International Organization & United Nations Studies (IO/UNS)

INAF U8560 Governance and Management in the UN System. 3.00 Points.

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.

INAF U6352 United Nations ＆ Globalization. 3.00 Points.

This course introduces the various ways in which the United Nations affects global governance. Over the last decade, every aspect of global governance has been subject to review and debate: peacekeeping and peacebuilding, the future of humanitarianism, a new climate change architecture, human rights, a new sustainable development agenda, and the need for a new multilateralism. Part 1 of this course introduces the different actors, entities, and platforms through which the UN affects global governance. It establishes the conceptual foundations for the role of international organizations in today’s multiplex world. It sheds light on how the UN acts at various levels, in different forms, and with a varied set of partners to foster global public goods and global public policy. This includes discussions on the role of international law, goal setting, and frameworks, as well as the interlinkages between global-level interventions and regional, national, and local activities and outcomes. Part 2 applies the conceptual insights to specific issue areas. Discussions on global governance mechanisms in the areas of peace and security, humanitarian action, sustainable development, climate change, human rights, global health, and COVID-19 deepen the understanding of the role the UN plays in broader governance regimes. In addition to critical scholarship on international organizations and global governance, the course relies on students’ analysis of relevant proceedings and debates at the UN, original policy documents, and expert testimony from a range of guest speakers who share their extensive firsthand observations as actors in global governance processes. By these means, United Nations and Globalization offers insights into the processes, challenges, and impacts of UN activities to make global governance regimes stronger, more effective, and more accountable

IAIA U6310 Diplomacy in Practice: the EU ＆ the World. 1.50 point.

The course will introduce students to the practice of modern diplomacy through case studies of global or regional crises and the EU’s response to them. Students will learn how foreign policy is devised and implemented from the perspective of a professional diplomat. The course will start with an introduction to the history of EU foreign policy and then to the institutions and instruments involved in foreign affairs. Each class will then focus on specific case studies starting with the EU approach to its different international partners: allies (transatlantic partnership and UN system), neighbors (the Southern Neighboring policy, the Eastern Partnership, the new European Political Community), and the rest of the multipolar world (Russia, China, India, Turkey,…); then the situation in Ukraine; the conflicts in the Middle East region (Libya, Syria, Middle East peace process) and the Iran nuclear agreement; lastly, the migration crisis. The final class will wrap up the course with a reflection on lessons learned and possible future developments of EU foreign policy’s organization and agenda. In each case, students will explore the interplay between the various instruments of foreign policy, including crisis management, defense and security, trade, financial aid, humanitarian assistance, and public diplomacy.

IAIA U6350 Refugees, Public Policy, ＆ Development in Turkey. 3.00 points.

Category: EPD:Political, EPD:Social, IO/UNS, MIA Core: Interstate Relations
MIA Students Receive Priority; Instructor Permission Required

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world. As sizeable inflows of refugees are relatively recent, the Turkish government, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and other stakeholders had to develop political, public policy, and social responses to the large inflow of newcomers in a short period of time. Offering a deep immersion into the processes, challenges, and impacts of designing public policies for Syrian refugees and their host communities, Refugees, Public Policy, and Development in Turkey is the first ever course taught in SIPA’s innovative Global Immersion format. The course begins with an immersion component that takes place over ten days during the winter break 2019/2020. Based in Istanbul, with site visit to other cities, the course offers a mixture of seminar-style discussions, interactions with UN and civil society experts, site visits, and a role-play simulation on refugee camps. In the Spring 2020 term, four sessions in New York conclude the course and deepen the lessons learned from these experiences. The course introduces students to the key notions, norms, and policy responses in the context of forced migration. Bringing together legal, sociological, and development perspectives, the course advances participants’ understanding of how different actors in Turkey have established legal and policy regimes with regard to healthcare, education, and labor market participation. The course emphasizes the agency of refugees and gender differences in the experiences and effects. It addresses the role of multilateralism, international relations, as well as international and regional cooperation. Participants will learn about implications of human rights and legal statuses, as well as links to humanitarian and development discourses, including the Sustainable Development Goals

INAF U6114 Private Sector Development Outcomes. 3.00 Points.

Pre-requisite Courses: INAFU6827 - Methods for Sustainable Development Practice, or PUAFU6254 - Development Practice Lab I. The public sector is increasingly unable to cover the development and investment needs that will be required to improve conditions for the over 3 billion people living in poverty worldwide or to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In some cases, governments have also shown themselves to be unwilling to shoulder these burdens alone. As a result, we have seen an increasing role and participation of the private sector in addressing many of the world’s greatest challenges, from climate change, to education, to health. Development practitioners have many of the skills needed to effect these changes. They also have a deep understanding of the underlying social, historical and structural issues that contribute to pervasive inequality, poverty and inefficiency. However, these practitioners often lack the language, tools and methods that are most effective for collaborating with the private sector. As more development practitioners will be called upon to work in the private sector, design public/private partnerships and offer advisory services to the private sector, they will need to be armed with the appropriate tools and language. This course seeks to provide these tools in the context of a broader and deeper debate about the role of the private sector, its responsibilities and tensions as it moves into the development space. We will reflect on the role of SIPA students going into the professional world and collaborating with private sector actors for development outcomes, considering some of the approaches and insights that they need in their tool belt to confront the difficult task of balancing financial and social outcomes.

INAF U6173 Migration and Human Development. 3.00 Points.

International migration's substantial economic and social effects are at the forefront of today's academic discussion, international debate as well as national policy strategies. This course introduces students to the key notions, norms, and narratives of international migration from economic, legal, sociological, international relations, and normative perspectives. Students will learn about transnational livelihood strategies and channels through which migration and migrants can enhance human development especially in their countries of origin, while creating better opportunities for themselves and contributing to their communities of destination. This includes in-depth discussions of the determinants, flows and effects of emigration, immigration, return, financial and social remittances, and diaspora investment. Highlighting migration phenomena in different scenarios in the global North, as well as in the global South, the course emphasizes the agency of migrants and gender differences in the experiences and effects, as well as the role their legal status plays. It will address the root causes of migration and the protection of migrants' human, social and labor rights. The course also furthers participants' understanding of the policy responses in both, the international and the domestic spheres. To this end, it introduces students to key policies and governance schemes, including temporary labor migration programs, bilateral labor migration agreements, and diaspora engagement institutions.

INAF U6183 Innovation for Development in Practice. 1.50 Point.

The Sustainable Development Goals have garnered remarkable momentum across the globe, providing a framework for thinking and acting on the world’s most urgent challenges. Since they were agreed upon there has been growing recognition that more, and better, innovation will be needed if they are to be achieved. Development organizations and governments across the globe are increasingly investing in different forms of innovation to advance development outcomes. Innovation has also played a crucial role in addressing the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines highlights the importance of innovation research and practice. Also innovation efforts led by people in low-income countries and middle-income countries have been of vital importance to local and national responses to COVID-19. In this course students will learn how to frame and advance innovation within international organizations and governments in support of development goals. Innovation in the development cooperation context can be conceptualized and operationalized in two pillars: 1. To help advance organizational reforms, change the institution and contribute to continued relevance. 2. To help advance development outcomes and more inclusive processes in low and middle-income countries through innovation. The course will discuss both aspects and outline their linkages. The course is designed to help students gain a critical conceptual understanding of the practice of innovation in development and humanitarian contexts, obtain skills in change management tactics to help organizations further embrace innovation, and learn the practical application of selected innovation approaches and methods. Students will be exposed to a variety of frameworks, along with case studies and practical exercises. Students will gain an understanding of advancing innovation in development cooperation and humanitarian affairs in practice. The syllabus will also cover central questions related to the ethics of innovation and to inclusive innovation, especially with regard to equitable outcomes. Students will explore the relationship between innovation practices and management practices that emerged over the last decade to infuse more flexible and adaptive practices. These include ‘working and thinking politically’, adaptive management, problem-driven iterative adaptation, doing development differently and lean impact. These approaches intersect at times with innovation efforts in development organizations. Case studies drawn from a variety of organizations and countries will anchor frameworks and theoretical content and help provide a greater understanding of the complexities and challenges of advancing development impact and changing business as usual within development organizations

INAF U6259 Adaptation to Climate Change. 3.00 Points.

Climate change policy in recent decades has centered on two core concepts, mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere) and adaptation (coping with the impacts that these gasses have and will produce). This course concentrates on the latter. It familiarizes students with current approaches to projects and programs that promote adaptation, showing both the utility of the approaches and some of their limits. The concepts of vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity are studied in detail; students learn to engage critically with these concepts.

INAF U6341 UN Development System in Action: Governance, Funding and Country-level Results. 1.50 Point.

