EU and International Organisations

Level of Study

Bachelor

Teaching semester

Autumn

Objectives and Content

The course provides an overview, and insight into the workings of international and supranational organizations with the aid of organization and governance theory. The focus will be on the EU and key international organizations such as the WTO, the IMF/ World Bank, and the UN, as well as Norway's relations with them. In addition to providing students with the conceptual tools for analyzing these organizations and their actions, we will study selected empirical cases of European and global governance, such as food security, migration, and trade.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

The student:

• can account for how international and supranational institutions are organized and operate in global governance processes
• knows different theoretical approaches to explain the emergence, function and influence of international organizations
• understands how these organizations affect Norwegian policies and political processes

Skills

The student:

• can explain the context and origins of these institutions,
• discuss the development of these institutions at the international or supranational level through the lens of organisation and governance theories
• consider the effects of international organizations in the light of problem-solving, legitimacy, and power relations

General competence

The student:

• can assess national institutions and political processes in the light of international institutional developments
• can gather, critically assess and convey new knowledge
• can compare and synthesiz different theoretical accounts and apply them to empirical phenomena.

Required Previous Knowledge

None

Recommended Previous Knowledge

AORG100A / AORG100B

Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap

• AORG107 (15 ECTS).

Access to the Course

Open for all students at the University of Bergen

Teaching and learning methods

12-14 lectures and 8-12 seminars.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

None

Forms of Assessment

4 hour school exam

Examination Support Material

None

Grading Scale

Grading A-F

Assessment Semester

Assessment in teaching semester. Only students who have a valid document of absence may take a new exam in the following semester.

Reading List

The reading list will be ready before 1 June for the autumn semester and 1 Decemeber for the spring semester.

Course Evaluation

All courses are evaluated according to UiB's system for quality assurance of education.

Programme Committee

The Programme Committee is responsible for the content, structure and quality of the study programme and courses.