society and the Nation-State”
Meyer et al., “The Structuring of a World Environmental Regime”
Meyer et al., “World Expansion of Mass Education”
Ramirez et al., “Changing Logic of Political Citizenship”
Sandholtz, “Constitutions and Treaty Commitments”
11 / Enforcement and compliance / Downs, et al., “Is the Good News About Compliance . . .”
Henkin, “Compliance With International Law”
Chayes & Chayes, “On Compliance”
Sandholtz and Gray, “International Integration and National Corruption”
Lebovic & Voeten, “The Politics of Shame”
12 / Human rights / Simmons, Mobilizing for Human Rights
Hafner-Burton & Tsutsui, “Justice Lost”
13 / How norms change / Finnemore & Sikkink, “International Norm Dynamics and Political Change”
Sandholtz, “Explaining International Norm Change”
Sandholtz, “Protecting Cultural Treasures”
Van Sickle & Sandholtz, “The Emerging Right to Democracy”
Other TBA
14 / Research presentations
15 / Research presentations

Course policies

By enrolling in this seminar, you commit to yourself to complying with the following course policies.

1. Arrive at each meeting on time and having already completed the assigned readings.

2. Complete and submit every assignment in order to receive a passing grade.

3. Submit all assignments on time. There will be a penalty deducted from the score of each assignment handed in late.

4. Academic integrity: Anyone caught plagiarizing, cheating, or engaging in other violations of academic integrity will fail that assignment, may fail the course and must, according to University rules, be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards. If you are not acquainted with USC's rules on academic integrity, or if you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, check out these resources:

Overview of Academic Integrity standards
Trojan Integrity Guide
Trojan Integrity – Plagiarism
USC Libraries' online tutorial

5. Electronics in class: Turn off all mobile phones, Blackberries, and similar devices while in class. Laptop use is appropriate only for taking notes in class. Any other uses (Facebook, YouTube, e-mail, web-surfing, and so on) are a distraction to the professor and to other students and are not allowed.

6. Disabilities: Students requesting academic accommodations based on disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to Prof. Sandholtz as early as possible. DSP is located in STU 301; the phone number is 213-740-0776.

7. Language and communications: In class meetings, students must ask questions and conduct discussions in a respectful fashion, using appropriate language. Email communications must also be conducted in a professional manner. Poor writing, grammatical mistakes, misspellings, and insulting or demeaning language are never acceptable, whether in oral or written communication.