This course will focus on the work of the UNDS, its governance and funding at the global level, and results at the country level. The course will consider the UNDS’s role in tackling current development challenges, giving students the opportunity to learn from practical UNDS responses with partners to emerging crises and ongoing challenges. The class will examine the ongoing UNDS reforms and the importance of development, humanitarian, and peace actors working together. Readings will draw from scholarly literature on the history of the UNDS, case studies, country reports, and strategic and policy documents. Students will also analyze and work with guidance documents produced for UN staff and circulated as part of the UNDS’s operations

INAF U6343 Global Governance: Climate Change ＆ Human Mobility. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: IO/UNS Specialization. The course introduces the complex and multifaceted relationship between climate change and human mobility. Climate change can include rising sea levels, wildfires, desertification. Each of these, independently and together, can impact or influence the movement of people, whether forcible or not. Add to that the context of war, conflict, food crises, and the ability to predict what the relationship will be and how best to address it becomes more opaque. The course intends to unpack the interconnectedness of these issues, whether there is an overarching narrative, and what policies could be useful in making sense of these issues going forward. The course will look at the multilateral space, how addressing climate change and human mobility features within broader discussions on global climate change governance and climate action as posited in the organs of the United Nations. It will also look at the engagement of specialized UN agencies and other stakeholders including municipalities with a focus on the Global Compacts on Refugees, and Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018. The role of international law, and the continued relevance of norm setting will be considered when discussing future frameworks for climate change and human mobility

INAF U6348 Engaging Non-State Armed Groups: Lessons from the UN and Beyond. 1.50 Point.

Over the past decade, the number of civil wars globally has increased dramatically, driven by a proliferation of non-state armed groups, illicit transnational networks and regional actors. The rise of civil wars has meant conflicts are not only harder to resolve via traditional forms of diplomacy, but also more likely to relapse; in fact, 60 per cent of the civil wars that reached peace agreements in the early 2000s have since fallen back into conflict. As an organization created to prevent wars between states, the UN has struggled to meet the challenges of today’s conflicts, particularly when it comes to engaging non-state actors. At the same time, the UN is often uniquely positioned to make contact with armed groups that may be blacklisted by key member states, and it is often UN peace operations that are best placed to implement strategies to address the various threats they pose. What are the origins of the growth of today’s form of non-state armed groups and why have they increased in relevance in recent years? How has the rise of rebel and so-called “terrorist” groups affected the character of war today, and what implications does this have for conflict prevention and management? What challenges (and opportunities) do non-state actors pose to traditional forms of conflict resolution, and what can be learned from the UN’s experiences in places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali? Drawing on a mix of academic literature, case studies and first-hand accounts of those involved directly in UN-led operations in the field, students will explore these questions and grapple with the very real predicaments that face today’s mediators and peacekeepers around the world. By the end of this course, students will have a firm grasp of the core theories and concepts that drive UN engagement with non-state actors, how the UN and its partners have developed strategies in asymmetrical and complex environments, and a practical experience of the difficulties of applying principles to reality. This course will be of interest to those wishing to pursue academic research on the UN, scholars of critical studies of international relations, and those hoping to build a career in conflict resolution and management.

INAF U6351 Politics and Negotiations in the United Nations General Assembly. 1.50 Point.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

This class will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective - drawing on case-studies, contemporary issues and real-life examples, to explain the nuances and politics of negotiations and decision-making at the General Assembly. To better prepare students for professional careers in international affairs, this class will also take a hands-on and practical approach to the General Assembly, focusing on its political and diplomatic dynamics in examining its functioning and work. It will also feature guest speakers from the United Nations community in New York working in a variety of disciplines, including diplomatic Missions, different departments within the UN Secretariat and Specialized Funds and Agencies. The latter part of the course will also focus on concrete case-studies that has marked the work of the General Assembly in recent years, including the negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Migration as well as the selection process for the ninth UN Secretary-General in 2015 (current Secretary-General António Guterres), annual resolutions passed by the General Assembly on the issue of capital punishment, the situation in Syria and the multi-billion UN budget.

INAF U6359 Global Economic Governance. 3.00 Points.

This course aims at familiarizing students with major issues surrounding global economic governance, exploring both the issues that have been or are now subject to current debates, as well as the institutional questions involved. “Global economic governance” is understood in a broad sense, and thus includes not only global but also regional frameworks, and both formal institutions as well as informal groupings of countries (such as the G7/8 and the G20) and rules of international transactions that have been left to bilateral agreements or are under the domain of national sovereignty but do have global implications. “Economics” is also understood in a broad sense, to include social and environmental issues. It will start with three general lectures that will place the debates on global governance in relation to those on globalization, and will give a first look at the objectives of international cooperation, the historical evolution of the current governance and typologies of the different rules, organization and governance structures that have been created at varied times. It will then deal in detail with major issues that international cooperation: the role of the UN system, development cooperation, global monetary and financial management, trade and investment, international tax cooperation, and climate change. It will end with discussion of the governance of the system, and a recapitulation of governance issues and reform proposals in light of the global economic developments in the 2008-2019, during COVID-19, and during the current crisis that mixes geopolitical issues with an economic crisis

INAF U6361 Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. 1.50 Point.

October 2023 marks 23 years since the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. An additional 9 resolutions have since been adopted. This agenda is the first time in the UN’s 50-year history that women’s experiences and particularly their contributions to the promotion of peace and security in contexts of violent conflict, closed political space and rising extremism is acknowledged. It is also the first time that the need for women’s protection was noted strongly. The resolution marks a clear watershed in the evolving efforts to promote human security as a normative framework for the international community. Although the primary focus is on women, the emerging discourse has drawn increasing attention to the need for gendered analysis – i.e., addressing the conditions/experiences of women, men, intersectionality - in conflict and peacebuilding. The agenda has been prescient for understanding and addressing conflict and insecurity in recent decades. Yet with the abandonment of Afghan women during the US negotiations with the Taliban, and the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the WPS agenda and related human security and peacebuilding agendas of the international system have been under severe strain. This intensive 2-day seminar (14 hours) ＆ online review/teamwork will provide an overview of the evolving field of gender, peace and security. Drawing on empirical research and practice, the modules will address the following issues: Historical and geopolitical evolution and context in which the WPS and GPS fields have arisen; Attaining SCR 1325 and the expansion of the WPS policy agenda with attention to subsequent resolutions and key pillars of this agenda – notably women’s participation in peace and security, protection issues, peacekeeping and conflict prevention including conflict related sexual violence. Implications of the Afghan withdrawal, Ukraine conflict, rising authoritarianism and extremisms on gender, peace and security issues. Gender analysis and the practical application of a gendered lens to key mediation, security and peacebuilding and security processes. Experiences and lessons from women’s peace coalitions and women’s contributions to peacebuilding including countering/preventing violent extremism Discussion of Sexual violence in conflict Women and peacekeeping including issues of sexual exploitation and abuse The class will involve a mix of interactive discussions, lectures and group exercises. The course will enable students to question ‘business as usual’ and prepare them to undertake better research, analysis, practice and policy careers within peacebuilding and related fields. The course will cover a combination of theory and real-world cases, helping to contextualize many of key concepts covered in the course. The full-day sessions also provide an opportunity for the professor and students to exchange lessons and reflections regarding their experiences in the workplace, career paths and prospects in the field of international peace and security, with attention to the changing geopolitical environment.

INAF U6375 Gender and Livelihoods. 1.50 Point.

The humanitarian sector has been stretched and overwhelmed by the confluence of intersecting events - the largest numbers of forcibly displaced persons ever recorded, larger and more frequent natural disasters, intractable conflicts, and limited resources that are unable to meet even the basic needs of those affected. This requires a radical rethink of how humanitarian work is conceived and delivered. Humanitarians must shift from delivering aid to promoting self-reliance as soon as possible to reduce vulnerability and allow for the re-targeting of resources to the greatest need. Changing gender roles and norms in contexts of conflict and displacement provide new opportunities to promote self-reliance and gender equality. The course will assess the changing contexts and implications for the future of humanitarian work with a focus on the research and practice work Professor Buscher has undertaken in humanitarian and post-conflict contexts for the past twenty years including a focus on urban displacement, livelihoods and youth, gender, and protection. The course will address the effects of conflict on livelihoods, how livelihoods can be re-vitalized during population displacement, how promoting economic self-reliance underpins all other humanitarian work, the impact on the protection of women and men, and how these programs are prerequisite for and can be linked with post-conflict recovery and development. The impact of conflict, displacement and livelihoods on gender, gender norms, and gender power relations will be addressed throughout.

INAF U6394 Writing About War: Seeking Narratives in Conflict. 3.00 Points.

This intensive writing seminar explores the special challenges of creating narrative and assessing truth claims in the context of violent conflict. In this course, you will grow as a writer through extensive practice reporting, writing, revising your work, and editing your peers. We will engage with a pressing matter of our age: how to evaluate facts and context and create compelling and precise narratives from the fog of war. A growing swathe of the world, including many countries that are nominally not at war, are currently experiencing pre- or post-conflict conditions. Through discussions, reading, and writing, seminar participants will learn the mechanics of covering conflict and the politics of war- and peace-making. We will read accounts produced in journalism, policy analysis, advocacy, literature, and philosophy. Students will produce original reported narrative writing about conflict, which they may try to place for publication. Students will have to write or revise an original piece almost every week. The skill set cultivated by this class will help anyone write about violent conflict (which includes its prelude and aftermath), whether they plan to do so for a reporting-driven NGO, as a policy analyst, or as a journalist. This course emphasizes good writing and critical thinking; grades will reflect participation, effort, clarity of thought, originality of reporting, and successful narrative craft. Students can draw on their own experiences and contacts – as well as the great wealth of resources in New York City – for story ideas and sources

INAF U6425 Energy Transition in Europe. 1.50 Point.

