Regional and International Organisations and Policy

This unit examines the roles and functions of organisations vis-à-vis international security, food, education, health, the environment, trade, economic development, human rights and the status of women. A comparative approach is adopted in examining operations of international organisations, states, the corporate sector and civil society. The roles, functions and operations of the UN’s specialised agencies are investigated vis-à-vis influence on their member nation's policies. Other programs of the UN are looked at from the point of view of their strategies and policy-making and competing philosophies between them. Various regional bodies and international financial and trade organisations are reviewed.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Critically review current debates and discussions relating to the role of international organisations and of international norms in tackling key cross-border social and economic development concerns;
2. Conceptually map how the internationalisation of economic, political and cultural processes is redefining the role of nation states and communities;
3. Exemplify interpretive skills with respect to approaches to tackling contemporary from the global to the local level, focusing upon community development programs in specific cultural settings; and
4. Cogently advocate recommendations through corroborating evidence to a variety of audiences.