United Nations Advanced Certificate Program
Courses 2009/2010

Fall 2009

History 632: The World Since 1945
Professor Wilson
A survey of political and economic trends, including the collapse of European hegemony, the emergence of the Third World, the Cold War in Europe and Asia, the breakup of the Soviet Empire, and the growing threat of international terrorism.
Three Credits

Pol.  Sci.  642: International Organizations, the UN and Its Affiliated Agencies
Professor Sutterlin
A study of the theories, origins, functions and operations of international organizations. The principal organs of the United Nations, with emphasis on the General Assembly and the Security Council, are examined.
Three Credits

UN 705: Internship in International Organizations
Professor Wilson
A course designed to provide direct exposure to and experience in the work of a UN department or UN-related agency or department. The student engages in supervised placement activity and is expected to meet frequently with a faculty coordinator. The student is also expected to keep a log of all fieldwork experience and complete a seminar-length paper analyzing a specific problem, of the agency or department.
Three Credits

UN 706: International Humanitarian Assistance,
Professor Lee
A review of the evolution of the concept and practice of humanitarian assistance. The course covers the interface between humanitarian assistance and peacekeeping operations, the continuum between emergency assistance and economic/social development, the role of humanitarian assistance in peace building, the role of non governmental organ9zations in the provision of humanitarian assistance, and the evolving international legal concepts of dealing with the right to humanitarian assistance/ The course focuses on case studies of actual emergency assistance operations.
Three Credits

UN 707: Population Displacement and Migration
Professor Kusukawa
A review of accelerated internal as well as external migration (voluntary or involuntary), resulting in the displacement of populations. Policy implications are discussed.
Three Credits

UN 710: Research Methods
Professor Braun
An examination of the range of research methods employed in social science. Topics include: theory and methodology, selection of research designs, quantitative and qualitative approaches, and the ethics of social research.
Three Credits

Spring 2010

Pol. Sci. 547: International Human Rights
Professor Braun
An examination of the impact of human rights on state policies, theories of human rights, cross-cultural perspectives of human rights, and the question of universality. Also considered are the five categories of rights recognized by the international community, negative and positive rights, the three generations of rights and the evolution of international human rights and the legal instruments and covenants designed to protect them. Case studies of major human rights abuses and the efforts by the international community to deal with them—the role of the United Nations, particular states, nongovernmental organizations and individuals—are reviewed.
Three Credits

Political Science 605: Conflict Resolution
Professor Sutterlin
A study of the theory and practice of international conflict prevention and resolution. Intrastate conflicts will be considered in so far as they concern the international community. Theories (games, factor analysis) will be discussed, but the main emphasis will be on practice as illustrated by specific conflict situations. The use of military and non-military means in dealing with conflict will be analyzed as will the effectiveness of unofficial third party diplomacy.
Three Credits

Soc. Sci. 553: World Social Development
Professor Wilson
A consideration of the world social situation, including such topics as health, of food and nutrition, housing and urban planning, education, and environment issues. Emphasis is placed on social problems in developing nations.
Three Credits

UN 708: United Nations and Non-Governmental Organizations
Professor Lee
A study of the premises and functions of private voluntary organizations in the UN non-governmental organizations (NGO) structure. Student-initiated research in the function of selected groups of NGOs is conducted. Multidisciplinary and analytical discussions of research progress reports on NGO activities and interactions with international organizations are held.
Three Credits

UN 711: Research Seminar
Professor Braun
Cornerstone of the United Nations Program. Students write a major research paper on a topic related to the United Nations system and its operations.
Three Credits

Summer 2010

UN 705: Internship in International Organizations / Central America
Professor Lee

Sponsored by the Executive Committee of the NGOs associated with the UN Department of Public Information (DPI), UN Program students participate in an NGO/DPI Central America Outreach Project where they meet with local NGOs and encourage them to apply for association with the UN Department of Public Information. 

Based on on-site visits, interviews and a reception hosted by the students, the participants keep logs of their work and prepare detailed profiles of the NGOs that apply for UN/DPI association. These reports are included in the application documents submitted to UN/DPI. Students report back to the NGO/DPI Executive Committee and present a report of their trip. *
Three Credits (Prerequisite UN 708)

*Costa Rica (2007), Panama (2008) and Honduras (2009) have been visited to date.  http://liucostaricaproject.blogspot.com/

UN 716: The United Nations and the Middle East
Professor Fomerand

The seminar will examine the events that led to the initial involvement and continued engagement of the United Nations in the Middle East. Starting with the Balfour Declaration through the independence of Israel and followed by the various Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on the situation, particular attention will be given to the Israel/Palestine question. The seminar also will discuss current challenges facing the United Nations in the fields of democratization, disarmament and human rights in the region.
Three credits