The course is intended to provide students with an understanding of the issues and dynamics underlying the European Union’s (EU’s) efforts to lead the worldwide transition to low- and zero-greenhouse gas energy systems. The energy transition is unfolding around the globe with features that reflect each country’s distinct energy endowments, economic strengths and weaknesses, political priorities, and governance systems. In this course, we will examine the drivers of the European debate over the energy transition, from public pressure to protect the environment and avoid climate change, to technology innovations that are impacting all aspects of energy use – in power generation, industrial energy systems, buildings and transportation.

INAF U6442 Failures and Successes of Three Decades of Peacemaking. 3.00 Points.

The return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, coming after a twenty-year engagement of the international community, raised hard questions on the wisdom of intervening in the lives of others. Meanwhile, the wars in Syria and Yemen, in which there was no intervention, have generated immense humanitarian crises, while the short but decisive intervention in Libya, once trumpeted as an example of the responsibility to protect, has led to more than a decade of political crisis. At the same time, there is a return of older forms of conflict: interstate war, with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia; the Israel-Palestine conflict; a deterioration of relations between China and the United States that is sometimes described as a ”second Cold War.” Have we forgotten the lessons of the first Cold War? Have we unlearned the lessons from the crises of the 90’s (Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda…)? Or has the world changed so radically that the lessons of the 90’s no longer apply? At a time when geopolitical confrontation is deepening, do we have the right frame of analysis and the right tools in the new landscape? Are there new lessons that we should learn from the last two decades? To answer those questions, we will go through several case studies – focusing on conflicts in which the United Nations has been involved only to better understand the causes of failure and, in some cases, of success but also to sharpen a definition of what can be called success. I will draw on my own experience as under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, as deputy of Kofi Annan when he tried to stop the Syrian conflict, and as chair of the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and CEO of the International Crisis Group. I will also call on a few experts and practitioners with specific experience in particular conflicts. Ultimately, we will test the validity of existing tools on several ongoing potential or active conflicts: Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Israel and Palestine.

INAF U6450 Conflict in the 21st Century: Rethinking Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

After a long period of decline, conflict is on the rise; the nature of conflict is also evolving, as new actors and new battlefields emerge, blurring the line that separates war and peace. We must adapt our strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The course will help students develop a conceptual framework for the understanding and resolution of contemporary conflicts, but it will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective, with a strong emphasis on policy challenges and dilemmas. When possible, practitioners who have been involved in the resolution of conflicts will contribute to the discussion. Each class discussion will be structured by specific questions which will confront students with conceptual, operational and ethical choices.

INAF U6450 Conflict in the 21st Century: Rethinking Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

After a long period of decline, conflict is on the rise; the nature of conflict is also evolving, as new actors and new battlefields emerge, blurring the line that separates war and peace. We must adapt our strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The course will help students develop a conceptual framework for the understanding and resolution of contemporary conflicts, but it will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective, with a strong emphasis on policy challenges and dilemmas. When possible, practitioners who have been involved in the resolution of conflicts will contribute to the discussion. Each class discussion will be structured by specific questions which will confront students with conceptual, operational and ethical choices.

INAF U6490 Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Global Challenges. 3.00 Points.

Category: EPD:Political, HRHP, ICR, IO/UNS

This course explores both foundational and advanced aspects of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) within the context of contemporary warfare and provides an overview of International Human Rights Law (IHRL). It elucidates the mechanisms that establish, apply, and enforce rules in both domains. The course develops students' critical analytical and research skills. Contemporary warfare case studies are used methodically, supplemented by interactive activities and simulations. It also addresses the roles and capacities of international courts and tribunals in prosecuting perpetrators. The structure, content, and methodology of the course are designed to achieve specific objectives and outcomes for students, enabling them to navigate complex humanitarian landscapes effectively. By the end of the course, students will not only understand IHL’s core concepts and terminology but will also have developed analytical thinking regarding key rules and relevant international bodies. They will enhance their collaboration and communication skills through practical activities aimed at addressing global challenges in the protection of victims. They will practice formulating law-based, action-oriented proposals and key research questions, which are central to further work at Columbia, as well as international organizations, the media, and humanitarian institutions. The course uses interactive elements such as a whiteboard platform, simulations of current conflict case studies, and peer teaching, fostering an engaging and collaborative learning environment. Through a case analysis framework—specifically developed by the professor for this course—students will gain the capacity to properly approach the IHL elements of humanitarian crises, outlining the steps to follow and the skills to apply. The course examines the challenges to IHL and the application of protective rules in major wars and armed conflicts, such as those in Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Congo, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar. Fundamental questions guide the exploration of current global challenges and tendencies resulting from these wars in ensuring adherence to international legal standards. Broader areas essential to understanding and addressing these challenges in legal protections and mitigating the impacts of warfare will be coherently discussed. Some of these fundamental questions include: What protection do the Geneva Conventions provide to internees, prisoners, and hostages, and what are the challenges in ensuring humane treatment in asymmetric wars? Do civilians lose protection when they participate in hostilities or are used as human shields? How do international laws regulate indiscriminate warfare and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and what are the legal implications of using missiles, drones, indiscriminate weapons, and AI? How can the use of starvation and the targeting of humanitarian workers and protected facilities such as hospitals, schools, and UN compounds be judged? Broader areas for reflection include the application of the law to non-state armed groups; the value of general protection for specifically protected persons, such as women and children, and objects, such as hospitals; the substance of the proportionality principle in modern warfare; the long-term effects of warfare on the environment; and the role of international and national courts in prosecuting war criminals

INAF U6736 Innovations in Development Finance. 1.50 Point.

The aspirations outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are in jeopardy as the world faces cascading and interrelated global crises and conflicts. It has become increasingly apparent that traditional funding modalities are falling tragically short to meet the financing requirements in addressing the SDGs - currently estimated to be around US$4.2 trillion per year. Hence, there is an urgent need to leverage alternative and innovative sources for financing development initiatives. This course will explore the intersection of development finance, strategy, and policy. It will examine the landscape of traditional development financing, provide an overview of various innovative development financing mechanisms, and reflect on the process for adapting them in particular contexts. The course will be highly interactive, involving six classes taking place over three weekends, with leading experts as guest speakers, and practical activities including an individual opinion piece, a group project and presentation, and a simulation exercise

INAF U6751 International Human Rights Law. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: HRHP Concentration. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the legal regime that exists--or is absent--to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. This course is intended to introduce students to international human rights through laws, institutions, and advocacy strategies. In this class, we approach human rights law from a practitioner's perspective, which is to say that we are most interested in exploring concrete opportunities for realizing rights once we understand their theoretical and legal bases. But to start, what is a right? What are the various legal sources of authority for these rights? What are the instruments we can utilize--and how can we utilize them--to try to advance the range of rights from civil and political to economic, social, cultural, and environmental? Who is responsible for protecting and advancing rights, and who may be held accountable for their violations? Does the existence of a right necessarily indicate the existence of a remedy? In the past decade, human rights advocacy has extended into new realms, well beyond the 'traditional' bounds of violations by repressive governments. Despite the fact that the intersection of human rights with other social and economic justice concerns, including the environment, corporate accountability, and health, has strengthened, questions remain as to how human rights lawyers and advocates can effectively use the law to "enforce" those rights. As a way to strengthen the law, advocates have pushed the boundaries of the tools of human rights advocacy: 'naming and shaming' is still at the core, but public-private engagement to negotiate long-term monitoring programs for private corporations, calls to rights-based programming, litigation, and other tactics are now nearly routine. In this class, we will learn the law but also explore tools for assessing when, where, and how the law matters. We will explore developments in human rights and the environment, gender analysis, intersections between human rights and humanitarian action, and corporate accountability. The course will endeavor to provide an overview of the range of substantive and procedural rights and the mechanisms and gaps in their enforcement. Attendance in the first class session is mandatory.

INAF U6762 Risk Management for UN Crisis ＆ Post-crisis Responses. 3.00 Points.

The objective of the class is to introduce students to the practice of risk management as a tool for enabling delivery across the range of UN responses in crisis and conflict contexts, including in the areas of peace and security, human rights, development and humanitarian support. The class emphasizes skills development and their application to concrete UN crisis responses

INAF U6765 The European Union and Human Rights. 1.50 Point.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

The European Union (EU) has a deep and broad commitment to the respect and promotion of human rights, both in its internal and its external policies. However, it often faces difficulties in living up to this commitment. In this course we will study the EU’s commitment to human rights as outlined in its founding Treaties, the role of its institutional actors in following up on this commitment, and the EU’s internal and external actions and policies in this respect. For the EU’s internal policies we will focus in particular on its non-discrimination policies as well as its migration policy. In the area of the EU’s external relations we will explore the role of human rights in the EU’s development cooperation, trade policy and humanitarian aid, as well as in the EU’s multilateral relations with other international organizations, both global (e.g. the United Nations) and regional (e.g. Organization of American States; African Union; Council of Europe; OSCE).

INAF U6802 International Law. 3.00 Points.

Designed for non-lawyers, this course explores the pressing challenges of international law governing the actions of states, international organizations, multinationals, and civil society. The course strengthens participants' analytical and debate skills while providing practical tools and up-to-date knowledge of international law methodologies. Key areas of international law discussed will include general questions such as treaty application, state responsibility and the responsibility of global companies, and the functioning of international organizations as well as specific substantive areas such as human rights, global health, the environment, and climate change, the world economy, peace and conflict, and serious international crimes. Students will engage directly with current, critical global issues, such as the war in Ukraine, broader conflicts in the Middle East, ongoing plastic waste negotiations in the UN, the future of the UN climate change conferences, the WHO approach to global health reform, and regulatory frameworks on artificial intelligence. We use case studies drawn from urgent, real-world scenarios such as the South China Sea crisis, US countermeasures against cyber operations, Elon Musk’s Starshield program, the UN's Digital Platforms Code of Conduct proposal, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile, WTO disputes on intellectual property rights, the ICJ opinions on the Chagos Archipelago and on the “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” and the enhanced role of the International Criminal Court as key learning tools. This course enables students to understand the foundations of international relations, the interaction among states, and the roles of key international organizations. The key learning outcomes include: 1. Grasping core concepts and terminology of international law and understanding its formation. 2. Developing logical thinking about key rules and areas of international law and the work of relevant bodies. 3. Researching international law topics and applying and critiquing major frameworks to understand global political and social changes. 4. Enhancing group work and communication skills through activities such as drafting legal texts, organizing assignments, and making presentations in simulated classroom settings. By the end of the course, students will enhance their collaboration and communication skills through practical activities aimed at addressing global challenges in the protection of victims. They will practice formulating law-based, action-oriented proposals and key research questions, which are central to further work at Columbia, as well as international organizations, the media, and humanitarian institutions. The course uses interactive elements such as a whiteboard platform, simulations of current conflict case studies, and peer instruction, fostering an engaging and collaborative learning environment. Through a case analysis framework—specifically developed by the professor for this course—students will gain the capacity to properly approach the IHL elements of humanitarian crises, outlining the steps to follow and the skills to apply

INAF U6897 Writing on Policy. 3.00 Points.

“Writing About Policy” gives you the journalistic tools to intervene in public policy debates. You will learn to translate the expertise you’re gaining – as policy professionals and as SIPA students –for the rest of the public, whether in op eds, review essays or blogs. You will also report and write feature stories. This class is a workshop, as well as a seminar, and there will be writing assignments due almost every week. Students will publish their work in SIPAs student publications, as well as in media outlets reaching far beyond the IAB.

INAF U6934 Strategic Communications in International Organizations. 3.00 Points.

Communications is key for international organizations (IOs) to achieve their mission. They need to convey their impact to member states to receive funding, they need to contribute to raising awareness for global challenges such as climate change, and they need to respond to the spread of misinformation by communicating with the wider public. The importance of communications for the success of IOs was highlighted by United Nations Secretary-General (UN SG) António Guterres when he addressed the UN’s Security Council in its first high-level debate on this issue: “strategic communications is central to the success of all our work.” IO staff members also contribute to this success in various communications-related functions: the UN’s Department for Global Communications tells “the UN story across multiple platforms … to build support for the aims and work of the United Nations”; UNICEF has a dedicated brand office to support the organization in its fundraising; and NATO has a Public Diplomacy Division that is tasked with overall communications for its member states. This class equips students with foundational knowledge for analysis and action to support IOs in achieving their mission through effective communications. Achieving this requires expertise in disciplines from various areas that are not usually taught in one class—this class brings them together. The first area is that of international organizations. International organizations are driven by specific mandates, have distinct structures, and face different constraints than NGOs or for-profit companies. We examine IOs and why, where, and how they engage in communications-related activities. The second area encompasses communications-related fields, including public diplomacy, digital diplomacy, and branding and brand management. A third area relates to IO-specific communication approaches, including celebrity diplomacy, communications in peacekeeping missions, and communication for development (C4D). By learning about these disciplines and how they relate to IOs, students will develop interdisciplinary expertise on strategic communications in IOs. They will understand the challenges of IOs and how communication strategies may help overcome those; they will know about disciplines, concepts and principles that are part of these strategies; and they will be able to apply principles and concepts in the context of IOs

INAF U8176 MIMC 3.0: Migrants, Refugees and International Law: Revising the “Model International Mobility Convention. 3.00 Points.

Capital, goods and people are more mobile than ever in our globalized world. Yet the movement of people across borders is still a largely unregulated enterprise that leaves many people unprotected in irregular and dire situations. International mobility – the movement of individuals across borders for any length of time as labor migrants, entrepreneurs, students, tourists, asylum seekers, or refugees – has no common definition or legal framework. In 2017, a group of 40 plus specialists in migration and refugee protection drafted and adopted a Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC) to address these gaps. In light of recent normative developments, this workshop aims to propose specific language to revise the MIMC in order to improve its efficacy as a framework for the reform of international rules governing the movement of persons across borders. The first part of the course builds the foundations. It introduces course participants to the legal architecture of migration and refugee protection, key migration and refugee challenges and governance mechanisms, including ‘crimmigration,’ responsibility sharing, and the specific status (or lack thereof) for ‘climate refugees.’ Drawing on insights from the fields of migration, human rights, national security, labor economics, and refugee law, in the second part of the course, students will reexamine MIMC’s capacities to promote the rights that should be afforded to all mobile people. We will seek to clarify the duties and responsibilities of states to protect the rights of foreigners in their territory and the rights of their citizens in other states. The workshop will combine individual research with a collective effort to draft proposed revisions to the model treaty with the goal to reassert and reaffirm the existing rights afforded to mobile people and the corresponding rights and responsibilities of states.

INAF U8537 Climate Change Policy. 3.00 Points.

Climate change is the most challenging international policy problem that exists today. The course will primarily focus on two questions. First, what should be done about climate change? Second, what can be done about it? The first question requires an understanding of the science, impacts, technological options, economics, and ethics of climate change policy. The second question requires an understanding of the politics, international law, and international relations aspects of climate change policy. The course will not provide firm answers to these questions. It aims instead to provide a framework and the knowledge required for students to come to their own conclusions. Indeed, every student taking this course is required to answer these questions, and to defend their conclusions rigorously.

INAF U8565 European Security. 3.00 Points.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

This course surveys historical and current case studies in the context of theoretical debates about the sources of security and insecurity and war and peace. The aim is to establish a foundation for analyzing the prospects for a secure order in Europe in the first part of the 21st century. The emphasis is on problems concerning strategic calculations, military strategy and war as well as political processes and institutional dynamics. Separate sections in the second half of the term are devoted to selected current policy challenges, such as transatlantic rifts, identity issues and ethnonational conflict, transitions in Central Europe and the former Soviet Union, NATO and EU enlargements, and European foreign and defense initiatives.

INAF U8690 Managing Humanitarian Emergencies. 3.00 Points.

This course focuses on the actual management problems of humanitarian interventions and helps students obtain the professional skills and insight needed to work in complex humanitarian emergencies, and to provide oversight and guidance to humanitarian operations from a policy perspective. It is a follow-up to the fall course that studied the broader context, root causes, actors, policy issues, and debates in humanitarian emergencies.

INAF U8785 Gender, Politics and Development: Theory, Policy ＆ Practice. 3.00 Points.

In this course, we approach gender, politics and development in terms of theory, policy and practice. We explore multiple constructions of gender in development discourse; the intersection of gender with other social categories and with dominant economic and political trends; and the ways in which gender norms inform the different approaches of governments, development agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector. We apply a critical gender lens to a wide range of development sectors and issue areas, including economic development, political participation, education and health, environment and climate change, and conflict and displacement. We also consider current debates and approaches related to gender mainstreaming and gender metrics in development practice. Students engage with the course material through class discussion, exercises and case studies, and the development of a gender-related project proposal.

INAF U8882 Education in Humanitarian Emergencies. 3.00 Points.

This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the growing field of education in emergencies. Upon completing this course, students will have an understanding of: The concept, rationale, and overarching aims of education in humanitarian emergencies. The legal and normative frameworks on the right to education and the protection of education in humanitarian emergencies. The minimum standards and key educational programs implemented by international organizations in areas of armed conflict and natural disasters. The key coordination and funding mechanisms and actors leading international efforts to provide education in humanitarian emergencies. The global commitments made by United Nations Member States and the international community on education in humanitarian emergencies The barriers – including cross-cutting issues such as gender and disabilities – undermining access to education in humanitarian emergencies.

PUAF U6801 Negotiation ＆ Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

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

PUAF U8349 Intersections of Race and Power in Development. 3.00 Points.

While intersectionality is beginning to take hold within the international aid and development industry, addressing race as a construct that has shaped the history, practice and culture of development as a whole is just emerging across much of the sector. This course will be a participatory exploration of concepts and practices of race and power in international development. We will draw on critical race, feminist, intersectionality and decolonial conceptual frameworks and tools, and examine different sites of transformation throughout the course. The ‘arc’ of the course will be from self/individual level, to exploring relevant concepts, learning frameworks for analysis and strategizing, engaging with practice and determining a course of inquiry and action in the context of a development organization or program. Students will be engaged with readings, group discussions, discussions with guest practitioners and group projects. The course will be a participatory exploration, at multiple levels - individual, interpersonal, organization and society – of how race and racism operate in international development institutions and programs. They will reflect on their own understanding of and experiences of race, power, privilege, and marginalization and reflect on how intersecting identities shape their interactions with others. Students will examine the colonial history of international development, and the ways in which neo-colonial attitudes persist in contemporary development systems, organizations, policies and practices and learn about tools and frameworks to better understand these dynamics and create change strategies to transform them

REGN U6230 EU Policymaking ＆ New Global Challenges. 1.50 Point.

This course explores the process of EU policy-making - how and why certain public policies are pursued by the institutions of the European Union - and analyses what the Union is doing to address a number of major policy challenges in today's interdependent world. After providing a general introduction to the overall policy process in the EU - looking at how policies are born, adopted, enacted, implemented and reviewed - this term's course will examine the specific policy agenda of the current European Commission (2019-24), led by Ursula von der Leyen, and do a 'deep dive' into EU action in three areas: the fight against climate change, the development of a 'digital Europe', and the EU response to the on-going coronavirus crisis. It will identify the key characteristics of these policies, assess how far they are succeeding or failing, and ask what they show about the evolving EU political system. The course will round off with an assessment of the growing emphasis on strategic foresight in the EU policy-making and identify new policies that are likely to be developed in coming years. Taught from a practitioner perspective by Anthony Teasdale, Director General of the European Parliament's research service, the course aims to provide a firm grounding in modern EU policy and should appeal to those interested both in EU politics and in the individual policy issues under discussion.

REGN U6300 Economics of European Integration. 3.00 Points.

A policy-oriented but theory-based course on the current state of economic integration in the European Union. Topics include: macroeconomic policy responses to the Covid-19 crisis; the impact of Brexit; design failures of the Eurozone and steps to completing the Banking Union and Monetary Union; monetary policy of the ECB; fiscal policies and fiscal rules; EU labor markets; the Common Agricultural Policy and environmental policy; tax and competition policy for high tech firms in a digital economy; EU trade policy particularly relations with the U.S. and with China, the EU’s response to Russia’s war on Ukraine and the economic dimensions of European security.

REGN U6315 Politics in the European Union. 3.00 Points.

This course offers an overview of recent and contemporary politics in the European Union. On the basis of the assumption that the latter is inextricably determined by both supra-national and infra-national dynamics, it examines the European Union as a whole, as well as the politics of certain key member states. Classes are based on readings from foundational texts in the recent comparative politics and history literature on the European Union and its member states. They will involve initial lectures by the instructor and leave ample time for seminar-style discussion. In addition, students will be required to participate in a number of structured class debates, which will form an integral part of the pedagogy, and serve as one of the bases for individual evaluation. Throughout the duration of the course, students will also be working on a final research paper, whose topic will be determined individually with the instructor.

REGN U8090 The Transatlantic Economy: US-EU Relations. 3.00 Points.

Category: IFEP: Economic Policy Track, IO/UNS, MIA Core: Interstate Relations, Regional

A course on contemporary transatlantic economic relations with particular emphasis on the US-EU dimension. Topics include: macroeconomic responses to the Covid-19 crisis and lessons learned from the financial crises of 2008 and 2010; US-EU differences in relations with China; transatlantic implications of Brexit; prospects for US-UK and US-EU trade agreements; the digital economy and data privacy; European competition and tax policy toward U.S. high tech firms; dollar-euro diplomacy and the international roles of the dollar and euro; the economic dimension to transatlantic security

SIPA U6700 Inside the Situation Room. 3.00 Points.

Prerequisite: Course Application. In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made. Inside the Situation Room, co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, employs insights from diverse academic fields—including political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations—and the direct experience of high-level principals in the room to understand the key factors which underpin a nation’s most crucial decisions. This course allows students to engage with a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the “red line” in Syria, to negotiating with Iran. Students will be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interplay between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors which feed into decisions about foreign policy—from crisis diplomacy to the use of force, signaling and perception, intelligence and its analysis, the deployment of other instruments of statecraft, and more. Through this course, students will think carefully and analytically about how leaders and other actors view the world, how they arrive at their decisions, and how various social, political, and psychological factors shape the policies they devise to promote their interests abroad. For more information, visit: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/situationroom

IAIA U6350 Refugees, Public Policy, ＆ Development in Turkey. 3.00 points.

Category: EPD:Political, EPD:Social, IO/UNS, MIA Core: Interstate Relations
MIA Students Receive Priority; Instructor Permission Required

Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees in the world. As sizeable inflows of refugees are relatively recent, the Turkish government, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations and other stakeholders had to develop political, public policy, and social responses to the large inflow of newcomers in a short period of time. Offering a deep immersion into the processes, challenges, and impacts of designing public policies for Syrian refugees and their host communities, Refugees, Public Policy, and Development in Turkey is the first ever course taught in SIPA’s innovative Global Immersion format. The course begins with an immersion component that takes place over ten days during the winter break 2019/2020. Based in Istanbul, with site visit to other cities, the course offers a mixture of seminar-style discussions, interactions with UN and civil society experts, site visits, and a role-play simulation on refugee camps. In the Spring 2020 term, four sessions in New York conclude the course and deepen the lessons learned from these experiences. The course introduces students to the key notions, norms, and policy responses in the context of forced migration. Bringing together legal, sociological, and development perspectives, the course advances participants’ understanding of how different actors in Turkey have established legal and policy regimes with regard to healthcare, education, and labor market participation. The course emphasizes the agency of refugees and gender differences in the experiences and effects. It addresses the role of multilateralism, international relations, as well as international and regional cooperation. Participants will learn about implications of human rights and legal statuses, as well as links to humanitarian and development discourses, including the Sustainable Development Goals

INAF U6114 Private Sector Development Outcomes. 3.00 Points.

Pre-requisite Courses: INAFU6827 - Methods for Sustainable Development Practice, or PUAFU6254 - Development Practice Lab I. The public sector is increasingly unable to cover the development and investment needs that will be required to improve conditions for the over 3 billion people living in poverty worldwide or to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. In some cases, governments have also shown themselves to be unwilling to shoulder these burdens alone. As a result, we have seen an increasing role and participation of the private sector in addressing many of the world’s greatest challenges, from climate change, to education, to health. Development practitioners have many of the skills needed to effect these changes. They also have a deep understanding of the underlying social, historical and structural issues that contribute to pervasive inequality, poverty and inefficiency. However, these practitioners often lack the language, tools and methods that are most effective for collaborating with the private sector. As more development practitioners will be called upon to work in the private sector, design public/private partnerships and offer advisory services to the private sector, they will need to be armed with the appropriate tools and language. This course seeks to provide these tools in the context of a broader and deeper debate about the role of the private sector, its responsibilities and tensions as it moves into the development space. We will reflect on the role of SIPA students going into the professional world and collaborating with private sector actors for development outcomes, considering some of the approaches and insights that they need in their tool belt to confront the difficult task of balancing financial and social outcomes.

INAF U6173 Migration and Human Development. 3.00 Points.

International migration's substantial economic and social effects are at the forefront of today's academic discussion, international debate as well as national policy strategies. This course introduces students to the key notions, norms, and narratives of international migration from economic, legal, sociological, international relations, and normative perspectives. Students will learn about transnational livelihood strategies and channels through which migration and migrants can enhance human development especially in their countries of origin, while creating better opportunities for themselves and contributing to their communities of destination. This includes in-depth discussions of the determinants, flows and effects of emigration, immigration, return, financial and social remittances, and diaspora investment. Highlighting migration phenomena in different scenarios in the global North, as well as in the global South, the course emphasizes the agency of migrants and gender differences in the experiences and effects, as well as the role their legal status plays. It will address the root causes of migration and the protection of migrants' human, social and labor rights. The course also furthers participants' understanding of the policy responses in both, the international and the domestic spheres. To this end, it introduces students to key policies and governance schemes, including temporary labor migration programs, bilateral labor migration agreements, and diaspora engagement institutions.

INAF U6183 Innovation for Development in Practice. 1.50 Point.

The Sustainable Development Goals have garnered remarkable momentum across the globe, providing a framework for thinking and acting on the world’s most urgent challenges. Since they were agreed upon there has been growing recognition that more, and better, innovation will be needed if they are to be achieved. Development organizations and governments across the globe are increasingly investing in different forms of innovation to advance development outcomes. Innovation has also played a crucial role in addressing the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines highlights the importance of innovation research and practice. Also innovation efforts led by people in low-income countries and middle-income countries have been of vital importance to local and national responses to COVID-19. In this course students will learn how to frame and advance innovation within international organizations and governments in support of development goals. Innovation in the development cooperation context can be conceptualized and operationalized in two pillars: 1. To help advance organizational reforms, change the institution and contribute to continued relevance. 2. To help advance development outcomes and more inclusive processes in low and middle-income countries through innovation. The course will discuss both aspects and outline their linkages. The course is designed to help students gain a critical conceptual understanding of the practice of innovation in development and humanitarian contexts, obtain skills in change management tactics to help organizations further embrace innovation, and learn the practical application of selected innovation approaches and methods. Students will be exposed to a variety of frameworks, along with case studies and practical exercises. Students will gain an understanding of advancing innovation in development cooperation and humanitarian affairs in practice. The syllabus will also cover central questions related to the ethics of innovation and to inclusive innovation, especially with regard to equitable outcomes. Students will explore the relationship between innovation practices and management practices that emerged over the last decade to infuse more flexible and adaptive practices. These include ‘working and thinking politically’, adaptive management, problem-driven iterative adaptation, doing development differently and lean impact. These approaches intersect at times with innovation efforts in development organizations. Case studies drawn from a variety of organizations and countries will anchor frameworks and theoretical content and help provide a greater understanding of the complexities and challenges of advancing development impact and changing business as usual within development organizations

INAF U6259 Adaptation to Climate Change. 3.00 Points.

Climate change policy in recent decades has centered on two core concepts, mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere) and adaptation (coping with the impacts that these gasses have and will produce). This course concentrates on the latter. It familiarizes students with current approaches to projects and programs that promote adaptation, showing both the utility of the approaches and some of their limits. The concepts of vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity are studied in detail; students learn to engage critically with these concepts.

INAF U6341 UN Development System in Action: Governance, Funding and Country-level Results. 1.50 Point.

This course will focus on the work of the UNDS, its governance and funding at the global level, and results at the country level. The course will consider the UNDS’s role in tackling current development challenges, giving students the opportunity to learn from practical UNDS responses with partners to emerging crises and ongoing challenges. The class will examine the ongoing UNDS reforms and the importance of development, humanitarian, and peace actors working together. Readings will draw from scholarly literature on the history of the UNDS, case studies, country reports, and strategic and policy documents. Students will also analyze and work with guidance documents produced for UN staff and circulated as part of the UNDS’s operations

INAF U6343 Global Governance: Climate Change ＆ Human Mobility. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: IO/UNS Specialization. The course introduces the complex and multifaceted relationship between climate change and human mobility. Climate change can include rising sea levels, wildfires, desertification. Each of these, independently and together, can impact or influence the movement of people, whether forcible or not. Add to that the context of war, conflict, food crises, and the ability to predict what the relationship will be and how best to address it becomes more opaque. The course intends to unpack the interconnectedness of these issues, whether there is an overarching narrative, and what policies could be useful in making sense of these issues going forward. The course will look at the multilateral space, how addressing climate change and human mobility features within broader discussions on global climate change governance and climate action as posited in the organs of the United Nations. It will also look at the engagement of specialized UN agencies and other stakeholders including municipalities with a focus on the Global Compacts on Refugees, and Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2018. The role of international law, and the continued relevance of norm setting will be considered when discussing future frameworks for climate change and human mobility

INAF U6348 Engaging Non-State Armed Groups: Lessons from the UN and Beyond. 1.50 Point.

Over the past decade, the number of civil wars globally has increased dramatically, driven by a proliferation of non-state armed groups, illicit transnational networks and regional actors. The rise of civil wars has meant conflicts are not only harder to resolve via traditional forms of diplomacy, but also more likely to relapse; in fact, 60 per cent of the civil wars that reached peace agreements in the early 2000s have since fallen back into conflict. As an organization created to prevent wars between states, the UN has struggled to meet the challenges of today’s conflicts, particularly when it comes to engaging non-state actors. At the same time, the UN is often uniquely positioned to make contact with armed groups that may be blacklisted by key member states, and it is often UN peace operations that are best placed to implement strategies to address the various threats they pose. What are the origins of the growth of today’s form of non-state armed groups and why have they increased in relevance in recent years? How has the rise of rebel and so-called “terrorist” groups affected the character of war today, and what implications does this have for conflict prevention and management? What challenges (and opportunities) do non-state actors pose to traditional forms of conflict resolution, and what can be learned from the UN’s experiences in places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali? Drawing on a mix of academic literature, case studies and first-hand accounts of those involved directly in UN-led operations in the field, students will explore these questions and grapple with the very real predicaments that face today’s mediators and peacekeepers around the world. By the end of this course, students will have a firm grasp of the core theories and concepts that drive UN engagement with non-state actors, how the UN and its partners have developed strategies in asymmetrical and complex environments, and a practical experience of the difficulties of applying principles to reality. This course will be of interest to those wishing to pursue academic research on the UN, scholars of critical studies of international relations, and those hoping to build a career in conflict resolution and management.

INAF U6351 Politics and Negotiations in the United Nations General Assembly. 1.50 Point.

Not offered during 2023-2024 academic year.

This class will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective - drawing on case-studies, contemporary issues and real-life examples, to explain the nuances and politics of negotiations and decision-making at the General Assembly. To better prepare students for professional careers in international affairs, this class will also take a hands-on and practical approach to the General Assembly, focusing on its political and diplomatic dynamics in examining its functioning and work. It will also feature guest speakers from the United Nations community in New York working in a variety of disciplines, including diplomatic Missions, different departments within the UN Secretariat and Specialized Funds and Agencies. The latter part of the course will also focus on concrete case-studies that has marked the work of the General Assembly in recent years, including the negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Migration as well as the selection process for the ninth UN Secretary-General in 2015 (current Secretary-General António Guterres), annual resolutions passed by the General Assembly on the issue of capital punishment, the situation in Syria and the multi-billion UN budget.

INAF U6352 United Nations ＆ Globalization. 3.00 Points.

This course introduces the various ways in which the United Nations affects global governance. Over the last decade, every aspect of global governance has been subject to review and debate: peacekeeping and peacebuilding, the future of humanitarianism, a new climate change architecture, human rights, a new sustainable development agenda, and the need for a new multilateralism. Part 1 of this course introduces the different actors, entities, and platforms through which the UN affects global governance. It establishes the conceptual foundations for the role of international organizations in today’s multiplex world. It sheds light on how the UN acts at various levels, in different forms, and with a varied set of partners to foster global public goods and global public policy. This includes discussions on the role of international law, goal setting, and frameworks, as well as the interlinkages between global-level interventions and regional, national, and local activities and outcomes. Part 2 applies the conceptual insights to specific issue areas. Discussions on global governance mechanisms in the areas of peace and security, humanitarian action, sustainable development, climate change, human rights, global health, and COVID-19 deepen the understanding of the role the UN plays in broader governance regimes. In addition to critical scholarship on international organizations and global governance, the course relies on students’ analysis of relevant proceedings and debates at the UN, original policy documents, and expert testimony from a range of guest speakers who share their extensive firsthand observations as actors in global governance processes. By these means, United Nations and Globalization offers insights into the processes, challenges, and impacts of UN activities to make global governance regimes stronger, more effective, and more accountable

INAF U6359 Global Economic Governance. 3.00 Points.

This course aims at familiarizing students with major issues surrounding global economic governance, exploring both the issues that have been or are now subject to current debates, as well as the institutional questions involved. “Global economic governance” is understood in a broad sense, and thus includes not only global but also regional frameworks, and both formal institutions as well as informal groupings of countries (such as the G7/8 and the G20) and rules of international transactions that have been left to bilateral agreements or are under the domain of national sovereignty but do have global implications. “Economics” is also understood in a broad sense, to include social and environmental issues. It will start with three general lectures that will place the debates on global governance in relation to those on globalization, and will give a first look at the objectives of international cooperation, the historical evolution of the current governance and typologies of the different rules, organization and governance structures that have been created at varied times. It will then deal in detail with major issues that international cooperation: the role of the UN system, development cooperation, global monetary and financial management, trade and investment, international tax cooperation, and climate change. It will end with discussion of the governance of the system, and a recapitulation of governance issues and reform proposals in light of the global economic developments in the 2008-2019, during COVID-19, and during the current crisis that mixes geopolitical issues with an economic crisis

INAF U6361 Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding. 1.50 Point.

October 2023 marks 23 years since the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. An additional 9 resolutions have since been adopted. This agenda is the first time in the UN’s 50-year history that women’s experiences and particularly their contributions to the promotion of peace and security in contexts of violent conflict, closed political space and rising extremism is acknowledged. It is also the first time that the need for women’s protection was noted strongly. The resolution marks a clear watershed in the evolving efforts to promote human security as a normative framework for the international community. Although the primary focus is on women, the emerging discourse has drawn increasing attention to the need for gendered analysis – i.e., addressing the conditions/experiences of women, men, intersectionality - in conflict and peacebuilding. The agenda has been prescient for understanding and addressing conflict and insecurity in recent decades. Yet with the abandonment of Afghan women during the US negotiations with the Taliban, and the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the WPS agenda and related human security and peacebuilding agendas of the international system have been under severe strain. This intensive 2-day seminar (14 hours) ＆ online review/teamwork will provide an overview of the evolving field of gender, peace and security. Drawing on empirical research and practice, the modules will address the following issues: Historical and geopolitical evolution and context in which the WPS and GPS fields have arisen; Attaining SCR 1325 and the expansion of the WPS policy agenda with attention to subsequent resolutions and key pillars of this agenda – notably women’s participation in peace and security, protection issues, peacekeeping and conflict prevention including conflict related sexual violence. Implications of the Afghan withdrawal, Ukraine conflict, rising authoritarianism and extremisms on gender, peace and security issues. Gender analysis and the practical application of a gendered lens to key mediation, security and peacebuilding and security processes. Experiences and lessons from women’s peace coalitions and women’s contributions to peacebuilding including countering/preventing violent extremism Discussion of Sexual violence in conflict Women and peacekeeping including issues of sexual exploitation and abuse The class will involve a mix of interactive discussions, lectures and group exercises. The course will enable students to question ‘business as usual’ and prepare them to undertake better research, analysis, practice and policy careers within peacebuilding and related fields. The course will cover a combination of theory and real-world cases, helping to contextualize many of key concepts covered in the course. The full-day sessions also provide an opportunity for the professor and students to exchange lessons and reflections regarding their experiences in the workplace, career paths and prospects in the field of international peace and security, with attention to the changing geopolitical environment.

INAF U6375 Gender and Livelihoods. 1.50 Point.

The humanitarian sector has been stretched and overwhelmed by the confluence of intersecting events - the largest numbers of forcibly displaced persons ever recorded, larger and more frequent natural disasters, intractable conflicts, and limited resources that are unable to meet even the basic needs of those affected. This requires a radical rethink of how humanitarian work is conceived and delivered. Humanitarians must shift from delivering aid to promoting self-reliance as soon as possible to reduce vulnerability and allow for the re-targeting of resources to the greatest need. Changing gender roles and norms in contexts of conflict and displacement provide new opportunities to promote self-reliance and gender equality. The course will assess the changing contexts and implications for the future of humanitarian work with a focus on the research and practice work Professor Buscher has undertaken in humanitarian and post-conflict contexts for the past twenty years including a focus on urban displacement, livelihoods and youth, gender, and protection. The course will address the effects of conflict on livelihoods, how livelihoods can be re-vitalized during population displacement, how promoting economic self-reliance underpins all other humanitarian work, the impact on the protection of women and men, and how these programs are prerequisite for and can be linked with post-conflict recovery and development. The impact of conflict, displacement and livelihoods on gender, gender norms, and gender power relations will be addressed throughout.

INAF U6376 Transnational LGBTI Rights. 1.50 Point.

In May 2016, a highly contested resolution passed the UN Human Rights Council condemning discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity and establishing the system’s first ever Independent Expert on the same themes. The protracted fight for the resolution demonstrated how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights were, and remain, among the most controversial issues in international human rights, law, and public policy. Contestations around LGBTI rights are frequently framed in terms of ‘human rights’ versus ‘traditional values’ which underscores a central challenge to LGBTI rights claims – how to make universalizing claims based on identities that are historically contingent and culturally produced. This course will explore how LGBTI rights impact mainstream debates, such as bilateral relations and good governance, while also teaching students to understand the challenges of fulfilling LGBTI rights, such as access to legal recognition for same-sex partnerships and transgender people. The course will also explore the ways in which anti-LGBTI animus is deployed for political effect and seek to understand the processes whereby LGBTI rights become lightning rods for broader social and political cleavages. This course offers students an opportunity to reflect, in-depth, on the challenges and opportunities of working on LGBTI rights transnationally, surveys debates within the field, and equips students to competently address LGBTI rights as they manifest across a range of academic and professional interests. Breaking news and contemporary debates will be integrated into the course work.

INAF U6394 Writing About War: Seeking Narratives in Conflict. 3.00 Points.

This intensive writing seminar explores the special challenges of creating narrative and assessing truth claims in the context of violent conflict. In this course, you will grow as a writer through extensive practice reporting, writing, revising your work, and editing your peers. We will engage with a pressing matter of our age: how to evaluate facts and context and create compelling and precise narratives from the fog of war. A growing swathe of the world, including many countries that are nominally not at war, are currently experiencing pre- or post-conflict conditions. Through discussions, reading, and writing, seminar participants will learn the mechanics of covering conflict and the politics of war- and peace-making. We will read accounts produced in journalism, policy analysis, advocacy, literature, and philosophy. Students will produce original reported narrative writing about conflict, which they may try to place for publication. Students will have to write or revise an original piece almost every week. The skill set cultivated by this class will help anyone write about violent conflict (which includes its prelude and aftermath), whether they plan to do so for a reporting-driven NGO, as a policy analyst, or as a journalist. This course emphasizes good writing and critical thinking; grades will reflect participation, effort, clarity of thought, originality of reporting, and successful narrative craft. Students can draw on their own experiences and contacts – as well as the great wealth of resources in New York City – for story ideas and sources

INAF U6442 Failures and Successes of Three Decades of Peacemaking. 3.00 Points.

The return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, coming after a twenty-year engagement of the international community, raised hard questions on the wisdom of intervening in the lives of others. Meanwhile, the wars in Syria and Yemen, in which there was no intervention, have generated immense humanitarian crises, while the short but decisive intervention in Libya, once trumpeted as an example of the responsibility to protect, has led to more than a decade of political crisis. At the same time, there is a return of older forms of conflict: interstate war, with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia; the Israel-Palestine conflict; a deterioration of relations between China and the United States that is sometimes described as a ”second Cold War.” Have we forgotten the lessons of the first Cold War? Have we unlearned the lessons from the crises of the 90’s (Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda…)? Or has the world changed so radically that the lessons of the 90’s no longer apply? At a time when geopolitical confrontation is deepening, do we have the right frame of analysis and the right tools in the new landscape? Are there new lessons that we should learn from the last two decades? To answer those questions, we will go through several case studies – focusing on conflicts in which the United Nations has been involved only to better understand the causes of failure and, in some cases, of success but also to sharpen a definition of what can be called success. I will draw on my own experience as under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, as deputy of Kofi Annan when he tried to stop the Syrian conflict, and as chair of the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and CEO of the International Crisis Group. I will also call on a few experts and practitioners with specific experience in particular conflicts. Ultimately, we will test the validity of existing tools on several ongoing potential or active conflicts: Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Israel and Palestine.

INAF U6450 Conflict in the 21st Century: Rethinking Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

After a long period of decline, conflict is on the rise; the nature of conflict is also evolving, as new actors and new battlefields emerge, blurring the line that separates war and peace. We must adapt our strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The course will help students develop a conceptual framework for the understanding and resolution of contemporary conflicts, but it will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective, with a strong emphasis on policy challenges and dilemmas. When possible, practitioners who have been involved in the resolution of conflicts will contribute to the discussion. Each class discussion will be structured by specific questions which will confront students with conceptual, operational and ethical choices.

INAF U6490 Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Global Challenges. 3.00 Points.

Category: EPD:Political, HRHP, ICR, IO/UNS

This course explores both foundational and advanced aspects of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) within the context of contemporary warfare and provides an overview of International Human Rights Law (IHRL). It elucidates the mechanisms that establish, apply, and enforce rules in both domains. The course develops students' critical analytical and research skills. Contemporary warfare case studies are used methodically, supplemented by interactive activities and simulations. It also addresses the roles and capacities of international courts and tribunals in prosecuting perpetrators. The structure, content, and methodology of the course are designed to achieve specific objectives and outcomes for students, enabling them to navigate complex humanitarian landscapes effectively. By the end of the course, students will not only understand IHL’s core concepts and terminology but will also have developed analytical thinking regarding key rules and relevant international bodies. They will enhance their collaboration and communication skills through practical activities aimed at addressing global challenges in the protection of victims. They will practice formulating law-based, action-oriented proposals and key research questions, which are central to further work at Columbia, as well as international organizations, the media, and humanitarian institutions. The course uses interactive elements such as a whiteboard platform, simulations of current conflict case studies, and peer teaching, fostering an engaging and collaborative learning environment. Through a case analysis framework—specifically developed by the professor for this course—students will gain the capacity to properly approach the IHL elements of humanitarian crises, outlining the steps to follow and the skills to apply. The course examines the challenges to IHL and the application of protective rules in major wars and armed conflicts, such as those in Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Congo, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar. Fundamental questions guide the exploration of current global challenges and tendencies resulting from these wars in ensuring adherence to international legal standards. Broader areas essential to understanding and addressing these challenges in legal protections and mitigating the impacts of warfare will be coherently discussed. Some of these fundamental questions include: What protection do the Geneva Conventions provide to internees, prisoners, and hostages, and what are the challenges in ensuring humane treatment in asymmetric wars? Do civilians lose protection when they participate in hostilities or are used as human shields? How do international laws regulate indiscriminate warfare and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and what are the legal implications of using missiles, drones, indiscriminate weapons, and AI? How can the use of starvation and the targeting of humanitarian workers and protected facilities such as hospitals, schools, and UN compounds be judged? Broader areas for reflection include the application of the law to non-state armed groups; the value of general protection for specifically protected persons, such as women and children, and objects, such as hospitals; the substance of the proportionality principle in modern warfare; the long-term effects of warfare on the environment; and the role of international and national courts in prosecuting war criminals

INAF U6736 Innovations in Development Finance. 1.50 Point.

The aspirations outlined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development are in jeopardy as the world faces cascading and interrelated global crises and conflicts. It has become increasingly apparent that traditional funding modalities are falling tragically short to meet the financing requirements in addressing the SDGs - currently estimated to be around US$4.2 trillion per year. Hence, there is an urgent need to leverage alternative and innovative sources for financing development initiatives. This course will explore the intersection of development finance, strategy, and policy. It will examine the landscape of traditional development financing, provide an overview of various innovative development financing mechanisms, and reflect on the process for adapting them in particular contexts. The course will be highly interactive, involving six classes taking place over three weekends, with leading experts as guest speakers, and practical activities including an individual opinion piece, a group project and presentation, and a simulation exercise

INAF U6751 International Human Rights Law. 3.00 Points.

Priority Reg: HRHP Concentration. The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the legal regime that exists--or is absent--to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. This course is intended to introduce students to international human rights through laws, institutions, and advocacy strategies. In this class, we approach human rights law from a practitioner's perspective, which is to say that we are most interested in exploring concrete opportunities for realizing rights once we understand their theoretical and legal bases. But to start, what is a right? What are the various legal sources of authority for these rights? What are the instruments we can utilize--and how can we utilize them--to try to advance the range of rights from civil and political to economic, social, cultural, and environmental? Who is responsible for protecting and advancing rights, and who may be held accountable for their violations? Does the existence of a right necessarily indicate the existence of a remedy? In the past decade, human rights advocacy has extended into new realms, well beyond the 'traditional' bounds of violations by repressive governments. Despite the fact that the intersection of human rights with other social and economic justice concerns, including the environment, corporate accountability, and health, has strengthened, questions remain as to how human rights lawyers and advocates can effectively use the law to "enforce" those rights. As a way to strengthen the law, advocates have pushed the boundaries of the tools of human rights advocacy: 'naming and shaming' is still at the core, but public-private engagement to negotiate long-term monitoring programs for private corporations, calls to rights-based programming, litigation, and other tactics are now nearly routine. In this class, we will learn the law but also explore tools for assessing when, where, and how the law matters. We will explore developments in human rights and the environment, gender analysis, intersections between human rights and humanitarian action, and corporate accountability. The course will endeavor to provide an overview of the range of substantive and procedural rights and the mechanisms and gaps in their enforcement. Attendance in the first class session is mandatory.

INAF U6762 Risk Management for UN Crisis ＆ Post-crisis Responses. 3.00 Points.

The objective of the class is to introduce students to the practice of risk management as a tool for enabling delivery across the range of UN responses in crisis and conflict contexts, including in the areas of peace and security, human rights, development and humanitarian support. The class emphasizes skills development and their application to concrete UN crisis responses

INAF U6897 Writing on Policy. 3.00 Points.

“Writing About Policy” gives you the journalistic tools to intervene in public policy debates. You will learn to translate the expertise you’re gaining – as policy professionals and as SIPA students –for the rest of the public, whether in op eds, review essays or blogs. You will also report and write feature stories. This class is a workshop, as well as a seminar, and there will be writing assignments due almost every week. Students will publish their work in SIPAs student publications, as well as in media outlets reaching far beyond the IAB.

INAF U8176 MIMC 3.0: Migrants, Refugees and International Law: Revising the “Model International Mobility Convention. 3.00 Points.

Capital, goods and people are more mobile than ever in our globalized world. Yet the movement of people across borders is still a largely unregulated enterprise that leaves many people unprotected in irregular and dire situations. International mobility – the movement of individuals across borders for any length of time as labor migrants, entrepreneurs, students, tourists, asylum seekers, or refugees – has no common definition or legal framework. In 2017, a group of 40 plus specialists in migration and refugee protection drafted and adopted a Model International Mobility Convention (MIMC) to address these gaps. In light of recent normative developments, this workshop aims to propose specific language to revise the MIMC in order to improve its efficacy as a framework for the reform of international rules governing the movement of persons across borders. The first part of the course builds the foundations. It introduces course participants to the legal architecture of migration and refugee protection, key migration and refugee challenges and governance mechanisms, including ‘crimmigration,’ responsibility sharing, and the specific status (or lack thereof) for ‘climate refugees.’ Drawing on insights from the fields of migration, human rights, national security, labor economics, and refugee law, in the second part of the course, students will reexamine MIMC’s capacities to promote the rights that should be afforded to all mobile people. We will seek to clarify the duties and responsibilities of states to protect the rights of foreigners in their territory and the rights of their citizens in other states. The workshop will combine individual research with a collective effort to draft proposed revisions to the model treaty with the goal to reassert and reaffirm the existing rights afforded to mobile people and the corresponding rights and responsibilities of states.

INAF U8180 Human Rights Skills ＆ Advocacy. 3.00 Points.

This course is designed to develop practical advocacy skills to protect and promote human rights. A focus will be developing an advocacy strategy on a current human rights issue, including the identification of goals and objectives, appropriate advocacy targets and strategies, and the development of an appropriate research methodology. Students will explore broad-based human rights campaigns, use of the media, and advocacy with UN and legislative bodies. Over the course of the semester, students will become familiar with a variety of tools to apply to a human rights issue of their choosing. Case studies will illustrate successful advocacy campaigns on a range of human rights issues.

INAF U8537 Climate Change Policy. 3.00 Points.

Climate change is the most challenging international policy problem that exists today. The course will primarily focus on two questions. First, what should be done about climate change? Second, what can be done about it? The first question requires an understanding of the science, impacts, technological options, economics, and ethics of climate change policy. The second question requires an understanding of the politics, international law, and international relations aspects of climate change policy. The course will not provide firm answers to these questions. It aims instead to provide a framework and the knowledge required for students to come to their own conclusions. Indeed, every student taking this course is required to answer these questions, and to defend their conclusions rigorously.

INAF U8560 Governance and Management in the UN System. 3.00 Points.

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.

INAF U8690 Managing Humanitarian Emergencies. 3.00 Points.

This course focuses on the actual management problems of humanitarian interventions and helps students obtain the professional skills and insight needed to work in complex humanitarian emergencies, and to provide oversight and guidance to humanitarian operations from a policy perspective. It is a follow-up to the fall course that studied the broader context, root causes, actors, policy issues, and debates in humanitarian emergencies.

INAF U8785 Gender, Politics and Development: Theory, Policy ＆ Practice. 3.00 Points.

In this course, we approach gender, politics and development in terms of theory, policy and practice. We explore multiple constructions of gender in development discourse; the intersection of gender with other social categories and with dominant economic and political trends; and the ways in which gender norms inform the different approaches of governments, development agencies, civil society organizations, and the private sector. We apply a critical gender lens to a wide range of development sectors and issue areas, including economic development, political participation, education and health, environment and climate change, and conflict and displacement. We also consider current debates and approaches related to gender mainstreaming and gender metrics in development practice. Students engage with the course material through class discussion, exercises and case studies, and the development of a gender-related project proposal.

PUAF U6801 Negotiation ＆ Conflict Resolution. 3.00 Points.

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

PUAF U8349 Intersections of Race and Power in Development. 3.00 Points.

While intersectionality is beginning to take hold within the international aid and development industry, addressing race as a construct that has shaped the history, practice and culture of development as a whole is just emerging across much of the sector. This course will be a participatory exploration of concepts and practices of race and power in international development. We will draw on critical race, feminist, intersectionality and decolonial conceptual frameworks and tools, and examine different sites of transformation throughout the course. The ‘arc’ of the course will be from self/individual level, to exploring relevant concepts, learning frameworks for analysis and strategizing, engaging with practice and determining a course of inquiry and action in the context of a development organization or program. Students will be engaged with readings, group discussions, discussions with guest practitioners and group projects. The course will be a participatory exploration, at multiple levels - individual, interpersonal, organization and society – of how race and racism operate in international development institutions and programs. They will reflect on their own understanding of and experiences of race, power, privilege, and marginalization and reflect on how intersecting identities shape their interactions with others. Students will examine the colonial history of international development, and the ways in which neo-colonial attitudes persist in contemporary development systems, organizations, policies and practices and learn about tools and frameworks to better understand these dynamics and create change strategies to transform them

REGN U6230 EU Policymaking ＆ New Global Challenges. 1.50 Point.

This course explores the process of EU policy-making - how and why certain public policies are pursued by the institutions of the European Union - and analyses what the Union is doing to address a number of major policy challenges in today's interdependent world. After providing a general introduction to the overall policy process in the EU - looking at how policies are born, adopted, enacted, implemented and reviewed - this term's course will examine the specific policy agenda of the current European Commission (2019-24), led by Ursula von der Leyen, and do a 'deep dive' into EU action in three areas: the fight against climate change, the development of a 'digital Europe', and the EU response to the on-going coronavirus crisis. It will identify the key characteristics of these policies, assess how far they are succeeding or failing, and ask what they show about the evolving EU political system. The course will round off with an assessment of the growing emphasis on strategic foresight in the EU policy-making and identify new policies that are likely to be developed in coming years. Taught from a practitioner perspective by Anthony Teasdale, Director General of the European Parliament's research service, the course aims to provide a firm grounding in modern EU policy and should appeal to those interested both in EU politics and in the individual policy issues under discussion.

SIPA U6700 Inside the Situation Room. 3.00 Points.

Prerequisite: Course Application. In an era increasingly defined by geopolitical competition, it is more important than ever for future policymakers to understand why and how foreign policy decisions are made. Inside the Situation Room, co-taught by Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton and Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, employs insights from diverse academic fields—including political psychology, domestic politics, and international relations—and the direct experience of high-level principals in the room to understand the key factors which underpin a nation’s most crucial decisions. This course allows students to engage with a range of case studies and examine decision-making in a variety of historical and contemporary contexts, from the search for Osama bin Laden, to the “red line” in Syria, to negotiating with Iran. Students will be taught how to analyze and understand the complex interplay between individual psychology, domestic politics, public opinion, bureaucracy, the international environment, and other factors which feed into decisions about foreign policy—from crisis diplomacy to the use of force, signaling and perception, intelligence and its analysis, the deployment of other instruments of statecraft, and more. Through this course, students will think carefully and analytically about how leaders and other actors view the world, how they arrive at their decisions, and how various social, political, and psychological factors shape the policies they devise to promote their interests abroad. For more information, visit: https://www.sipa.columbia.edu/situationroom